Prize of Victory
by Nova Alexandria
Summary: The war was over. Aizen has won. Now the Victors have earned the right to Claim those that have survived. What started as bait for one's brother and a deal to protect one's sister unexpectedly became something more. Karin/Grimmjow
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach nor make profit from this story.

This is a heavily butchered version of my main story Prize of Victory on adult fan. That one is very dark. This version is far FAR more light. I wasn't going to post here but the lack of Karin/Grimmjow is driving me bonkers and I must further corrupt the fan fiction community.

Karin/Grimmjow **will** be a consensual relationship. There will be nothing dark between them.

Chapter 1

Prize of Victory

She didn't know how long she had screamed until the pressure became too much for her to do even that. The screams of the dying echoed all around her as the ground shook and buildings fell.

Yuzu lay beside her, whimpering pathetically and panting heavily for breath. Karin didn't blame her. Even she had a hard time breathing under the crushing reiatsu that was passing by. The sound of wood cracking was the only warning she had before the ceiling collapsed on top of them.

Karin had no idea how long she had been unconscious, only that she was awoken to female voices calling out and the wood of her shattered house being moved.

"Down here." Karin croaked.

More light fell upon her as the splintered wood was moved and she could hear the people above her talking. Beside her, Yuzu moaned and slowly came to as well.

"Karin?" She croaked.

"It's okay, Yuzu. Help is coming." She assured her sister.

"Can you reach my hand, human?" A soft yet firm voice asked.

"I think so. Hold on a sec." Karin helped Yuzu crawl over to the pale hand.

The hand gripped Yuzu and pulled her out of the hole. A moment later the hand returned and Karin grasped onto it. It pulled her out effortlessly.

She looked about her in horror. Not a single building was left standing, utter devastation surrounded them. And standing before her was a woman with blond hair and a mask covering most of her face.

Karin felt terror grip her as she realized she they had been rescued by a hollow, and a rather powerful one at the. Yuzu cried out in anguish at the destruction and latched onto her, sobbing her eyes out.

"Karin, Yuzu."

Karin snapped her eyes to glance at the only other human apparently still alive.

"Tatsuki!"

The three of them shared a group hug.

"Enough, get moving." One of the hollows snapped.

Yuzu flinched, Karin and Tatsuki glared at the women surrounding them, but reluctantly let themselves be herded to wherever they were going. It wasn't like there was anything else they could do in this situation.

(POV)

When Orihime awoke it was to flares of struggling Reiatsu. She felt tears well up as she realized her friends were fighting once again. There was desperation to it this time and she knew that this time the fights would end permanently.

She wanted to go to them, but she couldn't leave the room. She had tried and each time her body had frozen at the door. At first she had thought her resolve had shattered, but after the tenth time she realized it was something else.

The door opened, taking her by surprise and she stepped back as Ulquiorra entered the room. She couldn't help but to flinch away from him, wondering if he planned on raping her again.

When he made no motion to approach her, she felt a small bud of her courage return enough to ask the question that had been haunting her for a while.

"Why can't I leave?" She demanded.

"It is over." He stated calmly. "Aizen-sama has won and ascended."

She felt a bolt run through her. Fear was the biggest pain, followed by loss. If Aizen won than that meant Karakura town was destroyed, and with it all of her human friends. Shortly after that fear was fear for herself.

If Aizen had won than he had no more use for her. She gasped suddenly as she felt several of her friends Reiatsu suddenly extinguish. The tears that had been threatening to spill came forth and she fell to the floor in grief.

She had almost forgotten she wasn't alone.

"Enough." Ulquiorra ordered.

She felt a pull on her reiatsu and she stopped crying despite herself.

"You said Aizen has no further use of me." She whispered.

"Indeed."

"Are you here to kill me?" She asked, feeling strangely calm.

"No."

She looked back up to him in shock.

"As I said before, you are mine, as is my right. Come. Aizen-sama has summoned us."

She forced herself to her feet and followed him out into the hall. She checked one last time for her friends reiatsu, and while a few still pulsed faintly, the rest she knew were gone forever.

The black maw of a garganta opened before them and with dragging footsteps she followed Ulquiorra through to step into the bright morning sun in Soul Society. She felt a brief hatred for the sun.

How dare the skies be so pleasant when her emotions and thoughts were in such upheaval? When so many people had just been massacred for one mans ambition?

They were on the edge of the massive city and while the city before her remained in perfect shape, behind her the runes of Karakura town smouldered. She immediately started to scan for anyone familiar, but as soon as she started she was reigned in.

"It is pointless." Ulquiorra said from in front of her.

"Please. I must know." She whispered in painful desperation.

"Come." He ordered again.

Tears once more making small trails down her face, she followed him through the ruins to a clearing where several more people were gathering. She spotted a few of her friends right away, and she felt relief at the realization they were still alive.

Matsumoto was on the ground, clutching a body to her own that looked suspiciously like Gin. Orihime could see the blood streaming down his arm, but his chest still rose softly indicating he was still alive.

Not too far away from them Unohana was kneeling on the ground tending to Ukitake, whose white cloak was stained red with his own blood. Nanao was hovering over them with tears marring her own face. Starrk stood over that group, looking bored.

Her eyes shifted to the next group of wounded. Soi-Fon was glaring daggers at Barragan and his two remaining fraccion while cradling what looked like a broken arm that Yumichika was doing his best to tend to with nothing but strips of cloth from torn clothing.

Szayel arrived right behind them, as did Nnoitra and Yammy. She felt pain spike when she noticed the two bodies Yammy was carrying as he dumped them unceremoniously in the centre of the gathering group.

Renji and Byakuya were both covered in blood, but the steady rise of their chests let her know they were both still alive.

"Is this everyone?" Barragan demanded, breaking the silence first.

"Harribel and her fraccion are combing the city for any possible survivors." Lilinette answered.

The old man grunted and silence fell over the group once more.

"Please, let me see to their injuries." Orihime begged softly.

Ulquiorra looked back at her before giving a small nod of his head and she felt the restraint on her reiatsu loosen.

She hurried forward towards where Renji and Byakuya laid unmoving side by side. They looked the worse off. Both had blood practically caked to them and Orihime couldn't help but to wonder how difficult it was going to be to wash that much caked blood out of Byakuya's long hair.

"Soten Kisshun." She whispered.

The golden shield came up around the two men and briefly she wondered if she wasn't just wasting her time. If Aizen wouldn't just kill them all when he arrived. She felt tears threaten once more at the thought.

The soft sound of crying broke that train of thought before she could go down it and she looked up in shock to see Harribel returning with her fraccion herding the small group of survivors.

There were three, and when the eyes of the eldest of the three fell upon her she felt so many emotions race through her she couldn't even begin to decipher them.

"Orihime-chan." Tatsuki cried, stumbling towards her.

Harribel's fraccion seemed surprised, but let her go anyway as Tatsuki swept her into a hug with little to no regard for her own injuries.

"Tatsuki-chan." She cried softly, returning the hug in shock.

Karin and Yuzu were also by her side quickly. The first looking grim while the second seemed almost catatonic.

"Have you seen him?" Karin asked.

Orihime knew who Karin was asking for of course, and shook her head in the negative. "He is still alive though." She assured her.

"It is pleasing to see you all waiting so patiently for my return." Aizen's soft voice stopped any further conversation.

Orihime turned to face him and almost didn't recognize him. White, butterfly like wings shot from his back and his eyes were black. The power radiating from him sent Yuzu into unconsciousness, and Karin and Tatsuki to their knees fighting for breath.

"This is everyone who has survived?" Aizen asked.

A course of "Yes, Aizen-sama" came from his minions.

Aizen walked amongst them, pausing before the group of humans to glance at the two woman kneeling on the ground and glaring at him.

"I am afraid you three are not familiar to me, nor do I recall seeing you at the battle." Aizen noted.

"These are the only survivors from the town, Aizen-sama." Harribel answered.

"There were survivors after all." He murmured amused. "Your names, please." He requested politely.

"Arisawa Tatsuki. Are you the one who took Orihime-chan?" Tatsuki demanded sharply, despite being unable to rise from the ground.

"I did indeed order her retrieval." He turned his gaze to the black haired child hovering protectively over the blond haired one. "And you two are?" He asked with a soft smile of encouragement.

"Karin." Karin answered.

"I doubt that is your full name." Aizen noted.

Karin swallowed nervously and shot a look over at Tatsuki and Orihime.

"Your full names, please." Aizen asked sweetly.

Closing her eyes and swallowing nervously. Karin answered.

"Kurosaki Karin."

There was a large stirring amongst the others and Aizen's grin widened ever so slightly in amusement.

"No doubt the younger sister of Kurosaki Ichigo. And the other girl?"

"Yuzu, my sister." Karin answered.

"Two sisters. Intriguing. Let us finish this conversation in a more pleasant atmosphere, shall we?" Aizen turned his attention to the gathered group.

(POV)

Everyone was standing now in various states of injury. Aizen had let Orihime and Unohana get everyone mobile and conscious before they were all herded to a large meeting room Karin would later learn was where the Taichou had one time held their meetings.

She had picked up a little of what was going on from Orihime and what she learned she did not like. Yuzu was still unconscious and Tatsuki had carried the blond haired twin on her back.

This left Karin free to study the strange group of men and woman and her eyes kept drifting back to the blue haired one that kept glaring at her and her sister like they had done something to offend him.

She had never met the man, creature, thing in her life so she assumed whoever he was he had a grudge against her brother. Great, just what she needed. A man with a grudge against her family.

Reports were giving by the creatures to the man called Aizen and she felt her own heart stop when she heard the reports of Ishida and Chad's deaths and a great relief that her brothers name had been omitted from the list of confirmed dead.

"I do believe Victory has been achieved, and so I let you Claim your right to it." He grinned pleasantly to his Espada. "But please, try not to be too greedy and keep it to no more than two a piece."

"And if we don't want them?" Barragan grunted.

"Than I have no use for them. I do believe some of you have already made Claims." His gaze turned towards Orihime before sweeping to Ulquiorra.

"Retsu, Gin, please come with me. We have much to discuss." Aizen bade as the two he had called reluctantly followed him from the room.

Karin felt her blood run cold. There was surprisingly very little chaos over who was taking who and her gaze darted to where Tatsuki was arguing with Orihime before it was cut off by a wall of white.

Looking up she noticed the blue haired one that had been glaring at her was standing before her. She forced a lump down her throat and stood as tall as she could, barely going past his waist.

"You got a problem with me?" She asked as firmly as she could, hands clenched into fist even though she was sure her knees were shaking.

To her surprise his glower turned into a grin before he gave a bark of a laugh.

"Just thinking on how I can use you to bring that bastard brother of yours in." He answered with a smirk.

"So what, I look like bait?" She snapped.

He let lose another bark of laughter before ordering her to pick up her dead weight sister and follow him.

She almost refused, but a glance around the room showed it was starting to empty out and the looks the few remaining were giving her left her in a far deeper fear than this one did.

Thinking of her sister's wellbeing, she gathered Yuzu up and followed the blue haired man to the house she and her sister would be staying in for a very long time.

* * *

Well, there is Chapter 1. This story will be far lighter than the real version and as such will be missing some of the darker chapters. If you want to read all the dark, gory, good details see the full version of Prize of Victory on Adultfan.

As usual, I greatly appreciate constructive criticism and apologize now if the idea of this pairing starts a mass exodus. I am honestly surprised there isn't a following for it. In all my searching I have only seen two other stories with this pairing;

One was a semi crack one shot called; The Courtship of Kurosaki Karin: Espada style. Humorous and I encourage you to give it a check. It's good for a quick laugh.

The other was on adult fan and is a sort of triangle between Karin/Grimmjow/Toshiro.

And one fanart picture on deviant art.


	2. Deals

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach nor make profit from this story.

Warnings: Sex, language

Chapter 2: Deals

_5 years later_

The smell of wonderful food wafted through the house, as did the sound of happy humming coming from the one cooking it. Karin sighed as she finished the kata she had been working on before hopping into the shower for a quick soak before coming downstairs.

"Dinner is almost ready." Yuzu announced cheerfully as Karin poked her head into the kitchen.

Both girls had grown a lot in the last five years but while Yuzu had stopped around the same height as their mother, Karin had sprouted like a weed and was currently almost as tall as their owner.

She refused to think of Grimmjow as her master. He had little to do with them other than when he left the house or returned. Since he didn't need to eat, or at least she didn't think he did since she had never seen him do so, he never joined them for meals.

From what she had gathered over the last five years as far as he was concerned they were nothing more than bait for their brother. That was fine as far as she was concerned. However, lately she had noticed his eyes had been wandering their way, particularly Yuzu's way.

She knew that look. Yuzu was growing into a stunning young woman and anyone would notice it. Grimmjow had brought the odd female companion home over the years and the sounds coming from the room he had claimed as his own left nothing to the imagination.

Yuzu was clueless but Karin was not. He had looked at her a few times as well but in the midst of her growth spurt she was a little gangly at the moment.

Speaking of the Devil, she heard the front door open and recognized the sound of his confident strides as he walked through the house before stopping at the entrance to the kitchen.

Yuzu's back was turned to them as she rooted in the fridge for something and Karin watched his eyes rake the young girl's body before turning to her. He gave her a glance over as well before returning back to Yuzu.

Karin was almost positive he wouldn't force himself on either one of them, but she wasn't sure. She had no doubt in her mind that if he wanted to there was nothing either one of them could do to stop him.

Something had to be done before his attention to her sister turned into more than just looks. Yuzu was naive enough to believe any advances he would make towards her were from genuine affection and not because he just wanted a quick fuck.

Such a scenario would devastate her sister, and Karin refused to see her sister hurt. She was going to have to intervene before the scenario could arise. But what could she do?

It wasn't like she could order him to stop looking at her sister. He would probably just laugh at her than pursue Yuzu just to piss her off, turning them against each other. Karin glanced at him again as he leaned against the doorway and watched Yuzu work.

"Dinners ready." Yuzu suddenly shouted, then blushed in embarrassment when she turned around to see both of them standing there. "Grimmjow-san, will you be joining us for dinner tonight?" She asked politely.

Yuzu was always polite to him, it was just her way. She didn't understand what he was and as long as Yuzu was happy Karin wasn't about to let her sister know just how bad everything really was.

As far as Yuzu knew Karakura town had been destroyed by terrorist and Grimmjow was the one who had 'adopted' them and they were all still in the living world. Karin let her keep believing in that dream.

"Sure." He smirked.

Yuzu beamed happily and began putting dinner on the table, making sure to add another plate.

Karin felt all her thoughts and her heart ground to a halt before she quickly reined it all back under control.

"I thought you didn't consume human food." She said just loud enough so he could hear her but Yuzu couldn't.

Grimmjow sauntered up to her until he was standing right before her. Her eyes were level with his neck now so she didn't have to crane her head too much to lock her eyes with his.

"I don't have to, doesn't mean I can't." He smirked down at her before turning about to take a seat at the table.

Yuzu beamed happily, after all this was the first time he had ever eaten with them. Karin scowled at him but took her place at the table. She wouldn't start anything in front of her sister.

Dinner went by rather well actually. She wasn't sure what to expect out of his eating habits, after all he had no need to consume their food, but dinner passed without any incident short of her glaring daggers at him while he compliment Yuzu's food.

Her sister blushed and thanked him for the compliment. Karin felt her hands tighten into fists under the table and almost lunged across it when he let his hand brush against Yuzu's while handing her his now empty plate.

She knew that gleam in his eye. Sure he wouldn't force himself on them, but he was clearly skilled at wooing women into his bed. And Yuzu was one hell of an easy target.

After dinner he retreated to his usual place lounging on the couch as Yuzu cleaned up dinner in the kitchen. Karin walked up to him and his eyes drifted her way when she blocked the sunlight that was streaming through the window.

"I know what you want." She said coldly. "And I will tell you now that if you touch her I will find a way to kill you, even if I have to resort to slicing your throat in your sleep."

He raised an eye at her and gave a laugh as he sat up.

"And how do you plan on stopping me?" He asked confidently.

"You don't want her. She's just a different body to fuck to you. The girls you been bringing home getting boring or did they find other partners?" She challenged.

"Boring." He answered, standing up so they were closer to eye level. "And I must admit you brats grew up not looking too bad."

"I want you to leave her alone. She doesn't know what you are, wouldn't understand what you want from her. She would think it was love and it would hurt her to learn otherwise. I will not permit you to hurt her." Karin growled at him.

"And how do you plan to prevent me from pursuing her? She looks like a good fuck."

Karin lashed out, not in a slap as one would have expected from a pissed off woman, but with a punch to the face. Her hand hurt like a bitch but she felt a small bit of pride to see a small mark left behind.

Surprisingly he didn't look pissed. In fact he looked very highly amused and seemed to be studying her in a way he never had before; stepping back and looking her up and down.

"You are just like your brother."

"I'll take that as a compliment." She shot back, trying not to nurse her injured hand. _"__Shit that hurt. Is his skin made out of concrete or something?__"_

Her hand was hurting enough after that punch she was almost worried she had cracked a few bones.

She knew what he was after and he would not back down until he had it, but she refused to see Yuzu in that place. She would sooner die than see her sister hurt. She felt her chest tighten as she came to one conclusion that would prevent him from pursuing her sister.

"We both know what you are really after. So I will offer you this."

She felt herself falter for a moment, half praying he would decline the offer she was about to give while half praying he would accept. She felt fear strike her chest before she forced it back down.

"In exchange for promising that no harm will ever befall my sister, and that you will never pursue her, I will….. give myself freely to you." She finished, forcing her eyes to bore into his.

Shock flashed across his face before it quickly turned back into a confident smirk and he closed the distance between them. She wanted so desperately to take a step back but she forced her legs to lock in place.

He leaned down and she feared he planned on accepting her offer right there and then. She could practically feel his smirk against her ear.

"You are indeed just like your brother. My room, after your dear sister goes to sleep."

With that he straightened up and just left. She felt her body tremble and it took a moment to realize she was now alone in the room.

"Karin-chan, is something wrong?" Yuzu asked worriedly as her sister came into the room, having finished cleaning up dinner.

Karin snapped back to reality and forced a soft smile on her face.

"No, sorry I was day dreaming. Need any help?" Karin asked.

Yuzu looked at her as if she didn't believe her, but smiled and asked if she could water the herb garden out back.

"What the hell was I thinking?" Karin asked herself aloud as she watched the water flow from the bucket onto the peas.

She had caught a few glimpses of the type of sex he enjoyed when she had gotten up to close their bedroom door when his had been left open. There had definitely been blood and it had looked rather rough.

She glanced at her hand, bruises forming along the knuckles from where she had punched him. Arrancar skin was definitely tougher than human and she prayed he knew and understood that.

Still, what the hell had she been thinking offering herself up like a lamb to the slaughter?

"Karin-chan, are you done? I made some tea." Yuzu commented as she handed her a mug of tea.

"_Because I would do anything to protect her__.__"_ Karin answered her own question as a smiling Yuzu handed her the steaming cup. "Thanks." She said aloud.

"It was nice for Grimmjow-san to join us for dinner." Yuzu commented. "Maybe he is warming up to us or something." Yuzu chirped.

"Or something." Karin muttered. "Look, Yuzu. Grimmjow is…"

Her sister looked up at her expectantly.

"…not that bad of a guy. He's just watching over us because he knows Ichigo."

"I hope Ichi-nii is alright." Yuzu sighed sadly.

"He is." Karin was quick to assure her while mentally slapping herself for bringing their brother up in the first place.

Karin finished her tea and handed the cup back to her sister.

"I am going to take a shower."

"I will see you in bed." Yuzu smiled at her.

Karin nodded before retreating to the bathroom. The shower was relaxing and by the time she arrived in the room she shared with Yuzu she had almost forgotten about her agreement.

Her sister was already dressed in her PJ's and in bed when she entered the room.

"How was your shower?" Yuzu asked.

"Refreshing." Karin answered as she towelled her hair dry.

It had grown quite long over the years and since they didn't have a pair of good scissors, she had never bothered to try and cut it.

"That's good to hear. What do you want for breakfast?"

"The usual."

"So whatever I feel like making." Yuzu giggled.

"You know it." Karin tossed her a smile.

She finished drying off and pulled open the closet, glancing at her clothes. Should she bother getting dressed at all? She didn't feel comfortable wearing nothing and in the end she settled for a simple sleeping robe.

She turned the light off and crawled into bed.

"Good night, Yuzu."

"Night, Karin."

The darkened room fell into silence. It never took Yuzu long to fall asleep, something Karin had always envied her for, but not tonight. Once she was sure her sister was asleep she slipped out of bed.

She closed the door behind her and took a deep breath to calm herself before walking down to the closed door to the master bedroom. She stood outside the door nervously.

"_Should I just go in or should I knock first?" _She asked herself.

She knew he was in there, she could feel his reiatsu.

"_Kami, what have I gotten myself into?__"_ She wondered.

She felt her resolve wavering.

"You can come in." His voice broke her out of her hesitation.

With a gulp and another deep breath to calm her frazzled nerves, she entered his room; eyes going to the figure sprawled out on the bed wearing nothing but his white hakama.

(POV)

Ever since he had claimed the Kurosaki twins to use as bait, he hadn't really paid any attention to them other than to make sure they had what they needed to survive. Yuzu made sure to leave a list of things they needed on the fridge and he would hand it off to whatever poor sucker he found to fulfill it.

It wasn't until recently he had even really noticed the two of them were approaching womanhood. Karin was usually out back in the garden and Yuzu would have her back to him in the kitchen when he left in the morning. They were pretty much in the same place when he came back in the evening and he sometimes wondered if they even moved all day.

Yuzu was indeed turning into a beautiful woman and he had started to take an interest. He leaned against the wall and studied her. She would indeed be a beautiful woman, perfectly proportioned.

Her brown hair had turned wavy as it grew out and hung to her waist. Her chocolate brown eyes were full of life and every time he passed her she was always humming some sort of tune and swaying in time with it.

Her breast had filled out nicely and her hips had also filled out, given her near perfect figure. In fact, they swayed pleasantly in time with her humming. It had been that swaying rear as he walked by one morning that had first caught his attention.

When Karin marched up and spoke to him it took him by surprise, but not nearly as surprised as her offer. To think she would offer herself to him like that just to protect her sister. She was a lot like her brother all right.

After her offer he studied her, really took a moment to look at her. She was at that awkward stage in her growth spurts, not at all perfectly proportioned like her sister. He looked past that though and indeed liked what he saw in her potential.

Where as Yuzu would indeed be a soft, beautiful woman pleasant to look at, Karin would be athletic and probably a hell of a lot more fun in bed. Her reiatsu had grown a fair amount as well now that he stopped to actually study it. He suspected it had something to do with either being in this realm or being exposed to him. Possibly a bit of both.

She would not be as strong as him, not by a long shot, but she had the potential to be as strong as any of the fraccion with proper training, and that did intrigue him. Yuzu would be a pretty doll, but Karin would be a good partner.

Her threats to his life were highly amusing. In the end he accepted her offer, at least for now. Truthfully, he would be highly surprised if she did show up to his room. He knew she was a virgin and definitely not experienced with the other sex at all.

He spent most of the rest of the evening trying to decide just how he was going to take her. Should he toss her down and take her hard and fast in a how of dominance? Or perhaps take things slow as this would be her first time? Should he force her to pleasure him or even pleasure her?

He tossed various scenarios about in his head, contemplating some and tossing others aside. She wasn't a Hollow so he couldn't take her as roughly as he did the fellow Arrancar that graced his bed. Her skin would be much weaker than his heirro and he did not want to deliberately harm her.

It was getting late and he lit the lanterns in the room before stripping down to his hakama and collapsing onto his back on his bed. He folded his hands behind his head and gazed at the rather boring looking ceiling. He scanned the house and found Yuzu just entering the girls bedroom while Karin was clearly in the bathroom.

He heard the shower turn on and nodded in satisfaction. She would be nice and clean when she came to him, just how he liked his bitches. Assuming she did muster the nerve to come as promised.

He frowned at that thought. What would he do if she got cold feet and didn't show up? Should he barge into their room and remind her of her promise, dragging her back to his room and take her hard as punishment?

No, that was definitely rape and he would not stoop as low as Nnoitra. He did not need to force his women to get laid. He would just pursue her sister instead. Yuzu was basically any bad boys dream girl. Good looking, innocent and easy. Three kind words, a small smile and a compliment on her cooking, which wouldn't even be a lie, and she would happily crawl into his bed.

He scanned for Karin's reiatsu again several minutes after he heard the shower turn off. He found her in her room with Yuzu. Both women were still awake judging by the activity in their reiatsu. Yuzu's was very faint and soft and Karin's was strong with a hint of nervousness.

Shortly after Yuzu's evened out he felt Karin move. He was slightly surprised that she moved without hesitation, at least until she reached his door. She stood outside for a bit and he frowned, wondering why she hadn't entered yet, or at least knocked.

Her reiatsu was pulsing between determination and unease. He could tell she was definitely scared. No where near panic, but definitely unnerved.

"You can come in." He called before she could have a chance to lose her nerve completely.

The door opened and she stepped in. He was surprised she was wearing nothing more than a sleeping Kimono without even a belt. She closed the door behind her and stopped at the edge of the bed.

She fidgeted nervously with the edge of her Kimono before she took another deep breath and forced herself to look at him. He watched as she slowly let the Kimono fall off of her body to land on the floor and he felt a definite twinge in his hakama as her body was revealed to him.

He let his gaze wander over her nude form, relatively pleased with what he saw and more pleased with the potential he noted. In studying her he found his interest in the blonde pretty much gone.

Without any clothing getting in the way he could really see the full material he had to work with. She definitely had the potential to be moulded into perhaps one of the most striking woman he would probably ever be graced with seeing provided she was shaped right. He knew exactly the kind of training she would need to fulfill that possible future vision and in a snap decision he decided he would start shaping her tomorrow.

He had nothing better to do with his time anyway other than the patrols and odd missions that came his way. Lounging about, hitting on the other Arrancar chicks and spending hours in the living world trying to hunt down the escapees had gotten rather tedious over the last five or so years.

He brought his attention back to the young woman standing before him and put training regiments on the back burner for the time being.

He was impressed that Karin managed to stand straight before him completely naked without trying to use her hands to cover herself. There was a large amount of determination clouded only by an equally large amount of understandable nervousness.

"We have a deal, right? In exchange for me you promise that no harm will ever come to Yuzu."

"It's a deal kid." He smirked at her.

She nodded and, to his pleasant surprised, crawled onto the bed beside him. There was a look of determination in her eyes he had only ever seen once before; in that of her brother. It irked him for a second, but unlike her brother's eyes that screamed the Shinigami was better than him, hers were just full of determination.

She was well aware that he was stronger than her and didn't believe for a second she was better than him. She was just determined to go through with their deal and he respected that.

He knew girls had some _thing_ about their virginity and the fact Karin was offering him hers gave him a bit of a pleasant tingle. This was no whore looking for the prestige earned from sleeping with one of the Espada. This was a young woman giving herself to him for the sack of another with no thought to herself. Somehow, that turned him on more.

He rolled onto his side and just gazed at her naked body, unconsciously making that list of training regiments that would sculpt it into the shape he was forming in his head. When his gaze returned to her eyes she was still looking at him, although there was a hint of a blush on her cheeks. He reached a hand out and let it trail up her side.

She shivered under his touch, but didn't to pull away. Her eyes remained firmly open and fixed on him. This, he decided, was definitely going to be fun.

He let his hand trail up and down her side a few more times before bringing it up under her chin and pulling her closer to him until his lips were a scant inch from her forehead. Nervous sweat covered her body and her scent, but once again she didn't pull away from him.

"I have been trying to decide on just how I was going to enjoy this evening. I think, since you are being such a good sport, we'll take it slow tonight."

He practically felt her body and reiatsu sag slightly in relief at his declaration. Rough and passionate could be done latter after she had grown accustomed to his touch and toned her body up a bit more to handle it.

He kissed her forehead and began to trail several more down her neck. She shivered and her breath came faster. Her hands clenched but she didn't object to the attention.

Her skin tasted rather sweet and his kisses turned more into licks and sucks. He leaned over her and began to suck every inch of her skin he could reach. He wasn't sure what to expect but her tasting this good was not it.

With her emotions rising so too was her budding reiatsu. Perhaps this would be a good opportunity to see what kind of potential she truly had. At her age and level of training her true potential would only show during moments of high emotion.

He smirked against her skin and moved a hand to tenderly stroke the soft skin of her inner thigh. Her skin flinched in surprise at the contact before settling down as she grew accustom to his touch. His mouth moved from her neck down to a nipple and sucked it in.

She was starting to fill out in that area as well, not as big as her sister, but they were growing out to be firmly proportioned and hand sized. He removed his mouth and cupped on in his palm, enjoying how it fit perfectly in his palms without excess flesh. He removed his hand and replaced it with his mouth once more.

He flicked his tongue over the nipple several times before suckling the flesh into his mouth. He glanced up her body to see her staring at the ceiling, her hands resting by her side and once more unclenched.

This was getting boring. The hand that was stroking her thigh moved up and he let a single, clawed finger toy with her entrance.

That elicited a response as she arched her hips away from him and let out a soft gasp, a hand shot down to grab the one playing with her.

He smirked against her skin before suckling her other nipple into his mouth and this time using his thumb to tease her. She let out another gasp that made his hakama feel rather tight and her other hand shot down to join the first, trying to get him to stop.

More sweat covered her body and her breath was coming in small pants. When he looked up again her eyes were closed and the small parting of her lips while she panted looked rather delicious.

He shifted back up her body and thrust his tongue into her mouth. She made a whimper of protest and her hands tightened around his wrist. Her mouth tasted even sweeter than her flesh.

Normally he would never consider his next planned action. However, unlike his previous partners who had fucked Kami knew how many others, he knew she was pure and he would be her first. He felt a large feral grin spread across his face as he considered he would be the one to taint that bastard Kurosaki's little sister.

He kissed his way down her body, untangling his hand from hers and catching one of her hands in each of his after wrapping his arms around her legs to hold her steady. He looked up to see her eyes widen as she figured what he was about to do just before he did so.

"No wait." She protested, but it died with a gasp as his tongue swept up her folds.

He tested the flavour, finding it to be enjoyable. She squirmed in his grasp as he continued to lick her before thrusting his tongue into her, earning a most pleasant mew of pleasure from her.

His hakama were definitely becoming too tight and he had a hard time recalling the last time he had gotten so excited listen to the moaning pants of his partner.

"_Probably because the other broads gasps are for show to try and please me so I don__'__t rip their fucking heads off. Hers are honest. Innocent.__"_

She was whimpering and squirming in his grasp but he held her beneath him and continued to thrust his tongue into her before stopping to suck her nub into his mouth and started flicking it quickly with his tongue.

Her whimpers turned into gasps and she struggled against him harder. He held firmly onto her and studied her reiatsu as it pulsed violently. It was far higher than he had expected for her to have. He found himself grinding against the bed to gain some friction on his straining erection as her reiatsu clashed unconsciously against his.

He was defiantly going to enjoy corrupting her and if he hadn't contemplating moulding her before, he would definitely had thought of it now. She had enough potential to easily rival the fraccion and might even give Szayel a run for his science experiments when she reached her peak.

He stopped playing with her nub and went back to thrusting his tongue into her. She let lose a rather beautiful cry as she shuddered violently and fluid came gushing out of her as her reiatsu spiked high enough it was already almost on par with the strongest of the fraccion. He smirked and licked a bit of the fluid up but left the rest to keep her moist.

She stopped struggling and he stood up to gaze at her sweat soaked body. It was beautiful. Her chest rose and fell with each pant and her body was sprawled weakly. She was so fuckable at the moment he had a hard time not just pouncing on her.

He undid the belt to his hakama and let it drop to the floor before stepping out of them and crawling back up her body. She had recovered a bit and her eyes widened when they briefly spotted his erection before it was hidden between their bodies as he settled between her legs.

He felt fear spike through her reiatsu but she didn't try and escape him. She didn't even turn her eyes away, instead choosing to let them bore into his. If possible it made her hotter and him harder.

"I am going to fuck you now." He whispered into her ear.

She gave a single nod of her head and took a deep breath. She gave a bit of a surprised gasp when his hands grasped her hips and flipped her around onto her stomach before pulling her up to her hands and knees.

Her breath came a bit faster and he felt her stiffen slightly as his nude body pressed fully against hers. He lined himself up and pressed in just enough so the tip was in. He leaned over her body and brushed her hair to one side to reveal her neck. He kissed it and nibbled his way to her ear.

"I ain't going to lie to you. This is going to hurt like a fucking bitch at first." He promised.

Her head gave a sharp nod of understanding and he felt her tense up under him. That would not do. It would make it harder on both of them. He shifted one hand down her body and began to play with her nub again. She shuddered and he continued to kiss her neck and lick her skin.

Once he felt her relax a bit beneath him he thrust in fully with a swift snap of his hips. She gave out a soft cry as her hymen was broken and she started cursing softly enough he couldn't quite make out the words, but she didn't try to escape or fight him. He held still, letting her adjust the best she could before slowly pulling out.

It was so hard not to just pound into her. She was so tight, hot and wet it was almost painful. He had never had the pleasure of a virgin before but he definitely understood the craze now. Her hands were clenched and her teeth were gritted, but she didn't beg for him to stop and he sensed no panic or fear from her.

He forced himself to hold restraint and move in and out of her slowly. He wanted this to last. Her body slowly relaxed under his as she adjusted and he used one arm to steady him while the other played gently with a breast.

He continued to lick and suckle on her neck, pleased with the marks he was leaving on her skin as well as her taste. He shuddered at the tight, warm wetness that encircled him. He had to actually stop several times to regain some semblance of control before he lost his load already.

He panted heavily against her shoulder and didn't start moving again until he was sure he was going to last more than three thrust, but damn was it hard when the passage was so tight around him.

"_Fuck, if I knew the broad was going to be this damn good I would have seduced her earlier.__"_ He grunted to himself.

She was starting to make little whimpers of pleasure at each forward thrust into her body. Those little whimper made him hotter and harder than any cry of so called pleasure the other bitches he fucked made.

Almost at once he could feel the edge of the cliff rushing at him. He picked up the pace until he was pounding into her soft body, barely maintaining enough sense to make sure he wasn't deliberately hurting her.

Her little whimpers turned into a cry and he felt himself tumble over the edge as her walls clenched tightly onto him. He shot his load into her and for a moment it almost seemed like he would never stop cumming as he trembled over her and her clutching walls milked him dry.

When he finally came down from what had to be the most intense orgasm he had ever experienced, he collapsed against her. He had never been this spent after a single round. Hell, even after a dozen rounds he had never felt so utterly drained at the end.

He barely had enough energy, not to mention sense, left to shift them onto their sides so he wouldn't be crushing her under his weight before exhaustion claimed him. He just needed a moment to catch his breath after that orgasm.

Yeah, that was it. He was just going to rest for a moment. Close his eyes and get a bit of breath back.

(POV)

Karin wasn't sure what to expect once she entered Grimmjow's room and crawled onto his bed, but him pleasing her to experience her first orgasm was definitely not something she had calculated. She had never guessed he would warn her, rather crudely she might add, of the oncoming pain.

She had been beyond surprised when he had positioned her onto her hands and knees, but a part of her was thankful for it because this way she wouldn't have to look at him as he stripped her virginity away.

She had almost lost her nerve when she had caught a glimpse of him. How the hell was that suppose to even fit inside of her? She was also surprised to see that ALL of his hair was that shocking, powder blue.

It had hurt like a bitch when he had broken through her Hymen and she took deep breaths and tried to force her body to relax while cursing at the pain. But damn was it so tight. She barely noticed his mouth on her neck and hand on her breast. She was too busy cursing his ancestors and wondering why ANY woman would want to do this.

She focused entirely on just trying to breathe and relax her body. It took a few minutes for the pain to finally subside a bit and a small amount of pleasure to take its place as the friction between their bodies grew. She felt that edge of desire well up again and she cried out as she went over the edge for the second time that evening.

She felt his hot fluid shoot deep into her body as he shuddered violently on top of her before his dead weight bore down on her.

Her own arms were no longer able to support her and she collapsed, his weight pinning her down. He shifted them around and hugged her body to him. After a second his breathing evened out.

" _Is he asleep?__"_ She thought in disbelief.

He was still in her and her body was soaked in sweat that was quickly drying. She felt sticky, sore and was starting to get cold.

"_What if Yuzu wakes up and I am not there?__"_ She thought in panic.

She tried to squirm out of his grasp but he just pulled her tighter against him, wrapped one of his legs around hers, and made a displeased noise. She sighed and gave up trying to escape. As her body cooled down she found herself actually trying to get closer to him for the heat he was emitting as her body shivered in cold.

He stirred at one point and she prayed he would let her go, but all he did was mutter something she couldn't make out and pulled a blanket over their naked bodies. He didn't remove himself from her body nor give her a chance to crawl away.

"Clingy bastard." She muttered.

He didn't even stir at the sound of her voice.

Karin was at least thankful for the added warmth of the blanket. She sighed in annoyance and gave up hoping he would let her go. Apparently he was rather possessive. It took a long time for sleep to claim her. As exhausted as she was her current position was a rather uncomfortable one.

(POV)

Down the hall Yuzu sighed and shifted in her bed. She was not as naive as her sister believed her to be. She didn't want to be a burden so she smiled and tried to pretend everything was alright, even though she knew something was terribly wrong.

She had indeed noticed Grimmjow's interest in her, and it hadn't frightened her, it had terrified her. Her hands had clenched when she listened to the conversation taking place in the living room earlier. Once again her family was protecting her from harm.

She wanted to tell Karin no, not to do it, but she knew it would not have stopped her sister any more than it would have stopped her brother. And truthfully, Grimmjow did scare her. He practically oozed, maybe not violence, but something unsettling.

Yuzu shifted in her bed again. She knew the two were done but Karin had yet to return to their room. Twin instinct let her know her sister was still alright, but she still worried. She felt tears come to her eyes before brushing them aside.

She had to be strong. Karin had sacrificed herself for her, had giving up the one precious thing all women had to keep her safe. Yuzu would honour that sacrifice and not shed a tear. She would put on a cheerful smile, cook a huge breakfast in the morning, and pretend nothing was going on.

Tomorrow would be just another pleasant day, and not the first day her sister would spend no longer being a virgin. Not the first morning after giving up that one precious gift that was meant so be shared with someone special.

Yuzu failed. She felt the tears come as she cried in her sister's place for that lost innocence. Where once more her sister stepped up to take charge of a situation she wasn't ready for, but would meet head on anyhow with determination only a Kurosaki could show.

Yuzu wasn't able to get anymore sleep that night. When early morning came she crawled out of bed and starred sadly at the empty bed across from hers. Briefly, she wondered how common it would become to wake up alone in their room before she forced the thoughts aside and headed downstairs to make that huge breakfast, after a quick stop at the bathroom to make sure no trace of her tears would be left behind.

If she was unhappy it would make Karin's sacrifice obsolete. Yuzu would NEVER do that to a friend, least of all her sister.

/love for those of you that took the time to review. I greatly appreciate it.

I feel I should mention the ages and time. Karin was 11 as of the Winter War in December. It is once again December 5 years later. Her Birthday is in May, making her now 16.


	3. Morning After and Training

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or make profit from this fict.

Chapter 3

Morning After and Training

Warnings: Grimmjow's language and small amount of sex

Grimmjow stirred as he slowly came too. He was slightly confused as he had no recollection of falling asleep in the first place and he was much warmer than usual. He did recall sleeping with Kurosaki's sister and the memory of it was enough to make him horny as hell.

He could almost still feel her tight heat wrapped around his…..

His eyes shot open to a sea of black hair as something warm shifted in his grasp, causing his morning erection to shift pleasantly inside of her and he shuddered in delight.

"_Shit_." He cursed silently.

He never let any of the broads he fucked actually sleep with him. As soon as he was done with them they left or he kicked them out, whichever came first. And here he had not only passed out after screwing her once, he had passed out still INSIDE of her.

That had to be the most pathetic thing he had ever done in his life, granted the list of pathetic things he had done was pretty damn small and most of it had to do with Aizen.

Karin shifted in his grasp again, no doubt highly uncomfortable. That shift caused another wave of pleasure to shot through his groin and up his body, causing him to growl softly. She froze and fear spiked through her reiatsu.

"Hold still a sec." He grunted.

He took a few calming breaths to regain a small semblance of control over his body before carefully shifting them about until she was once more on her hands and knees beneath him. Even that shifting almost caused him to lose it, but he would be damned if he was THAT pathetic.

He normal dealt with any morning erections in the shower with Mr. Lefty, but she was so hot and tight around him it would be a waste of seed to let it go down the drain when there was a warm body already under him.

She let out a whimper as he began to move in her. Her walls were long dry now and it was difficult to move. He reached a hand under her and began to play with her nub, forcing himself to hold still.

She let out a gasp and shivered under him, causing him to shiver in response. He felt the pleasure he was giving her start to flow around him and he started to move slowly again.

He didn't last long and if it hadn't been such a great ride he would have felt ashamed at cumming so quickly. He shuddered violently as lights exploded before his eyes and he shot his load into her.

It left him gasping for breath and he pulled away from her to stand at the end of the bed. She didn't move just yet and he took in the view of her on her hands and knees soaked in sweat with a small trail of his cum flowing down her right thigh. It almost made him hard again.

He quickly averted his gaze and looked to his own sweat and cum soaked body. They both desperately needed a shower and he could hear Yuzu puttering around downstairs. He let his eyes fall back upon Karin, who was laying on the bed now and holding the blankets up to cover her nude body.

"Shower." Was all he said.

She looked up and him and gave a nod of her head. He took the time to study her body once again as she crawled out of bed and pulled the kimono on. She was walking stiffly and his male pride swelled to know he had done her so hard she could barely walk.

There were two bathrooms in the house; one was the main one the girls used the other was the private one in his room. Only the main one had a shower. He held the door open and smiled amused as she ducked under his arm and into the bathroom.

He blocked the door before she could close it and her eyes widen deliciously when she realized he planned on them showering together. She bit her lip and stepped nervously to the side while he locked the door and walked past her, turning the tap on to his preferred temperature.

He turned back to look at her, holding the curtain aside. She let her kimono fall once more to the ground and stepped into the shower. He followed right behind her, firmly enjoying the view of the water running down her frame.

(POV)

She had prayed he would come to and permit her to go back to her room before Yuzu woke up, but that was clearly not going to happen. Maybe she could tell her sister that she had been out jogging or something.

No, she could never lie so blatantly to Yuzu, and jogging was a rather pathetic lie. Neither one of them were permitted off of the property for safety sake.

"_I should have included that we would keep this __…'__arrangement__'…__ from Yuzu.__"_ She thought wistfully to herself.

His order to shower was met with relief and she ducked under his arm to head to the bathroom where she planned on scrubbing her skin until it was raw.

His catching the door and locking it behind them was not something she had expected. He turned the water on and looked at her expectantly. She felt nervous all over again but let the Kimono slid off of her body and stepped into the shower.

The water was nice and hot and she kept her back to him as he crawled in behind her. She closed her eyes and let the water run down her face, retreating into a different world. It lasted all of one minute before he spoke.

"Your hair's wet enough." He grunted from behind her.

She let out a cry of surprise as his hands grasped her hips, picked her up easily, and set her down behind him. The hot water was now blocked by his own body. She stared at him in disbelief but his back was turned to her as he soaked his own soft blue hair.

Sighing, she turned her back to him again and pulled her bottle of shampoo off of the rack.

"_Somehow I get the feeling that even if I had demanded to keep this arrangement from Yuzu he would have denied it. What have I gotten myself into?__"_ She wondered, feeling depression weigh on her.

Her hands fell from her hair and hung limply by her side. She really should have thought this through.

She gasped as his hands once more grasped her hips and switched them around.

"Will you stop doing that?" She hissed at him, turning around to glare at him.

The result was she got a full view of his water soaked body. She hadn't really looked at him before, but now she couldn't help but admit he was very well built, and not in one of those jock ways either.

He was lean. All toned muscle and sinew. Even had she been as spiritually unaware as Yuzu was she would know that this man had power just by the way he looked and held himself.

"Or what?" He asked with a smirk, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Just, please stop that." She sighed.

"You are getting soap in your face." He grinned at her.

She turned her back to him again and rinsed her hair out. She felt his hands on her hips and she slapped them, side stepping around him to let him have the shower head again while she grabbed her bottle of conditioner.

A tap on her shoulder and she whirled to glare at him, only to have the sponge dripping with soap meet her face. She looked at it in confusion for a moment before she took it from his hand and he turned his back to her. After a moment he looked back at her pointedly.

"_Does he seriously expect me to wash his back?__"_ She thought half amused, half surprised.

It was clear that was exactly what he was expecting. She almost threw the sponge back at him but decided against it. She scrubbed his back quickly and he turned around to grab it before she could throw it at him like she wanted to from the start.

He stepped to the side and she took the invitation to take the shower head once more to rinse the conditioner out of her hair. She froze when his hand fell on her shoulder and she felt the sponge rub her own back.

"It is an old human saying, is it not? I will scrub your back if you will scrub mine." He whispered into her ear.

She nodded her head numbly. Suddenly, he was just gone and she looked behind her to see the curtain fluttering closed, leaving her alone in the shower.

It was only then that she realized her heart was pounding. She leaned against the wall and sank to the floor of the shower. She was finally alone. She was sore, but she was surprised she didn't feel much of anything.

She thought she would be furious or depressed at losing her virginity to him like this, but the only thing she was concerned about at the moment was what story she was going to make up for Yuzu to explain why she wasn't in bed.

When she finally finished washing up and stepped out of the shower, she was alone in the bathroom and a quick scan of the house showed that Grimmjow was already gone wherever it was he headed to during the day.

She got dressed and went down the stairs to the kitchen, where Yuzu was just finishing a rather large and delicious looking breakfast.

"How was your shower?" Yuzu asked pleasantly. "I started breakfast while you freshened up."

"It was nice, thank you." Karin smiled at her sister.

If her sister thought she had been in the bathroom she wasn't going to correct her. The cup of strong, black tea was just what she needed this morning.

"Karin, is something wrong?" Yuzu asked wordily.

"Gomanasai, Yuzu. I didn't sleep very well last night." Karin offered as an explanation.

"Oh."

"Don't worry about it." Karin smiled at her. "I'll be fine after I eat something." She assured her. "And looking at this meal I don't even know where to start!"

"Okay then." Yuzu said, but the look on her face showed she didn't quite believe her.

It was enough for now and Karin hadn't been lying. She really hadn't got a lot of sleep last night.

(Time break)

_Two months later__…__.._

"You call that a strike? I could do better in my sleep." Grimmjow taunted her.

"Shut up." She snapped at him irritable. "You have been doing this a lot longer than I have." She grumbled under her breath.

She didn't know what in the seven hells possessed him to suddenly decide to train her. It's not like being able to fight was going to do her any good. It did help to take her mind off of her situation.

"We are done." He suddenly declared, expertly tripping her and pinning her to the ground.

She glared up at him. He always ended their sparring sessions with her on her back and him pinning her to the ground.

"Are you done, Grimmjow-san, Karin?" Yuzu asked from the porch.

"For now." Grimmjow grunted, getting up off of her.

Karin rolled onto her shoulders before flipping up onto her feet. She grabbed the towel Yuzu handed her and wiped the sweat from her face before accepting the glass of water and started to pace around the yard to cool down so her muscles wouldn't seize up.

Yuzu watched her while Grimmjow disappeared. He never worked up a sweat. She was small game compared to him, which led her back to the question of why he was even bothering to train her at all.

"I am going to start on dinner." Yuzu announced.

"I'll help after I take a shower."

Yuzu nodded and disappeared into the house. Karin finished cooling down before heading up to take a shower. She let the hot water run down her body while she leaned against the wall.

She had giving up trying to pretend there was nothing going on between her and Grimmjow before the first week was even out. She had never expected him to be this demanding on her body and every night since their deal he had summoned her to his room and had expected her to spend the whole night; pinning her to his body and not releasing her from her obligations until after what was now a traditional morning shower.

Every time he did take her it was always from behind with her on her hands and knees. He always prepared her as well, either with his mouth or oil he kept in a drawer beside the bed.

So far he seemed content to use her body to his will and hadn't commanded her to do anything more than lay there and let him have his way with her. She wondered how much longer that would last.

She was brought out of her musing by a spike of fear in Yuzu's reiatsu. Karin froze and quickly scanned the house. There was a powerful presence in the kitchen that she didn't recognize.

Cursing, Karin quickly jumped out of the shower and pulled the dirty, white uniform Grimmjow had giving her to train in back on before running out of the bathroom and jumping the stairs to land at the bottom.

She drew what was left of her reiatsu about her as she had been training to do and sprinted to the kitchen. There was a man in the kitchen Karin didn't recognize, but by the feel of his reiatsu he was clearly an Arrancar. To her relief he was no where near as strong as Grimmjow.

"_One of the other__'__s fraccion or something?__"_ Karin guessed. _"__ What the hell does he want and why is he here?__"_ She wondered. "What do you want?" She challenged.

The Arrancar turned to face her before turning his back on her to return his attention to Yuzu.

"I wish I had known such a scrumptious meal was hiding in this house." The creature purred. "Come dear, spread those legs and lift that skirt of yours up and I might take you easy."

Karin saw red and Yuzu almost fainted. She lunged forward, foot leading the way and aimed for the back of his knee. The Arrancar gave a surprised yelp and in that moment of distraction Karin grabbed Yuzu's hand and bolted, pulling her sister along.

"Fucking Bitches. I am going to gut you both." The Arrancar roared.

Karin dragged Yuzu from the house and ran down the street, drawing the attention of the few shinigami who had survived the war. Karin didn't expect any help from them and she was right. Their reiatsu was no where near the Arrancar on their tail and to interfere would only lead to their own deaths. They were a broken people.

"Karin." Yuzu cried in panic.

"I know, just keep running."

She heard the static sound of the creature's Sonido as it appeared before them. Karin didn't hesitate a moment as she gathered her reitasu about he once more and poured it into a rock as she kicked it at the creature.

The Arrancar let lose a scream as it nailed him in the fore head, going in deep and knocking him to the ground. Yuzu gasp and Karin jerked her sister to the right to keep running.

"_I need to find help. Anyone.__"_ She thought desperately.

She began to scan for any reiatsu that seemed even vaguely familiar. It was difficult to do while running and trying to keep tabs on the Arrancar that was chasing them. There was another sound of Sonido and Karin barely had enough to time push her sister to the side and out of danger before the Arrancar's leg collided with the arm she had brought up to block.

She cried out as she was sent careening off to the side and smashed painfully into the side of a fence, breaking it and tumbling to the ground in a pile of splintered wood. Her arm ached but she was pretty sure it wasn't broken.

"Karin." Yuzu shouted and tried to run to her.

"Run you fool." Karin shouted.

Yuzu stopped, but before she could move the Arrancar came up behind her and grabbed a fist full of her hair, causing Yuzu to cry out in pain.

"Bastard, leave her alone." Karin shouted, trying to drag her bruised body out of the pile of wood to get to her sister.

"Fucking bitch. You know, I think I am going to fuck this bitch right here while you watch and then kill your piss poor…urk."

Karin's eyes widened in surprise as Yuzu was suddenly dropped to the ground. The Arrancar's face had a look of pure terror as it stared down at the one who was now holding him up from the ground by the throat.

Yuzu bolted to her side as she stared in disbelief, and relief, at the Espada strangling the Arrancar.

"What the fuck you doing touching something that belongs to me?" Grimmjow growled dangerously.

"Grimmjow-sama? I didn't….no wait."

Karin's eyes widened as the Arrancar took a cero to the stomach and went flying into the side of a nearby house and failed to emerge.

She remained frozen while Yuzu hugged her and sobbed. Grimmjow turned his attention their way before walking up to them. She could tell he was furious. She could practically see his reiatsu lashing about wildly and there was a cold snap to his blue eyes she had never seen before.

"What the hell are you doing off the property?" He demanded in a snarled bark.

"That man. He came into the house and… and…" Yuzu broke down and started sobbing brokenly.

Karin regained her composure and managed to finish dragging herself out from under the broken fence and held onto a sobbing Yuzu, staring him dead in the eye and refusing to show any fear.

"He came in looking for trouble so I grabbed Yuzu and ran." Karin explained as calmly as she could.

He was definitely furious, but she had a feeling it wasn't aimed at them. The way his face suddenly clouded and he stormed off towards the building only helped confirm her theory.

"Go home." He ordered over his shoulder with a snap.

Nodding, Karin got to her feet and started to herd her sister home, hissing at the pain from the multiple bruises she got from her meeting with the fence. She caught a glimpse of Grimmjow disappearing into the house, followed quickly by the desperate pleading of the Arrancar shortly before she felt its reiatsu permanently snuff out.

"_He saved us_." She realized shocked. _"__Of course he saved us. It was part of our deal.__"_She looked down at Yuzu.

Yuzu was still sniffing but it was clear her sister was regaining some composure and Karin let her walk on her own.

"Are you all right?" Yuzu asked worriedly.

"I'll be fine, just a few bruises is all." She quickly assured her.

Yuzu dragged her to the bathroom the moment they were home and started to check over her injuries. There were a few scrapes and some forming bruises, but otherwise she was fine. The pain was already beginning to fade from everywhere but her arm and lower back where she had collided with the fence.

She let her sister fuss over her though, knowing it was how Yuzu cooped with stress and handled the rather violent and frightening situation they had just been in.

A knock on the door caused both women to freeze before Karin quickly swept her reiatsu over the other person's and smiled before jumping off of the bathroom counter and limping down the stairs to pull the door open.

(POV)

Tatsuki frowned as someone banged on the door. Orihime and her shared a look of surprise before they both went to answer it. They really didn't get visitors and the few they did get were always looking for Ulquiorra for one reason or another.

"Grimmjow-san?" Orihime asked surprised, recognizing the Espada immediately.

"I need to borrow you." He grunted.

The two woman shared a concerned look and when it looked like she wasn't going to move he scowled and muttered something about Karin, an Arrancar and a fence. Concern instantly crossed Orihime's face the moment Karin was mentioned.

"Where is she?" Orihime asked.

"The house. I sent them home." He answered before turning his back on them and leaving.

Orihime knew where that was. The first week she had scanned for everyone she knew and thus knew where they were all being held.

"I'll be right back." She told Tatsuki.

"Like hell. If some dip shit was dumb enough to attack Karin-chan what's to say some dip shit wont attack you too? I am coming with you." Tatsuki snapped.

"Someone needs to stay here in case Ulquiorra-san returns." Orihime argued.

"We will leave him a note. He can sense where you are anyway, can't he?" Tatsuki pointed back.

"Well yes, but." Orihime sighed. "We will leave him a note." She relented, knowing no amount of arguing would deter her oldest friend..

Tatsuki quickly wrote the note and together they headed out. They didn't pass anyone they knew and before long they were knocking on the front door.

Orihime could feel the twins inside and a cursory scan of Karin showed only small signs of distress. In fact it was the black haired girl that answered the door and a visible scan showed she seemed to be alright.

"Orihime, Tatsuki." Karin greeted them both happily before they ended up in a four way group hug as Yuzu came bolting down the stairs.

"I have missed you so much." Yuzu added. "Would you like some tea? Have you heard anything from Niisan?"

"Yes to the first, no to the second." Tatsuki answered as they stepped into the house.

"I'll be right back." Yuzu retreated to the kitchen while Karin led them to the living room.

"How have you been?" Tatsuki asked.

"Fine, and you two?"

"Alright, considering the circumstances." Tatsuki answered.

"Grimmjow-san said you have been in a fight. Something about an Arrancar and a fence." Orihime questioned.

Karin's cheeks blushed and Tatsuki frowned. There was something different about Karin, such a comment should not have brought upon a blush, at least not that kind.

"He sent you over to check me over?" Karin asked embarrassed.

"Yes. Let me take a look at you. You seem fine but it wont hurt to patch you up anyway." Orihime offered.

Karin nodded and in moments the golden shield enveloped her, healing all of the damage done to her body. Orihime frowned and shot a look at Tatsuki.

"_What is it? Is she hurt more than I can see? No, that__'__s not it, I would notice an injury she was trying to hide. What else would__…__oh__…__.oh great Kami on high. Please tell me it__'__s not what I think it is.__"_

Tatsuki gulped and once the shield went down moved to sit beside Karin.

"Karin… has something happened?" Tatsuki asked softly.

Karin frowned at her in confusion. Tatsuki was about to ask again with a little more forwardness, but Yuzu arrived with their tea.

"Oh, thank you." Orihime thanked her.

"Your welcome." Yuzu beamed. "Is Karin alright then?"

"Perfectly healthy." Karin quickly assured her.

"It was nothing more than a few scratches and bruises." Orihime agreed with a smile.

"That's a relief. Why did no one try to help us though?" Yuzu asked confused.

"Because they were scared too." Karin answered. "He was, well, let's say he's part of the forces holding this place. They didn't want to interfere and draw attention to themselves for fear of being punished for intervening." Karin explained.

"You mean you don't know what's going on Yuzu-chan?" Orihime asked surprised.

Karin shot her a look and the two older women frowned at her. Tatsuki saw her chance.

"Orihime-chan, why don't you explain what is really going on to Yuzu-chan and I will take Karin upstairs to see about a change of clothes." Tatsuki offered.

The two women shared another look and Orihime nodded.

"I can change myself." Karin muttered.

"I don't doubt it, but I am coming anyway." Tatsuki said firmly.

Karin glared at her and she gave the girl back a look that suggested no amounts of arguing was going to persuade her otherwise. Grumbling, Karin stood up and Tatsuki followed her up the stairs.

As soon as they were in the bedroom Tatsuki closed the door and leaned against it while Karin did her best to ignore her as she stripped off the dirt stained, torn clothes.

"How has he been treating you two?" Tatsuki started.

"Fine. Most of the time he doesn't even acknowledge us. How about you two?" Karin returned the question.

"Ulquiorra doesn't seem to have much use for me, other than to make sure Orihime-chan is fed and kept fine." Tatsuki answered honestly.

"And Orihime?" Karin asked, changing into a new pair of hakama.

"She's doing alright." Tatsuki answered.

"But?" Karin pressed, turning to look at the older woman now that she was once more fully dressed.

"Ulquiorra has taken a keen interest in her body." Tatsuki answered honestly. "And you?" She pressed.

Karin turned to face away from her.

"What about me? I told you, Grimmjow doesn't even really pay much attention to us."

"Karin, you aren't children anymore and Yuzu is becoming quite a looker, which is what I bet today's scuffle was about. Are you telling me he hasn't even started looking?"

She noticed Karin's shoulders slump and she felt fear spike through her heart.

"Yeah, he noticed all right. But I wont let him hurt her." Karin commented.

Karin would still not look at her though and that spike turned into a band that wrapped around Tatsuki's' heart and strangled her.

"Karin… have you been…."

The look Karin shot her answered her question. It was one full of fear that her secret had been discovered.

"Oh Karin." Tatsuki pulled her into a hug and sat on the edge of one of the beds.

Karins shoulders heaved a bit, but she wasn't crying.

"Did he…"

"No." Karin answered quickly and sharply. "He didn't rape me. He…Yuzu…" Karin took a steadying breath. "He was looking at Yuzu and I knew what he wanted. I couldn't let him do that to her. You know Yuzu, she would be convinced he was in love with her or something and that would hurt her when she found out he just wanted her body.

"So I…. I offered myself instead. He took the offer and I have been….sleeping with him since. I couldn't… I mean… Yuzu. I couldn't let him hurt her and if I tried to tell her he was just after her body it would have put us against each other."

Tatsuki listened to Karin ramble on and just held her, rocking them both softly while fighting back tears of her own. She completely understood what Karin was talking about. Giving a fraction of a chance she would throw herself in Orihime's place.

"Does Yuzu know?" Tatsuki asked when Karin's rambling died down.

"Not about the deal, but I suspect she knows we are sleeping together and seems happy about it. How could she not know? He never lets me leave until after we shower in the morning so I am not there when she wakes up."

Now that took Tatsuki by surprise. Even Ulquiorra didn't 'sleep' with Orihime. Other than when his blood was boiling and he used her he otherwise ignored them. When he was done with her she always returned to her own room.

"_Why would Grimmjow want to __'__sleep__'__ with her? From what little Orihime-chan has told me he hardly seems like the type to want to cuddle.__"_

Tatsuki frowned as she pondered it.

" _Karin was hardly even scratched, so why did he even bother to get us to come over to check on her anyway? Unless__…"_

Tatsuki looked back down to Karin and used her own limited control over her reiatsu to scan her. Karin was radiating a fair amount of reiatsu, granted no where near what her brother could or any of the Espada, but it was definitely on par with some of the lower Arrancar, and with training could possibly reach some of the more powerful fraccion.

"Has he been training you?" She asked nervously.

"Yeah. He just started right after our agreement. I thought it was weird but…" Karin stopped when she noticed the look on Tatsuki's face.

She couldn't believe it. It was impossible.

"What is it?" Karin asked nervously.

"Perhaps nothing." Tatsuki answered absently. _"__ But perhaps everything.__"_ She added to herself.

The look on Karin's face indicated she didn't believe her answer, but the teenager let it drop.

"I am still surprised he showed up." Karin muttered. "He…. saved us, saved Yuzu. If he hadn't arrived she would most likely have been raped right there on the street and there was nothing I could have done to stop it."

Only now did tears threaten the corner of Karin's eyes and Tatsuki held her closer, using one hand to rub her back. She understood all too well Karin's frustration and tears threatened the corner of her eyes as well, for unlike Karin there was nothing she could do to protect Orihime.

"I am not foolish enough to think he really cares about us, but… he came. He didn't have to but he did. And when he heard the man had come into the house after us…. I have never seen Grimmjow pissed, but he was furious."

Tatsuki nodded in understanding.

"He really sent you guys over to check on us?" She asked.

"Yeah. Well, Orihime-chan anyway. I wasn't going to let her go anywhere alone though."

Both women froze when they felt a rather large, displeased reiatsu approaching their location. Karin frowned, not recognizing it but Tatsuki cursed. Both woman got up and headed down the stairs.

Yuzu was looking ill and Orihime sighed and was facing the door shortly before it was opened to reveal Ulquiorra.

"Onna." He growled.

"Did you not get our note, Ulquiorra-san?" Orihime asked rather calmly.

Tatsuki and Karin moved over to Yuzu, who was breathing heavily at this point under the pressure.

The look of brief surprise on his face indicated he did not find the letter.

"_No doubt he noticed we weren__'__t home and came straight for us.__"_ Tatsuki grunted to herself.

"Hay, can you drop the reiatsu? You are hurting Yuzu." Karin snapped.

Tatsuki looked at the girl in surprise that she would speak so strongly to someone as powerful as Ulquiorra clearly was without any trace of fear.

"_That__'__s a Kurosaki for you.__"_ Tatsuki couldn't help but to think dryly.

Ulquiorra's gaze drifted from Orihime to them.

"Karin-chan was attacked today and Grimmjow-san asked me to check her over. We were just about to head back." Orihime explained softly.

His gaze shifted back to her.

"Come." He snapped.

"_Shit_." Tatsuki growled to herself. _"__ I don__'__t know if I want to skin Grimmjow for dragging us into this situation or Ulquiorra for overreacting.__"_

"We got to go Karin."

Karin nodded her head and Tatsuki quickly rushed after the other two.

"What are you getting so worked up for? It's not like we ran off or anything." Tatsuki demanded as she caught up to the other two. "We have a right to worry about our friends."

He shot a glare at her but Tatsuki wasn't about to back down. She jogged a bit to stop in front of him and to her surprise he actually stopped walking.

"Tatsuki-chan…." Orihime started.

"Not this time." She snapped. "This isn't your fault and I wont let him blame you for it." She turned her attention back to the Espada. "I don't care if you flay me alive, disintegrate me with a cero or crush me like a bug under your reiatsu, but I will not let you hurt Orihime-chan for this."

"Tatsuki-chan." Orihime gasped horrified.

"I doubt you can even begin to understand what real friendship is about, but that young woman was Ichigo's younger sister, and weather you like it or not we are friends. If there was even the slimmest of chance she could have been badly hurt we would have gone to her.

"Had you gone home and read the note we left you would have known that. Do you honestly think we would try to run away? Where the hell would we run to? Hell, I don't understand what you did to Orihime-chan but I do know there is no where we could go that you would not be able to find her. So why are you acting like such an asshole?" She finished her rant, running out of breath.

Orihime was looking at her stunned with a look of terror on her face. Ulquiorra just stared at her impassively.

"_Did any of that even get through that thick skull of his?__"_ Tatsuki wondered as he continued to stare at her silently.

"God damn it, say something." She snapped.

"Return home." He ordered.

Both girls nodded and Orihime snuck past him as they headed back to the house together. Tatsuki tracked his reiatsu, noticing it was heading off in a different direction than that of either house.

She felt relief wash over her. For a moment she had feared he planned on going back after Karin and Yuzu. They made it home without further incident and Tatsuki set about making them a pot of tea to ease their frazzled nerves, doing her best to ignore how badly her hands were shaking from the confrontation.

"How did Yuzu-chan handle the truth?" Tatsuki asked to break the uncomfortable silence.

"She was shocked, but I think I explained it to her in a way she was able to accept. She was worried about Karin-chan more than Kurosaki-kun though."

That was an opener if Tatsuki ever heard one.

"It is as we feared." Tatsuki sighed. "Karin exchanged her body for Yuzu's protection. She says he hasn't raped her, but I could tell he is rather demanding of her attention. Also…" Tatsuki sighed and looked out the window. "He has starting training her."

Orihime nearly spilt her tea.

"Seriously?" She asked.

Tatsuki nodded her head.

"I can only think of one reason he would be interested in her getting stronger outside of possible boredom. Hell, I am not even sure he realizes what he's doing. From what you have told me of Grimmjow, him showing up here to get you to heal such minor wounds doesn't seem like him."

Orihime frowned.

"You are right. He seemed….. almost concerned, and furious. I mean, I could understand him being furious, after all someone attacked something he perceives as his. But concerned?"

Their conversation was interrupted by the door opening. Both women looked up as Ulquiorra walked in, tucking his wings down to fit through the door. Both women shared a look before Orihime sighed and headed for his room.

"I swear to Kami on high if you hurt her I will find a way to kill you." Tatsuki growled as he walked past.

He spared her a glance and kept walking, closing his bedroom door behind him.

She stared at the closed door in confusion. The look he had sent her was one she had never seen on his face before and she didn't even know where to begin to decipher it.

* * *

/hug those that took the time to review. Reviews make me all tingly inside.


	4. Confrontation and Giving

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach nor make profit from this story.

Because I cut out the original first chapter of this story, the beginning of this one might actually be confusing. I never considered that when I started to cut the darker stuff out... go figure. So the flash back parts are from that discarded first chapter, which can be found on adultfanfiction. Net under the same user ID and story name.

Chapter 4

Confrontation and Giving

Warnings: Sex, language

Normally he never gave the black haired onna any attention, but her rant at him did bring one thing home.

It was true Orihime knew better than to try and ever escape him, and the real one to blame for the whole scenario was Grimmjow. The fact the 6th even dared to have anything to do with what was his irked him to no end.

He found the Espada pacing in agitation in a clearing a fair distance out of the city. His prey is sight Ulquiorra wasted no time launching into a Sonido, pinning the surprised, blue haired Arrancar against a tree before Grimmjow could even notice he was there.

"What the fuck Ulquiorra?" Grimmjow spat at him, struggling to break free of the others iron grip.

"Your lack of respect for things that belong to others is as deplorably as your attitude towards Aizen-kami."

"What the fuck you talking about?" He growled, finally managing to push Ulquiorra off of him and standing up straight.

"Her talents are not to be wasted on trash."

Dawning came upon his target as his blue eyes lit with sudden understanding.

"You telling me you are pissed because I asked the woman to make sure Karin wasn't hurt?" He demanded in disbelief.

"Why you would waste any time on such trash as the…."

He was interrupted as Grimmjow lunged at him, fist leading the way. It connected and sent him reeling slightly to the side, shocked at the power behind it. He caught his balance and shot a hate filled glare towards the other.

The other was glaring back at him with just as much hate. True they had never gotten along before, but this was a new level.

"What the fuck you know?" Grimmjow growled. "I expected someone as sharp as you to at least see her hidden potential." He snapped. "True she wont ever be as strong as us, but what woman is other than Harribel? And we both know she is out of our league."

"What are you implying?"

"Karin has enough potential to be as powerful as any of the fraccion, more powerful than the hungry, pathetic bitches always nipping at our dicks." He growled.

"You are thinking of fully Claiming the girl?" Ulquiorra asked in disbelief.

"Perhaps." Grimmjow admitted grudgingly, as if he had only just come to the conclusion himself. "If anything it will piss Kurosaki off if he ever gets the balls to come after us again. Jealous?"

"Why would I be jealous of such low level trash?" He grunted.

Grimmjow bit back a bark. "Because unlike you, she shares my bed willingly. I didn't have to rape her."

Ulquoirra's back stiffened at the insult and he felt his instincts kick up a notch. His hand tightened around Murcielago's hilt.

"I claimed my right as Vict…."

"Bullshit." Grimmjow interrupted. "By your own words you consider Kurosaki nothing more than trash. You look down on Nnoitra for screwing everything in sight, and yet the moment you have a woman in sight you rape her into submission, strip her of her virginity, and Claim her all in one night."

"Tozase, Murcielago." He snapped, drawing his Zanpakuto.

"Kishire, Pantera." Grimmjow drew his own Zanpakuto quickly.

Grimmjow met his strike with one of the spikes on his arm.

"Does that piss you off?" Grimmjow snarled.

Ulquiorra didn't answer, just untangle his Zanpakuto and struck again, only to be blocked by Grimmjow grabbing the blade with his bare hand.

"So what if you consider her trash. You consider everything but Aizen," he spat the name, "trash. I think you are missing the real piece of trash. Try looking in a mirror."

His eyes widened in rage and he charged a cero. Grimmjow side stepped the blast. He charged another much faster and this time Grimmjow released his grip on Murcielago, spun on one foot, and kicked Ulquiorra's hand to the side, sending the blast wide.

"It really pisses you off doesn't it? Did you honestly think that woman was going to fall in love with you if you just Claimed her after beating her love interest into a bloody pulp in front of her eyes?"

"Do you think that piece of trash related to Kurosaki will love you?" Ulquiorra shouted back angrily, interrupting Grimmjow's rant.

Grimmjow smirked in triumph at getting a real reaction out of him, in forcing him to lose control over his tightly controlled emotions.

"Love? I doubt it. But at least she willingly comes to my bed. Does she scream when you rape her?" Grimmjow demanded.

"_Because this is wrong. I do not love you and I do not believe for an instant that you love me. So why do you force this on me?__"_ Her words echoed in his mind.

Ulquiorra let lose a feral growl and lunged at him.

Grimmjow's eyes widened and he barely managed to block the attack. There was enough force behind it he went skidding back and didn't stop until his back hit a tree, shattering it from the force of the impact.

"Why did you Claim her anyway? Was it to piss Kurosaki off?" Grimmjow demanded.

"It was my right…."

"Bullshit." Grimmjow interrupted again. "You could have finished him off but you didn't. Was it because you knew she would be devastated if her beloved 'Kurosaki-kun' died before her eyes?"

He felt a wall of rage overcome him.

Grimmjow's smirk widened shortly before he was nearly blasted to dust by a Gran Ray Cero. Grimmjow cursed violently and looked at the burnt arm that had been tagged by the edge of the blast.

"Holy Shit." Grimmjow suddenly started laughing. "You fucking love her don't you?"

Ulquiorra felt a rush of unknown emotion race through his body.

"No wonder you get so damn jealous when she thinks of someone else or pays attention to someone other than you. And it pisses you off she doesn't think the same." He roared with laughter.

Ulquiorra's eyes widened in shock as he stared at the laughing Arrancar.

"Oh you poor bastard." Grimmjow laughed. "How the mighty has fallen. Does your precious 'Aizen-kami' know his loyal lap dog loves someone other than him?"

"Shut up, trash." He growled.

"Whatever. You aren't worth my time." Grimmjow returned to his normal state, sheathing Pantera. "You know, for the first time ever I think I actually pity you."

"What?" Ulquiorra snapped.

"You love that human woman, a being you claim you see as trash. And you want her to love you back, but you screwed up big time. Women do not forgive so quickly and you ripped her freedom, her innocence, and her very being from her. If she can ever bring herself to even forgive you I would be surprised, let alone fall for you."

Grimmjow started to walk away.

"And you know how to…. correct the issue?" He asked softly.

Grimmjow actually froze and turned to look at him.

"Are you actually asking me for advice on how to woo a woman?" He asked in disbelief.

"Your….. track record… is far superior to any others." He grudgingly admitted.

The look of disbelief on Grimmjow's face intensified before he scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Well yeah. I have never had to force a woman into my bed, but….fine. You want a peace of advice?"

After a moment of internal debate, Ulquiorra nodded.

"Let her go."

"What?"

"If she tells you to stop and that she doesn't want it, stop. Listen to her for once."

"And if," he had to think of her name, "Karin asked you stop, would you?" He questioned.

"Of course. But I have yet to find a woman who didn't want a piece of this." He smirked, indicating his toned body before disappearing in a Sonido.

Ulquiorra was left alone in the destroyed clearing, thinking over the conversation. He wasn't sure what had possessed him to hunt Grimmjow down for borrowing Orihime, but he had a feeling the 6th was not far from his marks, and that annoyed him more than anything.

Eventually he came to the conclusion that Grimmjow was right about everything. He hadn't Claimed her because it was his right, that had just been his excuse to go through with something that he had been pining over for a long while.

He wasn't sure when it had happened, but ever so slowly he had started to fall for her. It did make him mad when she thought of others, especially that piece of trash Kurosaki.

He left the clearing, heading back to the house. The moment he came through the door he noticed the look of resignation that crossed her face as she stood up and headed to his room.

She clearly had no desire to bed him but he had trained her over the years that when he appeared to her in his resurreccion it was because he wanted her.

"I swear to kami on high if you hurt her I will find a way to kill you." Tatsuki growled as he walked past her.

He paused to look at the woman before continuing on and closing the door behind him. Orihime was already naked and laying on his bed, eyes locked on the ceiling as she waited for him.

He quelled the roaring of his blood that wanted to jump her and remind her who she belonged to and instead studied her.

She was nervous and resigned. The first he knew was because they had not parted earlier on the best of terms.

"Do you not enjoy the attention I give your body?" He asked.

She looked at him in surprise.

"I…" She was clearly confused. "I… it doesn't really hurt." She stammered.

He never spoke to her when he called upon her. Just undressed himself and used her. He preferred silence and the break in routine clearly had her stunned and confused.

"Answer truthfully." He commanded. "You will not be punished regardless of what answer you give." He assured her.

She turned her gaze up to match his eyes. "Yes, it is pleasurable, but only to my body, not to my heart."

"Why?" He demanded.

Her eyes widened at the question.

"Because you don't think about me."

"I do." He interjected, but she shook her head and raised a hand to stop him.

"No. You don't care about how I feel when you….." She trailed off.

"Rape." He suggested coldly.

Her eyes widened before they fell and she gave a small, soft nod of her head.

"You consider this rape?" He asked.

"What else would I consider it?" She snapped at him, causing him to jolt in surprise.

It had been a long time since she had dared to raise her voice at him.

"You don't ask, you just take. And when I try to understand you just go on about how it is your RIGHT. Well here is a piece of news for you, it is NEVER anyone's right to force themselves on another."

It was like he had unleashed a dam as she stood up from the bed and started screaming at him in a way she hadn't done in five years, and this time his instincts were under enough control to actually Listen.

"_He was right.__"_ Ulquiorra realized with a hint of disgust.

Grimmjow had been right. Orihime was screaming her frustrations out at him, tears slowly coming down her face. And it hurt him. It made his chest tighten.

He reached a hand out and wiped a tear away, stopping her rant with the unexpected action. She stared at him in surprise before breaking down completely and crying, collapsing onto the floor in a fit of tears.

"I….. apologise." He said softly.

She stiffened and her gaze shot up to stare at him in surprise.

"I….. did things the wrong way."

"Wh….what?" She asked surprised.

She searched his face as she had the day after he had taken her.

"_What have you done to me?__"_

"_I have Claimed that which is my right."_

"_Why?"_

"_It is my right."_

_Her face had fallen at his final answer. _

Looking back he realized she had been hoping for a different answer. Just like that day she was studying him, looking for something. She seemed to find something for she took a shuddering breath.

"Why did you Claim me?" She asked as she had that day and several times after.

"Because…." He paused.

Because it was his right was the excuse, and only trash lied to themselves.

"I don't know." He finally admitted.

She actually looked somewhat pleased and stood up to face him.

"You once asked me where the human heart is. Do you understand now?" She asked softly.

"I…"

"It is not in my chest, nor my head. It is a place where even your eye can not see." She continued.

"It is in others." He murmured.

She smiled at him.

"Ulquiorra-san….. Do you love me?" She asked softly.

His eyes widened.

"Is that why you get so jealous when I think of others? Is that why you attempt to make love to me? Is that why you Claimed me that night and sparred Ichigo's life, knowing that to watch him die would have shattered me?"

Ichigo, not Kurosaki-kun.

"I do not know what this love you speak of is."

She smiled at him, and it actually reached her eyes.

"It is painful, but at the same time it is wonderful. It both hurts and makes you feel warmer than the sun. Do you, Ulquiorra-san, love me?" She asked.

"I… don't know." He admitted. "When you think of others, it angers me."

"That is a sign." She conceded.

"When I," he tried to think of a good term, "lay with you," he settled for, "I enjoy making you pant with pleasure."

She winced at that confession.

"That could also be a sign." She conceded though. "Do you respect me for who I am?"

"Yes." He answered.

"Also a sign. If I asked you now not to have sex with me, would you?" She asked.

He felt a spike run through him and his instinct flared up. She was his and she had no right to deny him what was his right!

He quickly squashed the instinct down before it could rise up and undo the small amount of work he had managed to do with her, but it was surprisingly difficult. She seemed to notice his struggle.

"Be honest." She prompt. "That is also a part of love."

"It would be difficult, but I would try." He finally admitted.

She smiled warmly at him and to his surprise leaned forward to brush her lips against his cheek.

"Then I would say you are in love with me."

"Do you…" He started.

She shook her head, stopping the question before he could finish it.

"No. I do not love you Ulquiorra-san. At one time I might have been capable of it, perhaps even in it, but not after everything you have put me through. However," she held a hand up to stall his next sentence, "with time I might be able to again.

"I think…. I think I finally understand why you Claimed me. Why you did what you did. Tonight, please, I ask that you let me leave to think. Please?" She begged softly.

He fought against his instinct to Claim her and in the end his wings dispersed as he retuned to normal, giving her a nod of his head. Orihime smiled softly at him and retrieved her clothes, getting dressed before retreating, pausing at the door on her way out.

"Thank you." She said softly, still with that small smile, before closing his door behind her.

"Let her go." He whispered to himself. _"__It would appear that Grimmjow is__…__.. Not so much the piece of trash I took him for.__"_ He grudgingly admitted to himself.

(POV)

Grimmjow didn't return until well after both girls were in bed. Karin was honestly surprised he hadn't called on her. This would be the first night in the last two months, minus the nights she was on her cycle, that she hadn't been expected to be in his bed.

She was oddly disappointed.

She frowned at the feeling and quickly analyzed it. When he took her he would always make sure she somewhat enjoyed the encounters, and now she realized her body had gotten use to the attention and was now craving it, even if her mind was neutral on the subject.

"_He saved us, saved Yuzu when I could not._"

She frowned at the thought. He had saved them both and she hadn't even thanked him yet.

She rolled over and noticed Yuzu was fast asleep. Sighing, she got out of bed and headed down the hall, stopping outside his bedroom door. She knocked twice before opening the door and stepping in.

He was laid out on his bed wearing nothing but his hakama just like the first time she had entered his room. Unlike that time though one of his arms was bound in bandages and he was staring at the ceiling clearly deep in thought.

"Um, hi."

His gaze swept down to her.

"I wanted to say thank you, for saving us today. If I had been stronger…." She sighed.

"You'll get there." He grunted, turning his gaze back to the ceiling.

"Thanks for the compliment, but I don't think I could ever be on that level."

His gaze once more left the ceiling to stare at her.

"Don't shit me." He growled. "You think I would waste my time with you if that small fry was your potential."

"_Wait, what?__"_ She questioned silently.

"The rock imbedded in his skull had your reiatsu all over it. A little more focus and you probably would have offed him yourself, but you panicked, didn't you?"

"I was worried about Yuzu." She admitted slowly. "And had been training before he showed up." She added. _"__I did that much damage to the creature?__"_ She thought to herself shocked.

"You're like the opposite of your brother." He snorted.

"Funny, two months ago you said I was just like him." She pointed out.

"Not when it comes to fighting." He corrected. "He thinks he's better than everyone else." Grimmjow growled in loathing. "You think you can't do crap."

"Are you saying I can be as strong as Ichigo?" She asked in disbelief.

"No. You don't got that much potential in you, but you could reach at least a fraccion's level. Wont hold a candle to us Espada, but as strong as the fraccion, sure."

"I see." She pondered the thought.

She could be strong enough to protect Yuzu on her own in time. Suddenly the training he was forcing upon her didn't seem so tedious. Her eyes fell upon the bandaged arm and she frowned.

"What happened to your arm? It wasn't like that this afternoon."

"Burned it." He grunted, suddenly no longer interested in talking to her.

Frowning, she walked across the room and his eyes followed her.

"Well, whoever wrapped it did a poor job. Would you like me to redo it?" She asked hesitantly.

"You know how?" He challenged.

"My father runs…ran," she corrected, "his own clinic and trained both Yuzu and I. Of course I know how to treat most wounds." She crossed her arms. "If you don't want me to that's fine."

"Go ahead." He said offhandedly.

Nodding, she undid the poor wrappings.

"_Looks like he did it himself, no wonder they are so poorly wrapped.__"_ she noted. _"__And this explains where his top is. Looks like he shredded it to make the bandages.__"_

Karin winched when she saw how bad his arm was burned and frowned at the damage, as well as the lingering traces of Ulquiorra's reiatsu. She had a feeling she knew what had happened.

"Hold on, I am going to get some burn cream and fresh, proper bandages. I'll be right back." She promised.

She gathered what she needed from the main bathroom before returned to see him now sitting up in bed and leaning against the wall. He remained silent as she tended to his arm.

She felt a light blush coming on, for this was the first time she had ever deliberately touched him. Every other time had been his own movements. She wrapped his arm up and admired her handy work.

"Thanks." He grunted.

She looked at him in a bit of surprise. He seemed like the type that would sooner die than admit he needed help, let alone accepting that help and thanking the one offering it.

"You're welcome." She smiled softly.

Her eyes drifted down his body and noticed the rather obvious tent in his hakama. Clearly he was up and ready and yet he hadn't asked for her body yet.

"_Is it because of his arm_?" She wondered. _"__No, I doubt something as __'__small__'__ as that would stop him. Is it because__…__..he is worried about me and what happened today? Is he actually concerned I would view his advances like that piece of shit Arrancar__'__s?__"_

She was stunned by the thought and oddly touched he would even consider it. She got up and his gaze followed her, but it wasn't to the door she went, but rather to the lantern on the desk.

She turned it down low before removing her kimono and crawling into bed beside him.

"What are you doing?" He asked, confusion clearly laced in his voice.

"Well," she blushed suddenly feeling very nervous "you held up your end of our agreement." She stated. "And I am not so shallow as to weasel out of my end. Unless you don't want me here tonight?"

"Suit yourself." He grunted.

She curled up beside him, back facing him. For several minutes they both just lay there in silence. He would shift every once in a while and when she finally turned to face him she noticed his little problem hadn't gone away.

"_And yet he still hasn__'__t demanded anything from me. Why?__"_

It was confusing and endearing. She didn't know why but she wanted to help him. Had she any psychiatry training she might have said it was because after two months sleeping with him had become habit, but she didn't have any such background knowledge.

Both of his hands were firmly behind his head and he was still having a staring contest with the ceiling and clearly lost in his thoughts.

Biting her lip nervously, she slowly shifted over to face him and reached out with one hand.

"_Kami, am I actually going to do this? Can I do it? Do I want to do it?__"_ She questioned herself.

Her movement finally caught his attention, or perhaps it was the feeling of her hand touching his skin above his Hakama before sliding down under it.

"What are you…" His question died off as her hand found it's target and he let out a soft gasp.

"_It__'__s so soft, like silk, yet hard.__"_ She noticed and her hand wrapped gently around him.

For all the times they had slept together, she had never really explored or got to know his body outside of laying on her back while he molested her before moving to her hands and knees so he could take her.

She dared to look up at him and his gaze was once more facing the ceiling, but she doubted he was staring at it this time. His mouth was open ever so slightly. Emboldened, she started to stroke him softly and he let out a little mew.

She steeled her will some more and sat up before moving between his legs, removing her hand from him. The look he sent her sent a tingle up her spin, for it was the look of someone who had just lost something they desperately desired.

Feeling a bit of nervous sweat start to trickle, and with hands that shook only a little, she undid the ties to his Hakama and pulled them down before dropping them to the side out of their way. She watched as he practically doubled in size and she wondered how in the hells something that big fit in her in the fist place.

It was a bit different actually looking and studying what she had been touching and what had been inside of her. Biting a lip nervously, she reached out to touch him again, eyes going back up to his face.

There was unveiled lust in his eyes as she stroked him. It was oddly flattering and she felt herself emboldened as she explored different ways to touch and play with him. She could not get over how soft and warm to the touch he was, or how big he had gotten.

His breath was turning into pants and sweat broke out over his body. Her feeling of flattery turned into what she could almost describe as a feeling of power. She was the one making him shiver under her touch and she suddenly understood why he enjoyed making her pant in pleasure.

"_If my hand alone does this to him. What about__…__.__"_ She couldn't finish the thought and blushed hugely at it. _"__ Could I?_" She wondered.

She brought her face closer to the object of her attention and slowly let her tongue dart out to touch it.

His entire body stiffened under her at the contact.

"_It doesn__'__t really taste like anything.__"_ She noted, darting her tongue out again for a full lick up his shaft this time.

He shuddered violently beneath her and emboldened by his obvious reaction she braced herself and sucked the tip into her mouth. The tip was slightly salty and wet, but the taste didn't last long.

Feeling more in power than she had ever felt in her life, she began to suck softly. His body jerked under her and when she glanced up his body it was to see his eyes closed, his mouth slightly open panting for breath, and his body soaked in sweat.

He was too big to take completely in her mouth without gagging, so she settled for wrapping her hand around the base. Now he really started to twitch under her and she swore she heard a few whimpers escape his mouth.

"Stop." He suddenly gasped, taking her by surprise. "I am about to Cum." He warned her.

She stopped, relieved he had warned her. She wasn't sure she was ready for something like that just yet. Still, she smirked as she looked at his exhausted frame and she crawled up his body to straddle his hips.

He was still panting beneath her, hands clenched by his side. Curious, she reached a hand out to trace the edge of his hole. It felt no different than the rest of his skin and she couldn't bring herself to do anything more than marvel she could see the bed through it.

Her eyes drifted to his mask fragment and her hand drifted shortly after. She hesitated for a moment but he hadn't stopped her from exploring his body yet so she let her hand trace the edges of his mask.

It was cool to the touch and felt like how she figured bone did. She traced the teeth before satisfying her curiosity enough to dare to run her fingers through his hair. It was surprisingly coarse, almost like an ally cat's fur.

Her hand trailed back down his body and her eyes fell upon his nipples, both of which were fully erect. She tweaked one and he hissed under her again. Smiling, her other hand found the other and she played with them, earning more hisses of pleasure out of him.

She leaned forward and sucked one of them into her mouth, flicking it with her tongue and she felt him start to grind his hips against her. His hands found her hips and she realized he meant to flip them over.

"_Not tonight.__"_ She denied him silently, and braced her legs to the bed to prevent him from turning them over.

When he opened his mouth to no doubt demand why she defied him, she shifted back down his body slightly and grasped him, giving him a soft squeeze that turned his potential question into a mew of pleasure.

"_I can do this. I have already taken it this far and he wont let me stop now.__"_ She encouraged herself.

She lifted herself slightly up off of him before bringing herself down onto him. His back arched as she impaled herself and he let lose a yowl of pleasure.

She gave her self a second to adjust to the slight pain from her walls stretching before she started to move. It took her a few tries to get the angle to a point she felt herself tingle in pleasure.

Pleased with her current angle she braced herself against him, using her fingers to play with his nipples.

His eyes bore into hers and it made her flush, but she didn't stop. She rode him until he roared and grasped her hips, holding her tightly to him while he fired his load into her. His entire body convulsed and his eyes rolled up in his head.

"_Is this what it looks like when he cums?__"_ She wondered in awe.

His body stopped convulsing and he collapsed against the bed in exhaustion. She took a few deep breaths herself before removing herself from his body and pulled the blankets up over them.

She was so use to him clutching her to him when they slept that she wasn't the least bit surprised when he pulled her into his grasp. For once she was also far too exhausted to remain awake and she fell asleep curled in his arms.

Grimmjow lay in bed, contemplating the argument he'd had with Ulquiorra earlier that day. His words had been true, but now he wondered what had sparked them.

Truthfully he hadn't thought about Claiming Karin until that little spat. Sure she was one hell of a good fuck. No, she was far better than good. Even after two months he couldn't get enough of her tight heat wrapped around him.

But he frowned over the part they had argued about rape. Karin had come willingly to his bed, granted for an exchange of services as a few had done in the past.

"_Would she have come if I hadn__'__t been eying that sister of hers?__"_ he wondered absently. _"__Probably if I had courted her.__"_ He was quick to assure himself, male pride swelling.

His burnt arm was smarting but he wasn't about to admit that pussy Ulquiorra had actually managed to hurt him.

"_Bastard ain__'__t even here and he__'__s still playing mind games with me.__"_ He cursed.

He missed the knock on the door, hell, he hadn't even noticed she had come in until she spoke.

"_I don__'__t recall summoning her here tonight.__"_

She thanked him for saving her and he shared a brief conversation with her before ignoring her once more. However the sight of her in nothing but a half open sleeping kimono was enough to get him started even when he wasn't in the mood.

"_Bloody body.__"_ He grunted to himself, intent to ignore it.

That became harder when she not only offered to properly bind his arm, but crawled naked into bed beside him afterwards .

"_I ain__'__t like Nnoitra or that bastard Ulquiorra. I don__'__t need to__…__..__"_ His thoughts were broken as he felt her hand touch his skin. "What are you…" His question died off as her hand wrapped around his arousal.

He let out a gasp as she began to stroke him. Well if she wanted to pleasure him who was he to argue? It was better than him doing it himself. He laid back and just enjoyed the attention, that was until she stopped.

He looked back down to her disappointed, at least until he saw her crawl between his legs and with hands that shook with nervousness, undid the belt to his hakama and tossed them aside.

He felt a bit of pride at how big he already was and the way her eyes widened at the sight. Her hands embraced him again and he sighed, staring back up at the ceiling without seeing it.

Something wet suddenly touched him and he froze. His gaze shot back down to her just in time for her to give him another lick before she took his head into her mouth and started to suck.

I_"__ Holy shit.__"_ He gasped, arms leaving the back of his head to clutch onto his mattress for support. _"__She__'__s__…__.. she__'__s__…__ Kuro-fucking-saki__'__s sister has her mouth wrapped around__…_ "

"Stop." He cried, breaking his thoughts. "I am about to cum." He warned her.

She seemed relieved he had warned her. He just panted and tried to regain his breath. The sight of her taking him in was probably the hottest thing he had ever seen. She shifted up his body and began to explore it.

He let her, trying to regain some semblance of composure. None of the bitches who had ever pleased him orally had turned him on as much as she had.

"_Because she is that damn Shinigami__'__s sisters, that__'__s why._" He told himself.

His attention was drawn back to her when she tweaked his nipples shortly before taking one in her mouth. He wasn't going to last much longer and he grasped her hips to flip her onto her hands and knees so he could take her, but she stopped him.

He felt confusion and a bit of anger, but before he could demand to know why she had denied him, she shifted and grasped his shaft once more and his question came out as a mew instead.

His eyes widened when she sank herself on him.

"_What the hell is she doing?_" He questioned.

Then she moved, and his hands left her hips to clutch the bed again.

"_Holy Fuck. Holy bloody fuck.__"_ He gasped to himself.

Hollows were like animals, and like animals they took their partners from behind. This, this was something he had never experienced before in his life and he was loving every minute of it.

From this angle he could see her breast bounce as she moved on him. From this angle he could see the look of pleasure on her face. And this was Kurosaki's bloody sister riding him, giving herself freely to him for he had not asked it of her, not this night.

He couldn't hold it in and he felt those familiar sparks fly and his body convulse as he filled her. He panted for breath and she untangled their bodies and pulled the blanket over them.

"_Kami, I wish I had a way to let that bastard know his sister enjoys this. _ He thought with a vicious smirk as he let sleep claim him.

(POV)

Golden eyes that had witnessed the entire thing from across the street closed before briefly in mourning before moving on so as not to risk being discovered and an alarm raised.

* * *

Huge hugs to those that took the time to review. Stay tuned for the next chapter: Where we learn the fate of Ukitake and Nanao.


	5. Ukitake and Nanao

Chapter 5

Ukitake and Nanao

Warnings: a little m/m at the end, nothing that exciting in my books.

Ukitake walked home from another long day at the office. With Aizen now in power and most of the Taichou either dead or enslaved, his was one of the only divisions still running.

The other was the 4th still commanded by Unohana. Now more than ever it was a full hospital. Some of the divisions had been utterly annihilated during the war, such as the 1st and the 11th. Some had been taken over, such as the 12th by Szayel. The rest of the survivors now answered to either him or Toshiro from the 10th.

"_Former 10__th__.__"_ He reminded himself sadly.

The divisions had been reorganized into only 4 plus the science division ran by Szayel. Aizen himself ran the first, he ran the second, Toshiro ran the third, and Unohana's 4th remained unchanged.

"There you are. You are running late again." A young, female voice broke him out of his thoughts before he could work himself into another depression about how he should have died and others live.

"Lilinette-chan." He greeted her softly with a warm voice.

"It's Lilinette-SAMA to you, Shiro-chan." She snapped and his smile just widened ever so slightly.

It was an argument the two had been having for the last 5 years, ever since….

"Oi." She jumped up to smack the back of his head.

Ukitake caught her arm gently, twisting her about so she spun and landed with her back facing him.

"I hate it when you do that." She cursed at him, spinning to face him once he let her arm go.

He produced a lollipop from his sleeves and her eyes fell upon it like any child's. She licked her lips and looked from it to him and back again several times. He handed it over and she all but snatched it from his hand before falling into step beside him as they continued on their way back to his home.

His home had become their home. Because of how much reiatsu Starrk exerted, Ukitake's family had been moved elsewhere. A part of him was happy he was permitted to live in his own home and continue to watch out for a division, but another part of him ached that he had survived.

As inevitably happened on his trek home, he recalled the day of their defeat so clearly:

(flash back)

_His lungs burned as he tried to breath through the hole that had been punched through his chest by the newest Arrancar to join the field. He didn't know what was going on anymore but the rise and fall of various reitasu told a bit of the story._

_A body collapsed not far from his and he forced dust and blood caked eyes to open. He saw the tattered black remains of a shinigami's uniform, and the weak pulse of his oldest friend washed over him._

"_Shunsui." Ukitake managed to gurgle out._

"_Hey, still alive?" His friend asked with a small smirk._

_Ukitake couldn't answer, his mouth too full of blood. A heavy reiatsu landed before them and Ukitake had barely enough strength to turn his head and see Starrk standing before them followed by what looked like several wolves made out of reiatsu._

"_Yare, Yare, looks like you won." Shunsui commented._

"_Ha, of course we did." The wolves taunted, sounding an awful lot like Lilinette._

"Won?"

_Ukitake sent what was left of his senses out to discover most of his comrades reiatsu were now gone and the rest were strongly diminished._

"_In the flavour of good sport, can I ask the Victors for a favour?" Shunsui asked, and then coughed violently._

_It was only then Ukitake realized his best friend since child hood was laying in a puddle of blood far larger than his own and blood was caked to his face._

"_And what might that be?" The wolves demanded._

_Shunsui ignored them and looked at the still silent Espada._

"_I don't want my Fukutaichou hurt in the expected aftermath. Could you Claim her for me please?" He asked._

"What?" _Ukitake had thought shocked._

_Judging by the look on Starrk and the wolves faces they were just as surprised by the request as he was; although if it was the request itself or the fact Shunsui was even familiar with the hollow concept of Claiming was never answered._

"_You have achieved Victory, so it is you right. Please. I care about my Nanao-chan a great deal."_

_Shunsui's voice was starting to fade and gurgle._

"_Like hell." Lilinette growled._

"_I will." Starrk spoke over her._

"_Nani?" All the wolves turned to growl at him._

"_Nanao you said?" He asked._

_Shunsui gave his head a small nod. "Ise Nanao." He confirmed. "I know I am being greedy, but can I have one last request please?" At this point Shunsui's voice was nothing more than a gurgling whisper._

"_Shunsui." Ukitake coughed out and tried to move._

_He was stopped by two of the wolves noticing his movements and pinning him down with their paws._

_He could see Shunsui's mouth moving shortly before he felt his friends reiatsu extinguish forever. He watched as Starrk impassively closed the now dead mans eyes before turning to look at him._

"_Can I kill him?" Lilinette almost begged._

"_Ile." Starrk answered._

_To Ukitake's surprise Starrk walked over to him and hoisted him up into his arms. He felt his vision blur; half from his blood loss and half in tears for his now deceased friend._

(flash back end)

He had learned the last request Shunsui had asked of the 1st Espada was to Claim him as well if able. Starrk had been able and now he was bound to the Arrancar. It had not been a pleasant experience undergoing the binding, but it was the only way Aizen would let any of the remaining taichou live.

"_At least Nanao-san was spared being bound.__"_ He thought with relief.

Being essentially raped by the man that had killed the one she loved (and the father of her only child) would have devastated her far more than Shunsui's death alone had.

He had been shocked when they discovered she was pregnant. Either Shunsui knew he was not going to come back or he just finally broke her will down. The one night they had each other was apparently enough for Shunsui to get the job done.

The two arrived at his estate and Lilinette disappeared somewhere into the mansion while he headed to his rooms to change out of his uniform.

" 'take-ji." A boisterous voice yelled as soon as he passed the first garden.

"Hello Hana-chan." He greeted the small girl as the five year old ran into his arms.

Nanao followed behind her daughter, a soft smile on her face as she also politely greeted him home.

Ukitake produced another lollipop out of his sleeve and Hana's eyes lit up on it just like Lilinette's had. He set her down and looked at her expectantly.

"Can I please have it 'take-ji?" She begged, looking up at him with the cutest expression he had ever seen.

"Of course." He smiled down at her and handed it over.

Hana cheered and disappeared with it back into the garden.

"I wish you wouldn't spoil her." Nanao sighed.

"Who else do I have to spoil?" He pointed out.

Nanao conceded his point with a small nod of her head.

"How….. How are the divisions doing?" She asked sadly.

"Better." He answered. "It's still just the four but things have settled down and more or less returned to normal."

"And the Arrancar?" She asked.

"There was an incident today, but I heard Grimmjow-san dealt with it."

"What kind of incident?" She demanded.

"Someone went after the two he Claimed I believe. The reports I received said the man in question was 'dealt with.'" He answered. "_Speaking of Claims, it should be about time mine is refreshed.__"_ He thought to himself.

Apparently Claims could diminish if left alone for too long, and the closer the two were in strength the faster it degraded. Starrk's Claim on him lasted about a year when left alone and it had been just about a year since it had been refreshed.

"I see. Hana-chan insisted we cook you dinner tonight. Will you join us?" Nanao asked, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Of course. How could I ever say no to Hana-chan?" He answered with a smile. "Let me get changed and freshened up and I will join you in an hour." He promised.

Nanao nodded her head and went to hunt down her daughter. Ukitake continued on his trek to his room, changing out of his uniform for more casual clothing and took a quick shower.

Dinner was a wonderful affair and he still wondered how Hana could get more food on her then in her. He tucked her into bed later that night and broke to her request to read her a bedtime story as he did most nights.

Nanao watched them silently and escorted him out of their collection of rooms.

"You have no idea how much your help means to me in raising her." Nanao confessed as she walked him to the main entrance or her suite.

"I am just happy I can be here for her." He assured her.

"I miss him so much." Nanao sighed.

"As do I. But us grieving over his sacrifice so we could live is not what Shunsui would have wanted us to do." He tried to console her, and himself.

She nodded her head but he could still see the trace of tears in the corner of her eyes.

"If only we had more time. If only I hadn't been so stubborn with him." She sighed.

"Hind sight is almost always perfect." He agreed. "If I knew now what I did then, than perhaps more people would still be alive."

He felt tears threaten his own eyes as he thought of everyone who had died, including his two former third seats and most of his previous division. The war had taken so many away from them.

"Good night, Nanao-san."

"Good night, Ukitaki-san." She returned and closed the door behind him.

He meandered through the halls of his estate, now quiet since only the four of them lived here and at this time of night even Lilinette would be asleep. Little Hana had inherited her fathers reiatsu strength and was blissfully protected from the 1st's overwhelming power.

A quick scan of his estate proved that everyone was asleep now except for him and one other. The other was making his way towards him and Ukitake sighed before changing course to intercept the other.

If Nanao hadn't been here, hadn't born his best friends child, he probably would have just asked for death by now, but he could not do that. So many still looked up to him for guidance in this dark time.

He came across the other in one of the open gardens, the sky crystal clear and shinning with a million stars as the full moon reflected in the koi pond. Not a word was spoken between them as he approached the other and began to remove his clothing.

"_If Shunsui had known what the Claiming involved, would he have still asked Starrk to do so?__"_ Ukitake couldn't help but to wonder each time it was refreshed.

Completely naked now he got down to his hands and knees and waited, eyes closed. He heard the other sigh above him shortly before the sound of rustling clothes reached his ears.

Neither one of them 'enjoyed' doing this, but it was the only way Aizen would not only suffer him to live, but to stay in command of his Division. A calloused finger ran down his spine before reaching his tail bone and continuing down to the hole that would soon be invaded.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Starrk asked, as he had the other four times.

"Hai." Ukitake answered without hesitation, as he also had the other four times.

He bit his lip and felt a small sense of relief that his face was hidden behind a curtain of long, white hair. The fingers left again and he braced himself for what was coming. Hands held his hips still and he let out a gasp as the other started to wrap his reiatsu around him.

He hated this part the most as he forced his own reiatsu to surrender to the other, to accept the other as dominate.

Starrk moved slowly, entering slowly before pulling back out. The second thrust sent a wave of reiatsu into Ukitake's body, pouring through his channels and conquering his own reiatsu. That wave was accompanied by a rush of insane pleasure.

He let out a gasp at the sensation and his hands clenched. Each forward thrust poured more of the Espada's reiatsu into him, and each thrust left his body sweating from the intense pleasure of it.

He felt like his body was ready to explode for the sheer amount of reiatsu being poured into him. One of the hands left his hips and brushed his hair to one side to reveal his neck. The end was finally coming and he mentally prepared himself for the finish.

Sharp canines bit into the side of his neck and began to drink his blood, and with it a portion of his reiatsu was pulled into his Master as well as all the excess reiatsu that had been pumped into him, leaving only what was required to bind his own to his Master's whim.

His eyes shot open and he came hard as sharp and unbearable pleasure suddenly shot through his body as the binding was completed. He felt the other finish and both of them convulsed as the binding finished.

It was by pure blind luck he happened to be looking at that particular bush where a pair of familiar golden eyes stared back at him, causing him to freeze in shock.

"_Is that__…"_ But the eyes were already gone and he wondered if he didn't imagine it.

Starrk's dead weight rested against him and he fell to his chest, unable to support both of their weights. The Claiming always left them both mentally and physically exhausted. He slowly managed to untangle their bodies, wincing as the other exited his body and fluid gushed down his legs leaving a sticky trail.

He looked around once more but saw no sign of eyes, golden or otherwise.

" _I must be losing my mind.__"_ He sighed to himself before pulling the blanket Starrk had brought with him over both of their bodies.

They lay in silence, neither one of them able to walk and stared up at the stars.

"Do you regret it?" Starrk suddenly asked.

"Yes and no." Ukitake admitted. "I miss him so much. He was like a brother to me and some days I wish I had died and he had lived. But, there are others here who need me and if this is the only way I can be here for them, then so be it. Shunsui gave his life so we could live and I would not be able to call myself his friend if I denied him that which he gave his life for.

"Besides, if I had died that day who would be here to take care of Nanao-san and Hana-chan? Or the remaining Shinigami who survived the war?"

"I would probably get more sleep." Starrk grunted. "Lilinette has been teaching her a large number of various ways to annoy me." He grunted.

That earned a weak chuckle out of him. Lilinette was indeed fascinated with the child and he could only guess at the mischief those two were getting into while he was at work. Lord knows what was going to happen when Hana truly started to come into her power and could keep up with Lilinette and her mischief making ways.

"Truthfully, if Shunsui was still here it would be worse. He knew ways to annoy people without ever having to even get up." He chuckled in memory at all the things they had done together in their academy days to their instructors.

He heard a soft snore from beside him and turned his head to see the other already fast asleep. Ukitake gave his head a small shake before pulling the blankets more firmly around them and permitting himself to drift off as well.

(POV)

From a different set of bushes Golden Eyes stared back at the two sleeping figures before darting off, cursing itself for how close it had come to being discovered.

* * *

/love those of you that took the time to review. Claiming is fully explained in a later chapter. This chapter is actually the first time Claiming is witnessed in this version of Prize of Victory.


	6. Meeting Ukitake Taichou

Meeting Ukitake Taichou

Warnings: Quick sex

Something had changed after the night she had went to him on her own free will. She didn't even bother to try and hide it from Yuzu and as strange as it kind of was it was somewhat of a relief no longer attempting to hide what was going on. She hated keeping secrets from her twin. She even found her stuff slowly migrating into what was now their room.

Yuzu actually seemed pleased with the relationship, which was rather confusing, but Karin wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Karin yawned as she woke up, stretching as much as the arm holding her in place would permit. A quick sniff of the air indicated Yuzu was already awake and making what smelled like a wonderful breakfast.

Karin sighed and tried to wriggle out of the arm holding her, but it just tightened and pulled her back under the blankets.

"I am starting to think I am getting the short end of the deal." She groused as she felt something hot and firm pocking into her thigh.

"Want to change it?" Grimmjow muttered from behind her.

"Maybe restrict it." She sighed, but turned in his grasp to face him.

She could never get over how deeply blue his eyes were, or his powder blue hair for that matter.

"Ride me." He grunted, untangling his arm from her body to let her move and shifting onto his back.

She had learned the reason he had always taken her from behind was because that was how hollows did it. They were like animals with no memory of their human life. After she had rode him that night he had began to demand they try various other positions.

It was like a dam had been broken and she found each evening for two weeks straight they would try something different. His favourites still seemed to be either her on her hands and knees or her riding him, depending on his mood.

Karin straddled his hips and reached for the bottle of lubricant on the desk beside the bed. She poured a generous amount in her hand before reaching down to stroke him. He bucked his hips into her hand and sighed, eyes closing in contentment.

"Spoiled house cat." She grumbled.

He just smirked at her.

She poured another good dose on her hand and rubbed it in herself before wrapping a hand around him once more and sinking down onto him.

Her walls had adjusted to his length by now and the lubricant made easing down onto him much easier. She shifted once he was fully inside to settle herself about him better before she started to move.

His eyes gazed at her in a lazy hunger that never failed to bring a blush to her cheeks. No one had ever wanted her like he clearly did and it left her heart fluttering each time he looked at her like that.

Since that first night and their agreement he hadn't even glanced at Yuzu, and that also flattered her for she was well aware how beautiful her sister was compared to plain old her. But even more flattering was he had never brought another woman home either, nor had she caught traces of another reiatsu on him.

His hands held her hips to balance her as she rode him and her own snaked out across his chest to tweak a nipple each. He hissed, arched his back and cursed her. Karin permitted a smirk of her own to touch her lips at his reaction.

He never lasted long in the mornings, and neither did she. All too soon she felt that cliff loom before her before she plunged over the edge. Her walls clamped around him and he let loose curse as she felt him also shudder beneath her, hot cum shooting into her body.

She rested against his chest, panting lightly and listening to his own pants. One of his hands absently ran up and down her back as they recovered.

"Shower." He grunted.

"Yeah." She agreed.

She sat up and slowly untangled their bodies. Left over fluid ran down her right leg as it leaked out off her. They always showered in the morning together and it had become very routine.

By the time she actually managed to get dressed and make it down stairs, Yuzu was just finishing breakfast and greeted her with a cheerful 'good morning.'

Karin returned the greeting and collapsed into one of the chairs. She had about half an hour to eat before her daily training would begin.

"How did you sleep?" Yuzu asked pleasantly.

"I actually slept." Karin answered.

"Oh?" Yuzu asked with a knowing grin.

"Oi, none of that now." Karin warned, feeling another blush come on.

"It is good that you have found someone." Yuzu assured her with a warm smile.

"Yeah." Karin agreed softly, looking out the window into the garden and just enjoying the view.

Yuzu set her breakfast down before her and Karin's eyes lit up at the colourful omelette before her, until the smell hit her nose. She felt bile rise in the back of her throat and barely had enough time to excuse herself before she rushed to the bathroom.

She dry heaved into the toilet for a full minute before her stomach settled.

"Karin, are you alright?" Yuzu asked from the door, worry very evident in her voice.

"Peachy." She muttered. "It seems to have passed."

"Are you sure?" Yuzu asked concerned.

"Yeah." Karin stood up and flushed the toilet out of habit. "I think the scent of pepper just went down the wrong tube when I took a whiff." She assured her sister.

"I hate it when that happens." Yuzu nodded understandingly.

Karin took a few breaths and found her stomach did seem to be completely fine and the need to choke to death had passed.

"Oi, let's go." Grimmjow's voice shouted from the front door.

" _Strange, we usually train out back."_ Karin thought. "Sorry Yuzu, but I think I will have to finish eating when I get back."

"That's alright, I will put it in the fridge for you."

"Thanks."

Karin snuck passed her sister and joined Grimmjow by the front door. He led her out the door and down the street without a word, and she followed.

"_Where is he taking me?"_ She wondered.

(POV)

Grimmjow had been contemplating on the next step of Karin's training for a few days now. He was somewhat familiar with a Shinigami's Zanpakuto, but he didn't know how they acquired it or learned to release it.

For that he was going to need a Shinigami. And since he did nothing halfway, he was going to need one of reasonable strength and not one of the pussies that did their best to duck out of his way and make sure their eyes were averted at all times.

He knew a few of the powerful ones had been Claimed by the other Espada, but only two of the said Espada with Claims on those of the power level he sought where even tolerable to be around, let alone speak to.

The first was Harribel with her Claim on the white haired kid and the second was Starrk with his Claim on the white haired adult. Both he knew were still active Taichou and he had actually briefly toyed with the idea of letting Karin join one of the divisions to earn some real combat experience.

In the end he scratched the idea because it meant there was a chance she would be deployed to the living world. While she was strong enough to hold her own against any hollow that would show up there, he was worried she would come across Kurosaki and he would lose her.

He had considered both optional Taichou and in the end went with Starrk's pet. He wouldn't admit it was because Toshiro was closer in age to her then the elderly Shinigami and she might develop an interest in him. No, he used the excuse that with age came wisdom and Ukitake was a very experienced man.

They finally arrived at the place that reeked of Starrk's reiatsu and he tossed a glance behind him to make sure Karin was handling the pressure alright. She seemed confused, but otherwise fine from the pressure.

He turned back to the door and knocked loudly. After a moment a woman wearing a bright pink Kimono that was clearly too large for her and a pair of glasses answered it.

"Yes?" She asked carefully.

"I need to see Ukitake. I already cleared it with Starrk." He commented.

"You must be Grimmjow-san then." The woman opened the door fully to let them into the compound. "Lilinette said you would be stopping by at some point today. Ukitake-taichou is in the back garden."

"Thanks." He grunted.

A quick scan of the area found the only other unfamiliar reiatsu. The other two belonged to Starrk and Lilinette and the third was clearly a child by the undeveloped feel of it.

He headed towards the unknown one and found the white haired man indeed in a garden, feeding bread to koi in the pond. Ukitake turned to face them as they approached.

"Wait here." He ordered Karin.

She nodded her head and stopped following him, her eyes never leaving the Taichou and a look of confusion mingled with curiosity on her face.

Grimmjow closed the distance until he was standing before the elderly Taichou.

"Grimmjow-san." Ukitake greeted him politely. "Starrk-san said you wanted to talk to me about something."

"Yeah. I want you to train her. I don't know shit about how a Shinigami's Zanpakuto works." He said bluntly.

Shock rippled across the white haired mans face and he turned his gaze back to the young woman. Grimmjow waited patently while the Taichou studied her. The man blinked in surprise before turning back to Grimmjow.

"I take it that is one of Ichigo-kun's sisters?" He asked slowly.

"Yeah. What of it?"

"I am just surprised. I would be honoured to train her, but I have a division to run."

"It's taken care of for the next week. I already cleared it with Starrk. I just need you to teach her about that Zanpkauto stuff. The rest I can handle."

"I guess I have no choice then. But, I am curious as to why you want her trained in the first place."

"That comes to me second request." He admitted grudgingly.

Ever since his argument with Ulquiorra he had seriously been considering this. His words to the 4th were very true. There were few women with the power level she was capable of, and even fewer he could stand to be around. Now that he had staked a territory the instinctual need to breed was starting to get to him.

"I can smell Starrk's reiatsu all over you. I want you to explain to her about Claiming."

Now that nearly caused the Taichou to lose his balance and his eyes widened in shock.

"Pardon?" Ukitake asked in disbelief.

"I ain't so good with explaining shit like that. No doubt you could explain it to her in a way she would understand."

"You are thinking of Claiming her?" Ukitake asked.

"Yeah, got a problem with it?" He challenged.

The man looked like he was about to protest, but wisely stopped himself.

"Forgive me. I will do my best to explain to her what Claiming means and entitles, but I must confess my own knowledge is limited."

Grimmjow nodded and waved Karin over.

(POV)

Ukitake had been informed by Starrk the day before that he wouldn't be going into work and that he would be expecting company. Apparently Grimmjow had a request of him. He was understandably confused as to what the 6th Espada could possibly want with him.

He tore another piece of bread off and tossed it into the pond, smiling softly as the Koi competed for it. The fish didn't care who ruled just so long as their bellies were fed and he couldn't help but to envy them for it.

He heard a banging on the front door and quickly scanned. Nanao was heading to answer it and the two on the other side were vaguely familiar. One was clearly a hollow and he quickly put a name to that one, but the other confused him.

It clearly belonged to a Shinigami and judging by the strength of it one of the seated officers. He turned to face them as they approached and his confusion only amplified when he saw the other was not a Shinigami as he had anticipated, or at least not one he recognized.

Grimmjow's request took him by surprise and he studied the young woman, starting to see a family resemblance and putting a few pieces of the puzzle together.

"I take it that is one of Ichigo-kun's sisters?" He asked.

His suspicion was confirmed and he studied her again.

"_This must be the one Toshiro spoke off. Karin I believe her name was."_

It was Grimmjow's next request that sent a spike of fear for her through his body.

"Pardon?" He asked, just to make sure he had heard right.

So Grimmjow was planning on Claiming the teenager. He wanted to object, not just because this was Ichigo-kun's sister, but because she was still technically a human and not even an adult yet.

"Forgive me. I will do my best to explain to her what Claiming means and entitles, but I must confess my own knowledge is limited." He agreed.

Grimmjow nodded and waved Karin over. He explained that she would be training with him, and then left with a promise to pick her up in a week. She looked after Grimmjow shocked as he disappeared out of sight.

"_Apparently Grimmjow-san didn't tell her anything before bringing her over._ Ukitake noted.

Karin turned her attention back to him, clearly studying him and he offered her a warm smile.

"You are one of the Taichou, aren't you?" She asked confidently.

"You are very observant. How did you know?" He asked curiously.

"You have a large amount of reiatsu and you are wearing the same type of haori Toshiro was when I met him." She explained.

"Did Grimmjow-san explain the kind of training we will be doing?" He asked.

"No." Karin answered.

"Perhaps we should start with a bit of a history lesson about Shinigami first. How much do you know?" He asked.

Karin gave him a quick run down of what she knew, and he was surprised she knew as much as she did. The important part was she knew there was something special with their katana's.

"They are called Zanpakuto." He explained once she was done. "And they are a part of our soul. As such each one is different with different abilities, and their own attitudes."

"You mean they are alive?" She asked confused.

"Something like that." He agreed. "A Zanpakuto isn't something that is giving to you, it is something you earn and create out of your own soul. I am not sure how this will work with you though Karin-chan, for you are still a human."

"Ichigo has one though, doesn't he?" She questioned.

"Indeed. I do believe his is named Zangetsu. My own is Sogyo no Kotowari, and I would love to show him to you but I am afraid I am not permitted to wield him anymore."

"Part of being a prisoner I guess." She reasoned.

"Indeed. Regrettably, because of what a Zanpakuto is, I can not just give you one. Because you are human there is no guarantee you will even be able to posses one."

Her face fell in disappointment.

"What I can do for you though is teach you the art of Jinzen."

Her entire face perked up.

"What is Jinzen?" She asked.

"It is kind of like a form of meditation we use to communicate with our Zanpakuto. Would you like to learn that?"

"Yes please." She agreed almost immediately.

"Very well. First though, let's find you a room and I will introduce you to Nanao-san and Hana-chan. Perhaps Nanao-san might be able to teach you a bit of Kido if you have the talent for it."

"What is Kido?" Karin asked with clear interest.

Ukitake smiled in pleasure at the question. It had been so long since he had acted as a teacher that getting back into it with such an eager student was swelling his heart in a way he hadn't felt since the war.

Her introduction to Nanao and Hana went well and they found Karin a room to sleep in for the week. He decided to forgo teaching her Jinzen for the moment and instead turned her over to Nanao.

"Kido is using your reiatsu and set chants to essentially create various effects. You can use them for offensive, defensive, healing, and binding." Nanao explained.

Ukitake could tell the woman was also just as pleased to suddenly find herself doing something useful.

"Can you feel your reiatsu?" Nanao asked.

"That I can do, and I can sense and recognize others." Karin frowned and looked at him. "I don't want to be rude, but since we are on the topic, why does your's feel so different, like….. almost like there is two? I noticed Orihime felt the same way."

He was shocked by the question. Was her perception seriously that strong? Not even Nanao had noticed the change to his reiatsu from the Claiming. The former fukutaichou was shooting him a demanding glance of her own.

"I'll explain that to you later. It has to do with the other thing Grimmjow-san wanted me to talk to you about."

She looked at him curiously, but didn't push the subject, nor did Nanao.

"The first thing I want you to do is something simple we do to test potential students. I want you to form a ball of reiatsu in the palm of your hand." Nanao instructed.

"That's easy." Karin assured her and quickly completed the task. "I have been able to fuse reiatsu into my hands and feet since I was eleven. I can even infuse it into objects."

She demonstrated by dropping the reiatsu in her hand, finding a decent rock, and kicking it into a near by tree, nearly breaking it in half. He had never heard of nor seen someone fuse reiatsu with something to make it a weapon.

Both adults looked at her stunned before the first full smile of pleasure he had ever seen since the war crossed Nanao's face.

"Let's try an actual spell since you can do that much already. I will demonstrate with an easy one first." Nanao's voice held a hint of excitement.

He hadn't seen her this happy in years and he suddenly wanted to hunt down Grimmjow and demand to let them keep teaching Karin just to see the look of life that was on Nanao's face.

They started with the first spell, a simple Sho. Karin caught onto that one quickly and they moved on from there. The time flew by them quickly and for once there wasn't a shadow of pain or loss in Nanao's voice.

"_Karin-chan's control over her reiatsu is as strong as Ichigo-kun's is weak."_ He noted. _"If she can learn Kido then she must be able to summon a Zanpakuto. But how? Did something happen we don't know about to turn her into a Shinigami like her brother? Is it because of living under the same roof with so much reiatsu it affected her like it did Orihime and the others?_

"_First Ichigo-kun and then Grimmjow-san. Could their reiatsu have had such an effect on her? No, there must be more to it other wise wouldn't her sister also be similarly affected, and their father."_ He paused.

He had no idea who their parents were. Perhaps the key was there.

"Karin-chan, might I ask your parents names."

She looked at him in confusion, but did answer.

"Kurosaki Isshin and Masaki." She answered. "Why?"

"Isshin?" He questioned.

"He is…was….." She never finished, and he regretted even bringing it up, but at least his question was answered.

If it was indeed the Isshin he was thinking of it certainly explained a lot about the Kurosaki family. In fact he was probably the only person alive other than Unohana who would have a clue who Isshin really was.

"I think it is time for dinner." He called the now mores attention back to him.

Karin had proven to be alright in Hado, but it was the barriers of Bakudo that she excelled at. She didn't even bother with the incantations after a bit and simply focused her Reiatsu into a solid force.

They all headed for the dinning hall and he noticed Karin freeze as they approached it.

"What's wrong?" He asked as Nanao continued on ahead.

"Such…. power." She whispered.

"_She is sensing Starrk-san's power from here?"_ He realized surprised.

"It feels," she frowned, "like the other half on yours." She looked back at him and studied him. "I think I understand now. It's like a binding. His reiatsu is binding yours, just like Ulquiorra's is binding Orihime's."

"You are very perceptive. There is more to it than that, but I will explain later. The reiatsu you are sensing is Starrk-san's, and he is indeed very powerful. But you don't need to fear him. The other Arrancar you will meet is Lilinette-chan."

They kept walking and found everyone waiting for them at the table.

"Ah, it looks delicious, Lilinette-chan." He smiled at her.

"It's Lilinette-sama to you, Shiro-chan." She snapped.

Karin looked between Lilinette and the half asleep visage of Starrk, a frown on her face.

"This is Karin-chan." He introduced her. "She will be staying with us for a week for a bit of training."

"I am pleased to meet you." She bowed politely to Starrk. "Ano…."

"What is it Karin?" Ukitake asked.

"It's nothing." She broke her gaze from the two Arrancar.

"_Can she honestly see there is a connection between Starrk-san and Lilinette-chan?"_ He wondered surprised. _"It would make sense seeing as how she can sense his reiatsu binding mine."_

"You going to sit down and eat or what Shiro-chan?" Lilinette taunted.

"Of course, Lilinette-chan." He took his place.

"It's Lilinette-sama to you." She countered quickly.

He sent her an amused smile and Starrk sighed in annoyance while Nanao tried to get the food INTO Hana as the five year old seemed more interested in wearing it yet again.

Karin continued to study the two Arrancar as they ate and his suspicion, that her suspicion was heading for the right mark, was growing. However, it wasn't his place to reveal something like that.

It was after dinner, while Lilinette and Nanao were cleaning up dinner in the kitchen with Hana, that Karin spoke again.

"Starrk-san?" She said hesitantly.

"Hmm?" He looked up at her.

"Lilinette-san…. her reiatsu feels like yours, but differently than the way it feels with Ukitake-san. Hers is more….. Pure?" She questioned.

Starrk stared at her before shooting his glance at him.

"I told her nothing. It appears Karin-chan is very adept at reading reiatsu." He explained with a soft smile.

"I see." Starrk turned his attention back to her. "You could say Lilinette is the physical manifestation of my Zanpakuto." He answered.

Dawning entered Karin's eyes and she nodded her head in understanding.

"That makes sense."

"And I already told you I would explain my story later." Ukitake said before she could ask him again. "For now, you should go get cleaned up and I can begin to teach you a bit on Jinzen."

Karin nodded and stood up before heading off through the estate to her chosen rooms.

"Grimmjow want's you to explain Claiming to her?" Starrk asked, a bit surprised.

"Yes." Ukitake answered. _"__ He is as sharp as ever to figure out so much from one little sentence.__"_ He thought to himself. "I warned him my knowledge is somewhat limited."

Silence between them for a moment.

"I'll explain it to her before she leaves." Starrk offered.

Ukitake looked up at him in surprise.

"There is indeed more to it then what I am using on you, and I have a feeling it's the 'more' part Grimmjow is interested in. Don't worry," Starrk assured him, "I'll let you listen in too."

"Thanks. I need to get clean up myself. I wish I had Sogyo no Kotowari to show her. Grimmjow-san wants me to train Karin-chan to acquire her own Zanpakuto. Even if Nanao-san could have hers it would help."

Ukitake stood up and stretched before heading back to his own room to change from his uniform to a loose fitting yukata for comfort. He found Karin and led her to his favourite garden.

"Jinzen is like a form of meditation." He explained as she sat cross legged across from him. "Shinigami use it to communicate with their Zanpakuto. It does not happen overnight and can take years to even hear a whisper from your Zanpakuto's spirit."

Karin nodded and closed her eyes.

"Let your mind be free. Do not try to find your inner self, let it find you. It is there trying to talk to you, trying to get your attention. All you need to do is listen." He consoled.

He closed his own eyes and reached out for the faint, distant voices of his own Zanpakuto. He could still hear them, but the voice was faint with distance. Surprisingly the voice was a bit louder today than normal and it took him a moment to realize the usual reign on his Reiatsu had been loosened.

He found himself in his inner world for the first time in five years and barely had time to realize it before he was wrapped in a group hug with the twin spirits of his Zanpakuto. He felt tears run down his face at the trust being giving to him.

With this much reign he could actually summon his Zanpakuto to him. He wanted to do it so badly it almost hurt, but he could not betray the trust giving to him. Having Sogyo no Kotowari in his grasp would make no difference in anyone's fate.

He settled for crying and holding the twins close while he had the chance to do so. His bliss was interrupted by a violent shaking on his shoulder. His eyes snapped open to see the concerned gaze of Karin.

The sun had long since set and the moon was halfway across the sky. He didn't even realize he had been in his inner world for so long.

"Sorry Karin-chan. Did I worry you?" He asked embarrassed.

"A little." She admitted.

"Any luck?" He asked, although he really wasn't expecting a positive answer.

"Well, I didn't hear anything or see anything, but I could tell something was there." She admitted.

"It's a good start. Just keep that up and sooner or later you should find the other half of your soul."

She nodded her head and they bid each other good night before heading to their separate room.

* * *

Next Chapter: We go to Orihime and Ulquiorra.

Thank you for the reviews :)


	7. Surrender

Chapter 7

Surrender

Warnings: Sexual Content

She had no idea what happened, but since the day Ulquiorra had let her leave he hadn't demanded any attention from her since. It was rather disconcerting as she could practically feel the desire radiating in his reiatsu and her own trained reaction was to crawl naked in his bed and wait for him to use her.

She had to physically stop herself from doing so when he did return home and he had made a habit of literally locking himself in his room.

"_How far is he willing to go?__"_ She wondered. _"__From never letting me rest to completely ignoring me. Is this what they call going cold turkey?__"_ She questioned herself.

"You know, when you first told me about what he said to you that night I thought for sure it was just a game, but it's been what, 3 weeks now?" Tatsuki asked.

"Yeah." Orihime agreed.

She frowned and looked at the locked door where they could both feel the coil of reiatsu fluctuating wildly.

"He's like a bloody cat in heat locked in a cage with potential suitors meowing at the grates and unable to get in." Tatsuki grumbled.

"Not an expression I would let him hear." Orihime couldn't help but to chuckle. "But you are right."

Tatsuki turned her gaze to her.

"Are you worried about him, or about what will happen when he finally snaps from keeping it under control?" Her friend asked.

"Both." Orihime answered immediately. "And through the Claiming I can feel the," she tried to think of a term that fit what she felt, "discomfort," she settled for, "he is feeling."

They sat in silence for a moment.

"What do YOU want to do?" Tatsuki asked. "I will support you either way, you know that."

Orihime nodded as she considered the courses of actions available to her.

She could do nothing, or she could go to him of her own free will. Either way she had to make a choice.

Was she ready to forgive him? Would anything really change if she did accept his Claim of her own free will?

She understood now what had driven his actions, and while that didn't make his actions any more _right_ , he could no more be blamed for them than a dog chasing a cat. It was simply in his nature and he knew no other way.

Understanding didn't make it easier to accept, but it helped. And with that spark of information her heart was able to quickly move towards the path of forgiveness. She couldn't stand to see anyone suffer, and right now he was willingly suffering for her.

"_Can I move forward? Will he have seriously changed, or will it be the same as it was before? Am I willing to take that risk?__"_ She asked herself.

She could feel the painful discomfort in his reiatsu, and if it went on any longer she feared he would go mad or snap.

"_This is something I can fix. Something I can do. Am I willing to give him another chance? The answer is yes. Only this time, I can show him the RIGHT way to do things.__"_

Nodding to herself, she walked up to the door.

"Good luck." Tatsuki sighed.

"Thanks." She smiled back.

She walked towards the room and summoned Tsubaki to bust the lock before entering and closing the door behind her.

She didn't know what she was going to see, but him in his first release curled up on the bed and making pitiful mewing noises was certainly not it. Tatsuki's remark about him being a cat in heat seemed oddly fitting at that moment.

She approached the bed and rested a hand on his shoulder. His trembling instantly stilled and startled green eyes snapped up to meet hers.

"I am willing to try and learn to love you." She announced, and his eyes actually lit up a bit. "I am willing to teach you what it means to love someone."

He uncurled his body and held a clawed hand out to her. She took it and stepped up onto the bed before sitting down cross-legged before him. She held onto his hand and looked him in the eye.

"Love is a lot of things to different people. To me, love is being willing to do anything to see the other happy. You have left me alone as I have requested. Did you want my body during that time?" She asked.

"Yes." He answered simply, and she could hear the strain in his voice.

"That restraint to me is a sign of love. You have done something you didn't want to do, and you suffered doing it, for the sake of making me happy. A relationship is a two way street where both must give to the other. I will now do something for you in return for what you have giving to me." She promised.

His eyes widened as she began to remove her clothing.

"I will give my body to you to ease the suffering I can feel coming from you. This is something I am doing for you because I know you need it. It is not because of duty due to your Claim over me, or because you believe it is your right. Do you understand the difference?" She asked.

He seemed a bit confused, but after a moment nodded his head and she thought he at least was on the path to understanding. She returned his nod and broke eye contact, moving to her lay down in the center of the bed while he all but pounced on her like a sex deprived teenager.

"_Like a cat in heat was a very good simile, Tatsuki-chan.__"_ She couldn't help but to think slightly amused.

His mouth was all over her and his hands wasted no time exploring every inch of skin he could touch. She remained still beneath him for a while before reaching an arm out to run a hand up his back.

He froze completely and after a moment his gaze snapped up to her in confusion. She forced a smile on her face despite how nervous she actual was and moved her hand up his back before running it through his hair, marvelling at how soft it actually was.

"Both must give." She murmured.

After a moment he broke the gaze and returned to trying to taste every inch of her skin. She left her hand curled in his hair, letting her fingers run through it before moving her other hand to run up and down his back.

He started to work his way down her body, pausing only to pay extra attention to her breasts before moving the rest of the way down. She left one hand entangled in his hair while the other rested beside her on the bed.

She was fully expecting his next action and gave out a soft sigh as his mouth finally reached a more intimate area of her body. She relaxed and just enjoyed the attention he was giving her while continuing to run her hand through his hair, pausing only to scratch his scalp on occasion.

She gasped as he started to thrust his tongue into her and her hand gripped his hair tightly. If it was hurting him he made no indication and continued to tongue her. Instead of trying to shove his head away, she held onto it while she thrust her hips up, trying to get more of that sinful pleasure.

When she felt that peek start to rise he abruptly pulled away, gazing at her in such hunger for a moment she didn't know where she was or who he was. She had never seen such rampant emotion in those green eyes.

"_The weeks of denying his Claim must have his instinct in overload.__"_ She realized.

He hungrily kissed and nipped his way back up her body before thrust his tongue in her mouth. He ground his body against hers like an attention starved cat and she was hard pressed to keep up.

"_The dam has broken. His instinct has completely taken over. Even if I asked him to stop he would be unable to. Is this the price he pays for keeping everything bottled up inside for so long? To completely lose control when a crack in the shell is made? Somehow__…__ that is heart breaking.__"_

He was like a wild animal finally set lose and she was sure he wouldn't even be able to speak anymore had he wanted to.

She let out a gasp as he flipped her over and pulled her to her hands and knees. She was barely in position before he plunged into her, and with that plunge a large pool of his reitasu streamed into her.

She let out a cry as his reiatsu poured into her, and like that first night she felt unbelievable pleasure race through her. Each trust brought more of it and she couldn't even think anymore, just feel.

She didn't even feel his fangs pierce her neck, just the sudden draining as he sucked the excess reitasu and a portion of her own back into his body. She came hard, clamping around him and a she could feel his seed shoot into her body as he howled against her neck, fangs never leaving her skin.

For a moment they were both silent and still, as if frozen in that position. Slowly her arms gave way to exhaustion and she collapsed against the bed, panting lightly. After a moment he pulled out of her and clutching her body to him tighter, as if afraid to let her go.

She lay beside him, feeling strangely calm and at peace. He seemed completely exhausted and she could feel the fur of his transformation start to recede and Murcielago re-appeared before her. She had a strong feeling Ulquiorra wasn't going to let her go anytime soon so she reached out and let her hand clasp around Murcielago's hilt.

It was surprisingly warm and gave a small pulse of reiatsu, as if in greeting, before going still in her hands. She couldn't help but to smile as she reached out with her other hand, having to strain to reach the sheath leaning against the wall nearby.

She sheathed the Zanpakuto and left it laying on the bed beside them as she curled closer to Ulquiorra for warmth. Her sweat was starting to dry and it was getting damn chilly. More squirming and toe prodding later she managed to get a blanket over them.

She finally let exhaustion claim her as it had him.

When Orihime awoke the next morning it was because the heat at her back had left. She blinked sleepy eyes up at Ulquiorra as he crawled out of bed and got dressed, once more seeming his old self and back under full control.

"_This is the first time since, well, our first time, that we have actually __'__slept together__'"_ She realized.

His back was turned to her as he pulled on a pair of hakama. She just watched him through half lidded eyes as he dressed. His uniform hadn't changed much over the years other than the fact he left the front open most of the way now instead of tightly done up so his 4 could be clearly seen.

He finished dressing and started looking about the room. She watched for a few minutes before speaking.

"What are you looking for?" She asked.

He blinked and turned to face her, a look of surprise on his face before it was quickly covered back to his usual stoic look.

"I did not realize you were awake." He commented.

"Your moving woke me up." She yawned.

Silence as they both tried to think of something to say to the other.

"Thank you." He said softly, eyes closed as if the words took all of his will to say. "For assisting with….my problem." He finished.

She smiled softly at him, heart fluttering at the compliment and acknowledgement of her actions.

"What are you looking for?" She asked again.

"Murcielago." He admitted after a moment.

"Oh. It's right here." She brushed the blankets aside to reveal the blade still in its sheath, just as she had left it last night.

She caught a hint of embarrassment in his eyes as he retrieved his Zanpakuto and finished his uniform off. He strode to the door but paused after opening it.

"Have a good day." He said rather awkwardly before closing it behind him and leaving.

She stared at the door in shock for a moment before she started to chuckle.

"_The next time he acts like as Ass, I will have to ask Grimmjow-san to knock more sense into him.__"_ She chuckled.

She tossed the blankets aside and found her own clothes before exiting the room to see Tatsuki staring out the front door in clear confusion before turning to face her.

"What the hell did you do to him?" Tatsuki demanded.

"Surrendered." Orihime answered.

"Well, if the yowling was anything to go by last night, find me an Arrancar to surrender to." She grunted.

"You heard that?" Orihime asked, a blush of embarrassment taking over her face.

"The entire block heard that." Tatsuki dead panned.

Her blush turned to mortification.

"Go take a shower and I'll cook you something to eat for lunch."

"Lunch?" Orihime glanced at the clock in shock to see it was already past two.

"Yeah, lunch. Go. Shower. Now. That's an order."

"Yes ma'am." Orihime saluted smartly before spinning on a heel and marching to the bathroom.

Behind her Tatsuki just shook her head and headed to the kitchen.

* * *

Thanks to the few that took the time to review.

Next Chapter: We return to Karin and Claiming is Explained


	8. Claiming Explained

Chapter 8

Claiming Explained

Karin completed her week of training with Nanao and Ukitake with a feeling of both accomplishment and sadness. She had learned a lot but she knew there was so much more the two could teach her if they had the time.

At this point she was even considering agreeing to be Grimmjow's sex slave for life if he would permit her to continue the training. Then she questioned on how that would be any different from the relationship they shared now and settled on begging if need be.

She was surprised to find she had a hard time sleeping at night, and not just because she was so far away from Yuzu, but because she had grown so accustom to his touch at night that not having it was making her body horny as hell.

She use to scoff at sex driven teenagers, but now that she was one she could understand their moaning. It was like a drug her body had gotten addicted too and now that she wasn't getting a nightly dose her body started to yearn for it.

When she had finally confessed her discomfort to Nanao, the woman had assured her it was a completely normal reaction.

That was another reason she didn't want to leave. She had been without a female role model for so long that the motherly attention of Nanao was like an attention her soul had been craving that she never knew about until now.

She wished that Yuzu could have been here for she knew Nanao and her sister would have hit it off and she knew her sister was so desperate for female friendship, a friendship Karin could not give her as her tomboy sister.

She would be going home the next day and Nanao and Hana-chan were determined to prepare her a going away dinner. Karin had offered to help but the woman refused and instead she spent the time with Ukitake as they sat in his favourite garden practicing her Jinzen.

It was a most useful technique and while she still saw and heard nothing, if anything it brought her to a place of zen where here mind and soul were at peace and she found she could sense reiatsu even more strongly.

Tonight she was scanning the city, easily picking up the Espada and Aizen for they shone like their own moons against a field of infinite stars. Well, if the Espada and former Taichou were moons then Starrk was like a sun and Aizen was indescribable.

Even from this distance the power she could feel from the Kami was overwhelming, like the sun's heat on a hot day tanning her skin. It was difficult to make out but she could see two Taichou feeling reiatsu's nearby his.

She found Grimmjow's easily enough as well and she had a feeling she would be able to find and recognize his now even if her memory was wiped clean. She found Ulquiorra's and near it Orihime and Tatsuki.

She even found Toshiro's and noticed that like Ukitake's his had another reiatsu mingled with his. She found others as well but was unable to put names to them since she didn't know who there were. She was pretty sure the reiatsu binding Toshiro's was the same as the blond haired woman who had dug her and Yuzu out of their collapsed home.

"Food time, Food time, Food time." Hana cheered as she bounded into the clearing.

Karin couldn't help but to smile as the child ran around them, announcing it was time to eat.

"Are you going to eat it this time?" Ukitake asked with a soft smile.

"Of course." Hana was quick to assure them. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon." She grabbed Ukitake's hand and started pulling. "It's food time, 'take-ji."

Ukitake let the little girl drag him to his feet. No sooner was he standing than the girl was behind him and pushing, trying to get him to go faster.

Karin followed them to the dinning room and smiled in pleasure at the meal before them. Starrk was already seated in his usual place, head resting in his hand and looking about ready to sleep.

Despite the overwhelming power radiating from Starrk, Ukitake was right about him. The Espada was rather laid back and most of the time when she did see him he was dozing in the nearest sunbeam.

Well, except for the one day Lilinette and Hana had attacked him with a bucket of water balloons that somehow ended up dragging the entire small household into a water fight. She hadn't had that much fun in years and she regretted Yuzu had missed it, although Yuzu probably would have been chasing after them with towels the way Nanao had been.

Dinner passed pleasantly and as usual her help was refused with the clean up. She stood up and thanked them for the meal before getting ready to head to the bathroom for a shower before bed.

"Karin, a word." Starrk's voice took her completely by surprise.

He hadn't spoken much at all during her stay here, so for him to want to talk to her was unexpected and confusing.

"Of course."

He shared a look with Ukitake and the man nodded before also following them to one of the studies. She was confused, but her apprehension was held back a bit by the fact Ukitake clearly knew what was going on and didn't seem concerned.

The door closed and they all took a seat around one of the small tea tables. She waited for him to speak, sending uncertain glances to Ukitake who seemed just as intent on waiting for Starrk to speak as she was.

"You start." Starrk finally broke the silence.

Ukitake nodded and turned to face her.

"I told you I would explain why Starrk-san's reiatsu is overlapping my own when you noticed it when you arrived, and that Grimmjow-san also wanted me to talk about something with you."

"I remember." She admitted slowly.

"As I told Grimmjow-san, my knowledge in the full matter is limited, and Starrk-san has agreed to fill in the gaps of my knowledge by explaining the whole thing to both of us. What he is going to explain to us is something Hollows call Claiming. Do you know anything about it?"

Karin frowned at the term.

"No." She answered. "I have never heard of it before."

Ukitake nodded and turned his attention back to Starrk, so she did the same.

"Hollow Claiming started out as a mating ritual. Essentially it boiled down to this; at the Adjuchas level and higher we regain more of our common sense and emotions. As with any sentient creature the need for companionship and family arise. Adjuchas class and higher hollow can actually produce offspring, rare though it is. Do you understand so far?" Starrk asked.

"Adjuchas? I am sorry. I don't know much about the evolution of Hollows." She admitted.

Starrk nodded and looked at Ukitake. Ukitake gave her a quick run down of the Hollow evolutionary tree and she nodded as she understood what they were talking about. Caught up on that Starrk continued.

"Because of the violent evolutionary scale very few women make it to the higher levels simply because, genetically speaking, females tend to be physically weaker than males and are consumed on the rise up. Most fresh Adjuchas are still on a feeding frenzy and they will eat anything in sight. As they progress and gain back more of their sense of self a need for companionship arises, as well as the fact that they need stronger hollow to consume to continue their evolution and there is strength in numbers. Packs, and even villages, begin to form.

"Once a territory has been staked the need to breed starts to settle in, but once again women are few and far between, and often weaker and thus unable to defend themselves well against stronger males.

"Males would fight over the few worthy females and once Victory was achieved the Victor would than Claim the female so no other could. Are you following so far?" He stopped to ask.

"I believe so. I have a feeling there is more to this 'Claiming.'" She frowned.

"You are correct. Traditionally, the act of Claiming involved the male and female pumping their reiatsu into each other during intercourse and than drinking in the mingled reiatsu mixed with the others blood. Once one has been Claimed, no other can Claim them until the Claimer is dead or the Claim is left long enough it degrades.

"Females are then able to draw on their mate's power to protect both herself and her young in the event their mate was not around."

"Wait." Karin held up a hand to stop the explanation. "Do you mean they could actually DRAW power from their partner to defend themselves?" She asked surprised.

"Indeed." Starrk confirmed.

"So then you two…"

"No." Ukitake actually blushed a bit embarrassed. "Although the mechanic are almost the same."

"As stated before there are few females that make it higher up, and of course the need for companionship, even forced companionship, arises. The first example I gave you was a Mating Claiming. This one is the more known Hollow Claiming, and where only one Mating Claim can be active, the number of Hollow Claiming is restricted only by the reiatsu levels of those involved.

"Due to the lack of females same sex pairings are actually very common among Hollows. When a stronger Hollow defeats a weaker opponent he may decided not to consume it, but to enslave it or to take the prize and Claim the companion, or companions, of the one defeated. In that case they do a partial Claim.

"Now, during a Mating Claim because both have taken and given their reiatsu, both partners are equals. During a Hollow Claim, only the Master injects his reiatsu into the Servant and consumes the mix. The result is the one doing the Claim can now dominate the one Claimed."

It was a lot to think about.

"What do you mean by dominate?" She asked nervously.

"If Starrk-san were to give me a direct order I would be forced to obey." Ukitake answered the question.

"Wait, this Hollow Claiming is like a half complete Mating Claiming, right?" She asked, feeling that blush come on again.

"Yes, it is also one of the main reasons we have intercourse with our partners from behind. From behind they can not bite to complete the Claim instead of leaving it partial. Also due to the nature of partial Claims, unlike a Mating one, they need to be refreshed. How often is once again depending on reiatsu levels between Claimer and Claimed."

"Then….." She looked up at Ukitake.

He was looking to the side but gave a nod of his head.

"My own Claim needs to be refreshed yearly. Nanao-san does not know about this, and I would keep it that way. By Aizen-kami's orders, all those of Taichou strength or higher MUST be Claimed or killed." Ukitake answered softly.

"Any questions?" Starrk asked while Ukitake collected himself once more.

"You said Grimmjow wanted me to know about this?" She asked hesitantly.

Starrk nodded his head.

"Why?" She asked, although she had a feeling she already knew the answer. "So, Orihime, the reiatsu binding….."

"Ulquiorra Claimed her the night before our Victory." Starrk answered.

"_So all the taichou still alive, and even Orihime….. have been raped" _ She thought silently in shock.

Ukitake seemed to notice her train of thought for he reached out a hand and gave her shoulder a soft squeeze.

"I chose my fate." He assured her. "As I am sure you chose yours. You are a lot like Ichigo-kun. Had things turned out different I could easily see you achieving the abilities of a Fuku-taichou with time, which is probably why Grimmjow-san took an interest in the first place."

"But there has to be far more women here more power than…." Ukitake shook his head, interrupting her.

"The only two female Taichou are both spoken for, as are the surviving Fuku-taichou. I can not speak of the Arrancar ranks, but for the Shinigami ranks you are the only one with any real potential un-Claimed by higher ranks."

She turned to look at Starrk.

"The only three Numeros of any real power are Harribel's fraccion, and she would tear him to pieces if he tried to pursue them that way, not to mention it is against the law to Claim another's fraccion. None of them are very trusting of men." Starrk confessed.

"So I am an only option." She grumbled.

Ukitake actually laughed.

"I doubt that, Karin-chan. I am sure you have guessed that Grimmjow-san and your brother have past history."

"Yeah. Something about bait." She grumbled some more.

"It probably started as that, but you are a rather charming young woman."

"Thanks." She sighed. "It's a lot to think of. When I entered this deal I never…"

"Deal?" Ukitake asked surprised.

She blinked before realizing what she had said.

"It started as a deal." She admitted.

Reluctantly she told them how her relationship with Grimmjow had started. There was a look of understanding on Ukitake's face. Unlike with Tatsuki, Karin knew Ukitake understood her sacrifice all too well.

Starrk seemed a bit surprised by her admission, but said nothing. In fact he got up and just left the room, leaving the two of them alone.

(POV)

Ukitake had suspected Grimmjow was interesting in Claiming her, but to hear they were already carnally involved took him by complete surprise. After the rather interesting, yet rather uncomfortable, lesson on Claiming, he sought Nanao out.

He knew little of consoling teenage girls, and he was sure consoling was exactly what Karin was going to need after the conversation. He found Nanao in the kitchen brewing a pot of tea.

"Thank you." He accepted the cup she handed him and sat down.

She joined him and they shared small talk about little Hana. When the cups were emptied and Nanao refilled them, he brought the topic to the one he wanted.

"It would seem Karin-chan has been carnal in her relationship with Grimmjow-san." He started.

"Yes, I know." Nanao commented.

He nearly spluttered over his tea, looking at her surprised.

"Karin and I already spoke about it a few days ago. I have a feeling what you want to speak about has something to do with what you and Starrk-san had to say to her tonight."

"_No matter how old I get, I will never understand a woman's intuition." _ He smiled softly. "It would seem Grimmjow-san might be interested in more than just casual intercourse."

"He asked you to give her a pep talk about Hollow relationships?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Something to that effect. Karin-chan seemed surprised he would be interested in her that way."

"I see." Nanao finished her tea and stood up. "I will speak to her." She promised.

"Thank you." He smiled.

She headed out of the kitchen, leaving his line of sight.

(POV)

Karin stared up at the stars, letting her mind compute everything Starrk and Ukitake had told her. Surprisingly it wasn't herself she was worried about, but rather those few she knew.

It was painful to think about what Orihime and Toshiro had to go through. She had known that Orihime and Ulquiorra were 'engaged,' but she hadn't really thought too much about what it meant. And Ukitake…. The thought of the fatherly man sleeping with Starrk was just plain weird.

Her thoughts revolved back around to her and the end of the conversation. The only reason she could think of for Grimmjow to want them to explain all this to her was because he was interested in Claiming her.

"_But as a Mate or as a Slave? _ She couldn't help but to wonder. _"I don't think he would want the Hollow Claim. If so he could have just done so. But as a Mate? We aren't even technically of the same species!_

"_He is a Hollow. He should live for centuries where I would be lucky to see even one. I am still human. Or am I….?" _ She frowned. _"I apparently have a good amount of reiatsu, so does this mean I am a Shinigami like Niisan? Did Yuzu and I actually die when the house collapsed and since we were already here we just remained here?_

"_No, I am sure our bodies would have been there or something. I am sure I would remember dying." _

She convinced herself she was still human and focused back to the main topic. Her. Grimmjow. Mate.

"_If he did offer and I accepted, Starrk-san mentioned I would be able to draw on his power. I would be able to protect Yuzu better, and that is all that really matters. But, would I be willing to be his mate?_

"_We already share a bed, hell the bedroom. It's not like I will ever get the chance to find a boy and get married as long as Aizen is in command, and that is not likely to change anytime soon. Truthfully, our relationship really wouldn't change much._

"_But does he want me for me or because I am the only thing with a pussy that isn't already Claimed with a half decent reiatsu level? Or because I am Ichigo's sister? Does that even matter to me? Should it matter?" _

A soft knock on the door broke her spiralling thoughts before they could go too far out of control. A quick brush confirmed it was Nanao and she quickly called out for the older woman to enter.

Nanao was wearing a bright pink kimono that Karin swore she lived in. It was far too big for her but she almost never took it off. What more, Karin had spotted the blood stains on it and wondered who it had originally belonged to.

"_Hana-chan's Otousan perhaps." _ She guessed correctly. _"Another casualty of the war." _

"What can I do for you?" Karin asked politely, sitting up as Nanao sat down beside her.

"I am here for you, actually." Nanao smiled warmly at her. "I understand that those two insensitive men dropped quite the bombshell on you earlier."

"That doesn't even begin to cover it." She sighed.

"Well, I have two good ears, and they are all yours."

Karin offered the woman a smile and launched into her problems. Nanao didn't say a word the whole time, just listened as Karin worked over her issues. It made her feel better and she was going to miss the motherly figure as much as she was going to miss Ukitake's fatherly figure.

She hadn't really thought about what the absence of these two role models had on her growing up, but having experienced them now she wished that she and Yuzu hadn't spent the last 5 years without such strong, emotional support.

It was enough to almost send her into tears. She had grown up far too quickly because she had to in order to survive. Her childhood had never been as normal as the other kids. Seeing ghost, no matter how much you denied their existence, still affected you.

And now she wasn't even seventeen yet and was already considering marriage, or the Hollow equivalent, to a guy she's been sleeping with for the last several months that wasn't even Human! She had entered the agreement to keep Yuzu safe, but somewhere along the line something had shifted.

What had started as an obligation had slowly turned into something else. She now craved his touch and the things he could do to her body. She wanted his approval and when he told her she preformed a move right during training it felt good.

"Everyone wants to be acknowledged and praised." Nanao smiled softly at her. "You have had very little of that growing up. I can understand your desire to protect your sister, but ask yourself this. Who is protecting you?"

Karin looked at her confused.

"Everyone needs protecting, Karin-chan. You have already reached the conclusion that Yuzu is very safe, that Grimmjow-san has no interest in her anymore. So the only reason to keep this 'deal' of yours going is because you want to, not because you need to.

"Is this relationship, or whatever it is, one you want? Do not think about what he is, but who he is."

Karin nodded. She always felt better after talking to Nanao.

"There is one last thing I want to give you." Nanao smiled and pulled a rather large book from her sleeves, smiling at it fondly. "This was my first study book, and I want you to have it." She handed the book over.

Karin accepted it and flipped open a few pages. It was a tomb of Kido spells from one to 50 of each type with the full description of their chants, usages, and pretty much every bit of info on them.

"I can't take this?" She tried to hand the book back.

"No, I think it would be better in your hands. I don't think I need it anymore."

Karin nodded and set the book aside. A yawn tried to fight its way past and she did her best to hide it. All that inner seeking had left her exhausted.

"It is long past time for bed I think. Good night, Karin-chan."

"Night, Nanao-san."

The woman left and Karin took the new book to her futon. She flipped open the cover and stared at the inscription.

_To my lovely, lovely Nanao-chan, whose eyes shine brighter than the stars even when the clouds obscure my vision._

_Shunsui Kyoraku _

"Hana's father." Karin guessed aloud. "Part of life is moving on. I guess she is done grieving." Karin murmured.

She set the book reverently aside. More than ever she felt like she could not accept this gift, but to refuse it would be very rude.

* * *

/hug those of you that took the time to review. It really does mean a lot to the author. Hopefully, Claiming was fully explained this chapter but if you have any questions feel free to ask them.

Next Chapter: Karin returns home


	9. Returning Home to Yuzu

Warnings: Sex

Returning Home to Yuzu

Karin sighed as she packed the few things she had acquired while staying at Ukitake's estate. The book Nanao had giving her, several books with her own Kido notes, a few kimonos Nanao never wore anymore for Yuzu, and a plain blade Ukitake told her was an Asauchi.

She was going to miss this place, but she was really starting to worry about Yuzu as well. It had been a week and she wanted to see her sister. She knew Yuzu had to be fine for her reiatsu had remained its usual, steady pulse. But still, she needed to see her.

"All packed up?" Nanao asked as she entered the suite.

"Yes." Karin answered with a smile. "I am going to miss you guys." Her smile faded.

"I would love to meet your sister. Perhaps I will ask Starrk-san if I might visit." Nanao offered.

"Yuzu would love that." Karin smiled once more.

She knew the moment Grimmjow was at the main gate, before he could even knock, and despite herself she felt her heart flutter as his reiatsu reached out and brushed against hers. She brushed shyly back before grabbing her bag and heading towards him.

She met up with him in the Dinning Room, where Ukitake was apparently reporting on how her training went. His gaze swept to her the moment she entered the room and she couldn't help the small smile of greeting that touched her lips.

"Kido?" He asked.

"It would appear I have a talent for some of it." She admitted somewhat embarrassed.

"Show me." He demanded.

Shrugging, she opened the door leading outside and picked a target. She chose Sho, watching in satisfaction as the rock she had targeted exploded.

"Well done." Ukitake commented. "She gave up on the incantations pretty much on the first day." He reported with pride. "I, or should I say Nanao-san, was hoping she would be permitted to continue Karin-chan's training.

"There is nothing more we can do for her Zanpakuto, that takes time and is something she must learn on her own, assuming she can."

"Assuming?" Grimmjow looked at Ukitake sharply.

"_Come to think of it, he would have no way of knowing I am human." _ She realized.

"Karin-chan is human, at least last I checked. Ichigo-kun is the first we have ever seen as a human born with Shinigami powers, let alone Hollow ones. The entire family is an enigma." Ukitake answered.

"So if your brother has Hollow powers, I wonder if you do too." He smirked at her.

"No offence, but I would rather not find out." Karin said firmly.

"Whatever. Human, Shingami, Hollow, what does it matter?" He sniffed. "Come on, your sister is getting a little too depressed for my taste."

She nodded, grabbing her bag and once more bowed and thanked Ukitake and Nanao for their lessons and hospitality.

She followed Grimmjow back to their house and was immediately pulled into a desperate hug as her sister glomped her the moment she walked in the door. Grimmjow just left, leaving them home alone.

"I missed you so much!" Yuzu exclaimed.

"Yeah, sorry about the disappearance. It came as a surprise to me too, but I met some wonderful people and Nanao-san gave me some of her old Kimonos and Yukatas for you." Karin managed to pry herself from Yuzu's grip and set her bag on the dinning room table.

Yuzu was quick to forgive her absence as Karin pulled out the clothing.

"Oh, these are so nice." Yuzu exclaimed. "I got to try them on."

"You do that, I am going to go put these books away and hit the bathroom."

"Alright. I wonder which one I should try on first." Yuzu mused as she picked up the pile and headed to the living room.

Karin chuckled and headed up to the room she shared with Grimmjow. She set the books in the empty shelf on her side of the bed before heading to the bathroom.

"_Barely even home and I am missing them already." _ She thought slightly amused before flushing the toilet.

Something green caught her eye and she froze as she stared at the innocent, plastic rolls in the garbage. Inside those green, plastic rolls she knew were used pads, which meant Yuzu was on her cycle. Judging by the number in the garbage, she had been for a few days now.

"_What_?" She thought shocked. _"__Ever since day one we have been synched.__"_

She did some quick mental math and realized she was due.

"_Maybe it's the stress and the fact we were apart. Yeah, that has to be it." _ She consoled herself.

"Karin, you coming?" Yuzu shouted from downstairs.

"Yeah, coming." She called back.

Yuzu was already in one of the new Kimono's and Karin took a place on the couch as her sister put on a fashion show. Karin commented on each outfit as Yuzu changed into them. Before long they were both giggling like little school girls.

"You got to try some on too." Yuzu insisted at one point.

"I don't know…." Karin started to object.

"You have to." Yuzu interrupted.

"If you insist." Karin surrendered and accepted one of the Yukata's as Yuzu shoved her into the closet to change.

She slipped out of her clothing and pulled the Yukata on. With a sigh she walked out of the closet and into the room.

"Well Yuzu, what do you…." She froze as she realized she had somehow missed Grimmjow coming back.

She felt a blush come on and quickly looked aside.

"Looks good on you." He grunted before striding past her and up the stairs.

She stared after him in surprise before turning back to Yuzu.

"I think you need to keep that one." Yuzu chuckled.

"No, no. These are for you." Karin protested.

"I think I can do with one short." Yuzu brushed her away. "I need to start dinner. You should put that one away."

"Yeah, right." Karin muttered to the empty room.

She gathered her clothes from the closet and headed up to her room. She knew he was in there before she even entered. She did her best to ignore him as she changed back into her normal clothing, but it was rather unnerving to feel his eyes following her.

"You want more of that Kido crap?" He suddenly asked, taking her by surprise.

"It would be nice." She admitted. "Nanao-san is an excellent teacher." She commented, turning to face him.

He was laying on his side on the bed, watching her with half lidded eyes. She still could not get over how blue his hair and eyes were.

"Who knows, maybe Yuzu might even have a talent for it, and Nanao-san really wanted to meet her."

"You want to protect your sister?"

"Of course! That was the original base for this agreement anyway."

"Then don't teach her anything."

She looked at him confused, but wasn't able to ask why as he held a hand out towards her and looked at her expectantly. She stared at him blankly for a moment before dawning arose as she sighed.

"Why didn't you say something **before** I got dressed?" She muttered annoyed.

"It was amusing to watch you." He answered.

"I bet." She sighed, stripping her clothes off once more and crawling onto the bed as he shifted to give her room.

She was barely settled before his mouth was on her breasts, sucking and nipping like a starved animal. His hand paid attention to the other and he rubbed his body against hers like a cat demanding attention.

She actually found it kind of amusing and exasperating all at the same time. In retrospect she was almost surprised he hadn't jumped her the moment she was home.

His free hand grasped one of hers and brought it to the hem of his shirt. Understanding what he wanted, she set about removing his clothing the best she could with him half draped over her.

He was barely naked before reaching for the bottle of oil on the dresser. She focused on rubbing her hands up and down his back while he poured some of the oil onto his hand and quickly applied it to himself.

She loved it when they used the oil. Sure their own natural juices worked when they took the time to work themselves up, but with the oil everything slid so smoothly and it was a lot less uncomfortable when he first entered her. Some of the oils even left her core tingling or feeling like it was on fire.

Before he could even return his hands to her she shifted about, getting onto her hands and knees. His weight rested against her back briefly before he plunged into her. He sighed and held himself there, rubbing her hips and she swore she heard purring.

She wasn't sure how long he just held himself in her before rocking ever so slowly, barely moving in her at all. His pace slowly quickened and he leaned over her once more, one hand supporting his weight while the other stroked a breast before trailing down to attack her nub.

She let out a mew of her own and he quickened the pace and started pounding into her with a desperation she had never felt from him before. His hand left her nub and he rubbed his body against hers desperately.

He brushed her hair to one side and attacked her neck with nips and lips. She gave a shiver when he suckled on her earlobe, the feeling kind of ticklish almost. She could hear his heavy panting in her ear and it was turning her right on more than she already was.

She felt him pause suddenly, and then he shuddered violently.

"Karin." He sighed into her ear as he convulsed, shooting his load into her.

She let out a gasp as her name fell from his lips and felt her walls clamp around him, milking the last bit of semen from him.

"_Wha_?" She thought in numbed shock.

He never spoke, they never spoke, while having sex. She felt his full weight suddenly bore down on her and she let out a startled yelp as she collapsed against the bed.

He was panting for breath on top of her and after a second managed to untangle their bodies enough so he wasn't crushing her under his weight. He did continue to rub against her though and eventually even that stilled and she heard his breathing even out.

She sighed and stared at the wall, wondering how long he was going to be out this time, and more importantly, why he had said her name. She didn't realize she had drifted off to sleep as well until she heard a loud knocking on the door, jolting her awake.

"Karin, you there?" Yuzu asked.

"Wha? Yeah. What is it?" She asked groggily.

"Supper is ready. You coming?"

"Yeah, I'll be there in a minute." She promised.

"Alright."

She heard Yuzu go back down the stairs.

Karin sighed and tried to crawl out of bed, only to feel the arm wrapped around her tighten in protest.

"Can I get up now please?" She asked exasperated.

A mumble was her response.

"Great, he's still out of it." She sighed aloud. "Grimmjow." She called louder.

No response.

"Grimmjow."

Still no response.

"Oi." She did her best to elbow him in the side, followed shortly by a curse as her soft flesh meet his rock hard Hierro. "I've done smarter things." She grumbled.

She thought for a second before gathering her reiatsu about her and fusing it into her arm. Sure she got it right, she elbowed him again, this time earning a grunt and she felt him stir behind her.

"It's supper time, can you let me go please?" She grumbled.

No response. With his grip a little loosened she managed to shift enough to face him. She could practically see the blurriness in his eyes as he stared at her, mostly still asleep.

"Me. Food. Dinner. Go." She tried slower.

She swore it took a full minute for her sentence to dawn on him.

"Come back after." He finally grumbled, letting her go.

"Thank you." She sighed, rolling out of the bed before he could have a chance to drag her back into it and not let her go. "You're like a spoiled house cat." She grumbled.

"Panther." He grumbled, apparently waking up more as he shifted to watch her dress.

"Hmm?"

"I am a panther." He said again.

"You look humanish enough to me."

He shook his head.

"When I was an Adjuchas I was a panther. My resureccion returns some of those features to me."

She couldn't help it. The thought of a tail and cute fluffy ears raced through her mind and before she even knew what she was saying….

"I would love to see that sometime." She said.

"Count on it." He grinned at her.

"_Karin, what the hell have you just gotten yourself into?" _ She asked herself.

She finished dressing and headed down the stairs to where Yuzu was waiting at the table with dinner.

"Sorry." Karin apologized.

"It's okay." Yuzu beamed at her. "Grimmjow-san would never say it, but he really missed you."

"Huh?" Karin looked at Yuzu confused.

"He was so twitchy. He just couldn't sit still and kept fidgeting and pacing. Oh he would stop the moment I entered the room, but I have good peripheral vision."

"More like you were watching his reflection in the stove or window." Karin countered.

"That too." Yuzu giggled. "He's kind of like Ichi-nii that way, isn't he?"

"I wouldn't let him hear you say that." Karin chuckled.

It was halfway through dinner before Yuzu spoke again. Dinner was usually quiet as food this good deserved to be eaten with a worshipfulness.

"Karin?"

"Hmm?"

Yuzu set down her chopsticks and Karin turned her full attention to her.

"I know what you did, and why you did it."

She felt a bolt of shock and fear race through her.

"I heard the conversation. My hearing is better than what you think."

Yuzu looked up at her.

"Thank you. For everything you have done for me, thank you. After Orihime-chan explained what was really going on I was mad a little at first, but after watching everything I realized you were only trying to protect me, just like Ichi-nii, only he isn't here anymore. So again, thank you."

Karin nodded, even though she felt tears welling up in her eyes.

"Your welcome." She finally responded when she was sure her voice wasn't going to crack. "Honestly Yuzu, with cooking like this and the way you keep this place clean, half of the world would gladly throw themselves in my place." She smirked, breaking the sudden tense atmosphere.

"You really think so?" Yuzu asked with a blush.

"Know it." Karin assured her with a grin.

She did help Yuzu clean up dinner, much to her sister's protest. Karin argued she hadn't had much time to spend with her in the last week and eventually her sister relented. Just as she finished putting the last dish away she felt a familiar brush of reiatsu against hers.

"_He can call himself a panther all he wants. He is still just a spoiled housecat." _She sighed.

She turned to Yuzu.

"Go." Her sister said with a smile before she could say anything.

Karin returned her smile and gave her head a shake before heading back up to her room. Grimmjow was pretty much in the exact same position as when she had left him, only this time more awake and clearly wanting attention.

* * *

So I seem to have mislabeled the Chapters. This one was suppose to be Returning Home to Yuzu and the last one Claiming Explained. I fixed that error, lol.

Well, it seemed no one had any questioned about what Claiming was, so that's good. Yes, it was a rather uncomfortable conversation for all around and we will see lots more of Ukitake and Nanao.

As usual, thank you so much for the Reviews. I love 'em. They make me feel all tingly inside.

Next Chapter: Ukitake and Nanao come visit Karin and Yuzu.


	10. Surprise Visit

Warnings: None

Surprise Visit

It was with great pleasure that Ukitake escort Nanao through the city to the home of Karin and Yuzu. Many of the Arrancar watched them, or more specifically her, for they could sense both her power and the fact she was still unClaimed.

Ukitake's presence was one reason they had yet to be assaulted. Lilinette's was another. None of the Arrancar wanted to incur Starrk's wrath, so while they looked, they were smart enough not to touch.

Karin opened the door before they could even knock, a smile on her face.

"Ukitake-san, Nanao-san, Lilinette." She greeted them warmly.

"It's Lilinette-sama." The girl groused.

"Please, come in." Karin stepped to the side.

The two Shinigami entered the house while Lilinette waved her offer aside and left now that her escort task was done.

"Karin, who is it?" Another female voice echoed from inside the house.

"_That would most likely be Yuzu._" Ukitake guessed correctly.

Sure enough a blonde haired woman entered the room from the kitchen. The moment he saw her he fully appreciated what Karin had been talking about. Yuzu was perhaps even more beautiful than Rangiku.

"Yuzu, I want to introduce you to Ukitake-san and Nanao-san. This is my twin sister, Yuzu." Kairn introduced them.

"It is a pleasure to meet you." Yuzu bowed.

"And us you." Nanao returned as they also offered her a short bow.

"Thank you so much for the clothes, Nanao-san." Yuzu thanked as they made themselves comfortable in the living room.

"I never wore them anymore anyway."

"No offence to Grimmjow-san, but his taste in clothing is a little…."

"Not what you like wearing." Karin finished for her.

That earned a chuckled from the four of them.

"What brings you here?" Karin asked.

"I spoke with Starrk-san about permitting me to come by and continue your training with Grimmjow-san's permission. If you are interested." Nanao smiled at her.

"I would love that!" Karin exclaimed.

"Is there a place we can train here?" Nanao asked.

"We usually train out back. It's an okay size yard as long as we don't do anything too flashy."

"If you don't mind, I would like to get to know Yuzu-chan here better?" Ukitake asked.

Karin shared a nod with them before leading Nanao out back, leaving him alone with her sister.

"Would you like some tea, Ukitake-san?" Yuzu asked politely

"I would love that, thank you, Yuzu-chan. And please, call me Jushiro, I get enough formality at work." He smiled warmly at her.

"Alright, Jushiro." She giggled, leading him to the kitchen.

The first thing he had noticed about the house was that it was immaculate. He doubted he could find a spec of dust if he spent an hour searching. And when she pulled the tea from the cupboards, it was lose leaf in tins and not pre packaged tea bags.

Everything in the kitchen was in it's exact place and he knew instantly that Karin didn't give her sister enough credit in the intelligence department.

"If it is not so bold, may I ask what you were doing before all this?" She asked.

"I was, and still am, a Taichou."

"Oh. Of what?" She asked curiously.

"Originally our force was called the Gotei 13, and there were 13 divisions. I was Taichou of the 13th. Kuchiki Rukia was one of my subordinates."

"I know Rukia-neechan. She stayed with us for a while. I don't know how she did it, but there was nothing she couldn't get Ichi-nii to do and somehow she was always able to beat him out of his funks. I honestly thought they were dating." Yuzu smiled fondly in memory.

"They are definitely a good couple." He smiled himself.

"So the Gotei 13?" Yuzu prompted.

"Ah yes. After the end of the war Aizen-kami rose to power. Being an ex-Shinigami himself he understands the importance of the work we do so he selected a few of us survivors to continue the work to keep up the balance. There are only four divisions now and I am Taichou of the 2nd."

"I see." Yuzu poured him his cup of tea before pouring one for herself. "I am afraid I don't know much about Shinigami or that kind of stuff. Unlike my siblings I have never really been able to see the dead."

There was a bit of sadness in her voice, but it didn't last long. She was smiling again in a moment. They shared another few minutes of small talk so he could get a feel for her before he moved into what he really wanted to talk about.

"How has Karin-chan been holding up?" He asked seriously, and was pleased that she wasn't the least bit surprised by the question.

"She is doing alright. She gave up trying to hide her relationship after the first week. It would seem Grimmjow-san preferred she remain in bed with him afterwards." A small smile touched her lips suddenly. "You might find it amusing to know any of the other 'partners' he brought home over the years were kicked out after he was done with them.

"Karin always thought I was asleep, but he could get pretty loud sometimes. Also, in the week she was gone, he was pacing around the house like an agitated cat the entire time." She chuckled.

"You seem happy about this relationship." He commented.

Yuzu nodded her head while nursing her mug of tea between her hands.

"Karin needs someone to appreciate her. She has always been withdrawn since our mother died when we were little. I get my needs fulfilled by 'playing mother' while she gets her needs fulfilled by playing 'protector,' just like Ichi-nii." Yuzu commented.

"I get my love from her, but my love for her is not enough. Are you familiar with the old saying 'who is the doctor for the doctor?'" She asked.

"Indeed. I do believe Nanao-san asked your sister the very question you are about to ask.

"Who protects the protector?" They said together with identical smiles.

"He has been good for her." Yuzu commented. "Since the start of the relationship I have never seen such life in her, not even before all of this happened. For the first time someone outside of family is keenly interested in her and it has done her good."

"Yuzu-chan, I must ask. You are familiar with what Grimmjow-san is and what has happened to this world, correct?" He asked carefully.

"I do. Orihime-chan explained it all to me a while ago. In fact, I might even have a better understanding than Karin at this point." She said amused. "Regardless of what path Karin takes, I will always be here to support her, just as she would for me. My only regret is that if Grimmjow-san winds up hurting her, I can't really skin him alive for it. Maybe I will put tacks in his bed and itching powder in his clothes." She mused.

They shared a chuckle at that.

"Do you think he will?" Ukitake asked seriously.

"No. I do not think he will deliberately try and hurt her. You should try sleeping here at night. It is damn near impossible." She groused good naturedly.

They shared more small talk and he was relieved to see Yuzu seemed to have adjusted rather easily. It was pleasing that the two sisters had been permitted to remain together for support, but even he could see that Yuzu was starting to feel like the third wheel in the household.

When Karin and Nanao returned from their training exercises he was amused to note they were both covered in dirt.

"Don't ask." Both women said at the same time before either he or Yuzu could say anything about their appearance.

"I believe that is my cue that it is time to head home. It was a pleasure talking to you, Yuzu-chan."

"Same, Jushiro. Once again, thank you for the clothing Nanao-san. I do hope we can meet again." Yuzu walked them to the door while Karin hunted down the shower.

"I will definitely be back." Nanao promised.

"I am afraid that with my responsibilities I can not promise the same, but I will definitely try." Ukitake made his own promise.

The walk back to his estate was uneventful and silent as he pondered everything he had learned in the short time he had with Karin's rather observant sister.

"_Karin-chan doesn__'__t give Yuzu-chan enough credit. The girl is far sharper than Karin-chan realizes. Still, it is good to hear a confirmation about the relationship Karin-chan shares with her captor; and that Yuzu-chan is being well kept.__"_

"I trust your talk with Yuzu-chan went well." Nanao commented, breaking him out of his thoughts on the home stretch.

"Very well. She is a charming young girl. How did the Kido training with Karin-chan go?"

He swore Nanao's entire face lit up in a way he hadn't seen since sometime before Aizen's betrayal.

"She is amazing. Her actual spells are not the most powerful, but her control over her reiatsu is great and…. how can I put this…. It's like she can actually physically SEE reiatsu." Nanao exclaimed.

"What?" He asked surprised.

"I was showing her different spells, casting them a few times each, then we started doing a small combat run, and…. she could tell what spell I was about to use. When I asked her how she said she recognized the pattern my reiatsu was flowing in before the spell went off.

"That is why she is such a quick learner. She can 'see' the flow of my reiatsu and she just made hers flow to match. At the end we played a game where I would start the spell without incantations and she would call it as soon as she was sure."

"_If she can actually see reiatsu, it would explain why she knew that Starrk-san__'__s was overtop of my own. She could see the binding. Or, maybe she couldn__'__t __'__see__'__ it at first, but can now._

"_From what I understand Grimmjow-san didn't spend a lot of time around them originally, and now that he is spending more time with her no doubt his own reiatsu is awakening her potential, just as Ichigo-kun's awakened his friends'." _

"There you are, why the hell didn't you wait for me like you were suppose to?" Lilinette demanded as she appeared beside them.

"Sorry, Lilinette-chan." Ukitake apologized.

"It's Lilinette-sama to you, Shiro-chan." She groused.

"Forgive us, Lilinette-sama, but we were finished visiting. How about Hana-chan and I bake up a batch of Double Fudge Brownies as atonement?" Nanao asked with a smile.

Lilinette went from fake outrage to star eyed in seconds, and all was instantly forgiven.

"Alright." Lilinette tried to grumble, but she wasn't very good at faking grouchy.

They arrived back at the estate and Nanao was barely through the door before Hana was attached to her legs, demanding to know where she had gone. Behind the girl was a rather exasperated looking Starrk.

"_I have a feeling Lilinette-chan didn__'__t return after dropping us off, leaving him to care for Hana-chan.__"_ He guessed correctly.

There were pink paint stains on Starrk's clothing, and a rather impressive green hand print on his cheek. Hana was also covered head to toe in various shades of paint. It didn't take a genius like him to figure out what had happened.

Starrk sleeping peacefully + one bored 5 year old + unattended paint = bored girl getting paint and taking advantage of sleeping Starrk. Ukitake was almost scared to see what the room where Starrk had crashed this time for his nap looked like.

"Oh Hana-chan, why are you covered in paint?" Nanao asked.

"Starrk-jii and I were painting." She announced happily. "I made you a picture, come see, come see." Hana insisted, pulling on her mother's hand.

Lilinette was in a fit of giggles leaning against a wall and Ukitake suddenly had a suspicion as to WHO had left the paint drawer unlocked.

"I am sorry about that." Ukitake tried to apologise, but Starrk waved it off, the barest hint of a smile.

"It is enough to know there is someone else here. That Lilinette and I are not alone."

Ukitake nodded and followed after Nanao to see just what kind of mess Hana-chan had made this time. Apparently her ambush had happened outside under one of the trees so most of the paint was on the grass and tree.

It brought a soft smile to his lips. Starrk didn't often doze outside during the day, which implied the Espada was well aware of Hana-chans incoming actions.

"_Set himself up in an area where whatever plans Hana-chan came up with wouldn__'__t damage the interior._" He noted.

It was true the Arrancar didn't need to eat like they did, but Lilinette and Starrk almost always showed up for dinner anyway, simply because for two beings that had been alone for so very long, having that company was about as close to heaven as they could get.

Sometimes Ukitake wondered if the only reason Starrk had agreed with Shunsui's dying wish was because the Espada knew Ukitake was the only one who would be able to survive that amount of reiatsu being pumped into his body. That and because of a desperate need for companionship.

Nanao took Hana inside to get the girl cleaned up, leaving him alone in the garden, smiling amused at the splashes of paint before shaking his head.

"_She is just like you, Shunsui.__"_

* * *

/love you wonderful reviewers. You make my day.

I do like Karin and Toshiro, in fact they are together in my other bleach series, but even before that I always wanted to see Karin with Grimmjow, just for the amusement factor. I am glad everyone like the 'spoiled housecat.'

When I am done this fict the idea of Yuzu(post crossover) with Byakuya has crossed my mind. Somehow I can see her being the perfect match for him, and post crossover by than you know their family will be in high standing. I could see his family being intrigued by the match.

Next Chapter: Danger: Karin and Yuzu are attacked at home while Grimmjow is away on a mission.


	11. Danger

Warnings: Attempted rape

Danger

Karin focused on the target, planning her attack before going in. Her swordsmanship still left something to be desired. In fact, she was damn sure Yuzu would be better at it then her.

The weapon felt heavy and awkward. She was damn convinced that a sword was most definitely not going to be her weapon of choice, but Ukitake and Nanao had both said that training with the blade was part of the path of obtaining her own Zanpakuto.

"_Or is it? _ She questioned, bringing her body to a stop and staring at the blade.

She knew she felt something when she practiced her Jinzen, and weather or not she remembered the weapon or not didn't seem to affect the results of her meditation. Perhaps she was going about this all wrong, after all she technically wasn't a Shinigami anyway.

From what she had learned her ability to actually SEE reiatsu was never heard of before, nor were others able to fuse it with objects at a touch. Frowning, she set the blade aside and instead concentrated her reiatsu into her fist.

She went at the targets again, this time using the hand fighting style Grimmjow had been 'teaching' her, although it was more like hammering and she was convinced the only reason he was teaching her hand fighting at all was so he could rub his body against her and cop feels under the pretence of training.

She smiled satisfied as her fist smashed through the targets without even rubbing her skin. She fused some into her feet as well and watched satisfied as a solid kick left a large hole in one of the target.

She destroyed the last three with a quick burst of Kido, staring at the destruction in satisfaction. Her satisfaction didn't last long, for there was no one to congratulate her on a job well done.

Grimmjow had left yesterday for some mission Aizen had sent him on and was expected back sometime today. It was the first time she had ever slept in their bed alone and after four hours of tossing and turning she had crawled into her old bed in Yuzu's room.

He had gone on missions before of course, but that was before they had started their relationship and they had become considerably less frequent over the years as things settled down.

Sighing, she walked around the clearing to let her body cool down, letting her reiatsu flow return to normal. Satisfied, she headed towards the house to take a shower, pausing when she sensed three sources of unknown reiatsu in her house, in the kitchen, with Yuzu. A second later her sister cried out and the sound of glass shattering reached her ears.

Karin quickly drew her reiatsu about her and charged into the house. One was standing by the kitchen door and didn't even get a chance to look her way before her foot slammed into his side, sending him flying through the walls.

The two in the kitchen turned to face her. One had Yuzu pinned against the counter, the top half of her shirt ripped off while the other leered from his position leaning against a wall.

The one she had kicked through the wall was already storming back in. All three of them easily out powered her. She acted quickly, tossing out binding spells at all three. Gathering her reiatsu completely around her body, she rushed forward and grabbed Yuzu before literally diving through the kitchen wall, using her own body to shield her sister.

Yuzu screamed in terror as they went through the wall and came rolling out on the grass of the backyard. Karin wasted no time dragging them both quickly to their feet and pushed Yuzu forward ahead of her.

"Run!" She screamed.

The three, now very pissed, Arrancar had already broken the weak binding spells and were climbing out of the hole she had made. Yuzu made to run, but one of them almost seemed to disappear before appearing in front of Yuzu once more and snagging her.

Karin could see the trail of his reiatsu so she knew it wasn't some form of teleportation, but it moved far too fast for her to even dream of keeping up with. This was the first time she had actually 'seen' an Arrancar launch into a Sonido.

"What have we got here? Another little un-Claimed bitch? Today must be our lucky day. I thought all the broads in this shit hole Aizen-kami dragged us to were already snatched." The one with black hair said.

Karin labelled him as the leader. The one holding Yuzu had blond hair while the other one had some sort of almost purplish hair.

Purple suddenly disappeared from normal sight and acting instinctively, Karin kicked out behind her, pleased when she felt her foot connect. She spun about and kicked him a second time, this time sending him back into the fence.

Acting quickly she tossed another binding spell on Purple while she shot three quick Kido burst at Leader. He snorted and blocked with a single hand. The fourth blast, while looking the same as the others, exploded into smoke when he blocked, getting a curse out of him.

Karin acted quickly while his vision was still obscured, running to one of the small boulders that lined the garden, fused her reiatsu into it, and launched it at the distracted Arrancar.

The smoke cleared just in time for her to get a nice view as it slammed into his face, knocking him down with the force and leaving a mark that was sure to bruise later. Blondy tossed her sister aside and charged her.

"Run!" Karin ordered her again.

Yuzu didn't move, laying where she landed with a dazed look in her eyes.

"_Shit, there is too much high powered reiatsu here. It is paralyzing her.__"_ Karin realized.

She gathered her reiatsu into a solid shield on her forearm and blocked the punch Blondy threw at her. The force shattered her shield but her arm remained unharmed. She retaliated with a solid kick to the groin.

That sent him screaming to the ground. Purple had already broken the binding and was gathering reiatsu of his own.

"Shit." She cursed aloud.

Recognizing the pattern she barely had enough time to dodge to the side as half the house was destroyed by a Cero. She summoned a reiatsu shield around her to protect her from the flying debris. Thankfully, Yuzu was out of the blast range.

She heard a static sound that had accompanied the other two's fast moving pace and barely started her turn when a kick to her back sent her flying face first into a near by tree. Leader was right behind her, grabbing one of her hands and pinning it against the tree.

She rewarded his closeness with a reiatsu fused elbow to the ribs, earning a grunt from him and maybe even bruising a rib, but hardly dislodging him. He caught her other hand and pinned them together against the tree, pressing his body against hers to keep her chest and legs pinned and to prevent any other form of retaliation.

"Bloody Bitch." He growled. "About time someone teaches you some manners."

"What about this one?" Blondy asked, once more holding Yuzu up.

"You can have that one." Leader sniffed. "This one is actually far more interesting, and the un-Claimed bitch we initially scented."

Karin was terrified, not for herself, but for what they would do to Yuzu. She deliberately flared her reiatsu like a firework, hoping someone would come to investigate, preferably Ukitake-san or maybe even Starrk-san.

"I would let me go if I were you." She said far more calmly than she felt. _"__don__'__t show them fear. They fed on fear. I am not afraid. I WILL get us out of this.__"_ She chanted to herself while struggling against his vice like grip.

Leader changed his grip so her wrists were in one hand and brushed her hair to one side to reveal her neck.

"First thing I will teach you after I am done with you is proper manners." Leader growled.

He used his free hand to slash the belt holding her training hakama up so they fell to the ground around her feet. Behind her she heard more ripping cloth and Yuzu cried out in fear.

Rage overcame her terror and she slammed the back of her head into his, causing his grip to loosen just enough she got one arm free and used it to blast Blondy from Yuzu.

Blondy and Leader cursed while Purple laughed. Her action was rewarded by him slamming her head against the tree again, dazing her for a moment.

"Get that bitch under control." Blondy snarled.

"Shut it, or I'll Claim them both and leave you with none." Leader snapped irritably. "A pity this well actually be pleasurable for you bitch," he snarled while tearing her underwear off, "because if I had my way I would make this hurt as much as….."

His sentence never finished. Something wet soaked her back shortly before she felt a very familiar, very pissed off, reiatsu wash over her.

The hands holding her wrists loosened and she jerked them free, elbowing Leader once more in the side and turning around just in time to watch him fall to the ground with a gapping hole in his chest.

The other two stared at their fallen comrade in horror before their eyes darted to the one who had killed him.

"What the fuck you pussy ants doing to my property?" Grimmjow snarled.

If he was pissed the first time they were attacked, there was no describing what he was now. The reiatsu he was unleashing practically tasted like fury and something else. She was too worried about Yuzu to analyze it now.

With both Arrancar now staring at Grimmjow in abject terror, her kick to Blondys face to get him back off of her sister wasn't met with any resistance.

Yuzu was sobbing and still paralyzed under the heavy weight of reiatsu, but seemed to be alright otherwise. Blondy and Purple were jabbering for their lives, but Karin paid it no mind, pulling at what remained of her sister's clothing to better cover her.

There was the sound of blood curling screams and bones being crunched from behind her, and she didn't dare look. When the sounds finally ended she helped Yuzu to her feet to get her back into the house and shielding her view from the mangled beyond recognition corpses.

With most of the reiatsu now extinguished, Yuzu was able to walk on her own once more, be it very unsteadily.

"Yuzu, think you can make it to your room and get dressed?" Karin asked softly once they reached the door to what remained of the house.

Grimmjow's reiatsu still hadn't subsided and she could still feel the rage boiling in it.

Yuzu gave her head a sharp nod and headed through the hole in the house to try and get to her room and clothing. Karin just hoped the house would stay stable enough for them to grab a change of clothing. It looked like the cero had taken off the kitchen side and not the bedroom side.

Water was gushing from broken veins and she could now see the house across from theirs was also sporting a nice hole.

She was about to turn and face him when she felt him gather her up and she let out a surprised cry as her world suddenly blurred. It lasted barely a fraction of a second and for a moment she thought she had just blanked out, but they were definitely in their room now.

She didn't even get to ask him what that was before he dropped her stomach first onto the bed and draped his body possessively over hers. He quickly removed the last piece of her clothing before his mouth assaulted her shoulders like a starved man getting his first meal.

"_Fear_." Karin suddenly realized in shock as the other emotion in his reiatsu suddenly became clear.

His hands left her body only long enough to discard his own clothing before he was rubbing against her again. She was so shocked by the discovery of his fear that at first she didn't realize it.

"_Wait a moment. His reiatsu hasn't subsided and is starting to gather." _

Her eyes widened in horror and she quickly tried to twist under him.

"Grimmjow, wait." She cried. _"__He is planning to Claim me.__"_ She realized in shock.

He ignored her.

"Please, stop. Wait a minute. I don't think I am ready for this." She begged frantically.

He did pause, but still made no sound. She managed to twist under him so she was on her back beneath him. His eyes for the first time ever terrified her. They were almost feral like.

"Please. Just calm down." She whispered, trying to calm herself down as well. "I am here, nothing happened, please."

She rubbed her hands along his arms, trying to sooth him and herself.

"I should have done this the first time your reiatsu attracted attention." He growled.

Her eyes widened in shock. She had drawn them in? She was the reason they had attacked her sister and her?

"_Of course. Starrk-san mentioned something along those lines. It__'__s my fault Yuzu was attacked.__"_ She realized in horror.

His hands grasped her hips with the intent to flip her over once more.

"Wait." She cried. "Please, just wait a minute."

The thought of being Claimed terrified her. To lose all control over her own freedom was something she feared more than death. She needed more time to come to terms with the idea of it.

"I will Claim you." He promised.

"I think I am pregnant." She blurted, the sentence coming out before her brain even computed it.

The result was they were both frozen in place. Even as she questioned what the seven hells had caused her to blurt something like that, she realized it was a fear she had been harbouring for a while. From her inability to handle eggs on random occasions to the fact she still hadn't come onto her cycle a full month later.

He suddenly pulled away from her body and walked to the closet, tossing her the Yukata Yuzu had insisted she keep.

"Put that on." He ordered.

Nodding, she quickly pulled the clothing on while he redressed himself. They gathered Yuzu, who seemed to have recovered from the ordeal already and was more concerned over her sister than herself, and headed towards where she knew Ukitake-san's place was.

Grimmjow shared a quick conversation with Starrk neither sister could hear before ordering Yuzu to stay and picking Karin up. This time she caught the change to his reiatsu and was able to brace herself before the world blurred.

He set her down outside a large, wooden, open gate with the Kanji for 4 emblazoned on it. She followed him in, wondering where the hell they were.

Shinigami wearing aqua blue sashes over their uniforms ran every which way. She noticed they were quick to get out of his way and never looked at him directly.

"Grimmjow-sama, what may we do for you?" A blonde haired man wearing glasses asked as they entered the main building.

While it was clear there was a respectable amount of fear coming from this man, he was the only one brave enough to speak to them.

"I want that pet of Aizen's to look her over." Grimmjow snorted, pointing a finger her way.

The man looked shocked and Karin wondered what Grimmjow meant by 'pet of Aizen's.'

"She doesn't seem to be seriously injured. Unohana-taichou….."

"Will see to her." Grimmjow barked, interrupting the man.

Glasses cringed and started to sweat nervously. Karin was almost positive he even wet himself.

"Right… well…. um… let me lead you to an examination room and I will let Unohana-taichou know about your request." Glasses bowed.

"If she doesn't show up in five minutes, the division will have to rebuild the whole wing." He threatened.

His reiatsu had mostly calmed down, but she could still feel the anger in it with a healthy trace of fear. It was no wonder he was snappy. She was positive fear was not something Grimmjow was familiar with. It was somewhat nice to know that fear was for HER.

"_He almost lost me.__"_ She realized. _"__Granted I am sure he could have still killed them and the Claim would have broken anyway, but we still could have been killed and he wouldn__'__t even know about it until after he got home.__"_

Glasses led them to a typical examination room and promised to let Unohana-taichou know they were waiting for her before closing the door behind him, leaving them in awkward silence.

Grimmjow's body was still ridged and she was reminded of a cat ready to attack or defend itself. She swore she could see all of his hair standing on end, even the small ones on his arm.

She didn't trust herself to speak, and feeling still stressed herself, she brushed her reiatsu against his gently. Like any agitated cat, his gaze snapped to her in surprise at the contact.

She brushed her reiatsu against his several more times, like stroking the fur, and ever so slowly his posture relaxed.

"_I am here. I am safe.__"_ She mentally thought at both of them to ease their frazzled nerves. _"__Nothing happened. Everything is alright. Everything is going to be alright.__"_

Because she was on high alert she absently followed Glasses reiatsu as he walked towards the one she knew had to be Unohana based on the power; a power that was even greater then Grimmjow's by a fair amount.

It actually confused her, for she knew that was the feeling of a Shinigami, and thus one of the taichou. So why was there no other reiatsu surrounding hers? Why was this clearly powerful person un-Claimed?

She watched as Unohana's reiatsu approached them and sat up straight just before the woman knocked on the door and entered. Grimmjow actually jerked a bit and she brushed her own reiatsu against his one last time before reigning it in.

"Grimmjow-san." Unohana greeted him politely. "My associate informed me you wished to see me, but you appear to be rather unharmed."

"I am fine." He grunted. "She's the one that needs to be seen to and I don't trust any of your other pussies to answer the question right." He grunted.

"I see." Unohana turned to face her. "If I am not mistaken, despite the fact you have grown considerably in the last several year, are you not Kurosaki Karin?" Unohana asked.

"Yes." Karin answered.

Unohana nodded.

"Grimmjow-san, may I ask that you please wait outside." Unohana requested.

He looked about to argue, but the woman sent him a smile that sent the hairs down Karin's neck into flight and Grimmjow retreated without a single word. Judging by the position of his reiatsu, Karin figured he was leaning against the wall right outside the door.

"I can see you have been in a fight, but you hardly seem injured enough to demand my attention." Unohana commented.

"It wasn't Grimmjow that did this." Karin was quick to clarify. "And you are right, I don't think he brought me here for these. I….. he was going to Claim me and I panicked and sort of blurted out that I think I am pregnant." She admitted sheepishly.

That did earn a shocked look out of the woman.

"And why do you believe that, or was it a desperate plea to get him to stop?" Unohana asked.

"It's something that has actually been scratching at my conscious for a while. My father was a Doctor and we ran our own clinic. I am over a month late and Yuzu has just started hers up again. We have always been synced since day one, and even if we were no longer synced it's still been over a month.

"At first I thought it was impossible. I know you can skip it under times of stress. I mean, we are not technically even the same species. I never even considered the thought I could get pregnant."

"I see." Unohana frowned. "May I ask how sexually active you have been?" The woman asked while walking to one of the cabinets.

"In the last several months the only times we HAVEN'T were when I was on my cycle and the one week I spent with Ukitake-san." Karin answered truthfully.

Unohana actually paused what she was doing to look at her.

"It wasn't forced if that's what you are thinking. I agreed to share his bed in exchange for keeping my sister safe. Just…" Karin sighed. "Somewhere along the way the lines changed. This is the second time he's saved us now, and I can't ignore that."

"Continue." Unohana bid as she measured and poured some liquid into a beaker when Karin stopped talking.

"What more can I say. I panicked and blurted out I might be pregnant when he was about to Claim me and he stopped and brought me here." Karin stared at the wall where she knew he was standing. _"__I wonder if he can hear us.__"_ She mused.

"Our conversation will be kept quite." Unohana commented, as if reading her thoughts. "These walls are built so no sound lower than a scream can escape the rooms."

"Oh. That's kind of cool."

Unohana returned to her side with a needle and the beaker of liquid on a push trolley. Without needing to be told Karin offered her an arm, pumping her fist a few times until a vein was presented. She watched dispassionately as the needle sunk into her arm and drew out a small amount of blood into the attached vial.

She held the swab Unohana handed her over the small puncture as the woman withdrew the needle, depositing the gathered blood into the beaker.

"There have been no cases of cross race pregnancies as of yet." Unohana commented, picking up a glass stirring rod and stirring the blood around the beaker. "How about your sister?" She asked.

"Yuzu? She's fine. Scared after the attack but who wouldn't be?"

"Is there any chance she might have been Claimed?"

"No. I would know if she had been."

"Are you sure?"

"Very." Karin assured her. "I can….. see reiatsu." She admitted reluctantly. "Which reminds me, I know about the law saying all Taichou class and above need to be Claimed, so why aren't you?" She asked confused.

Unohana paused in her stirring and shot her gaze up to her in pure surprise.

"You mean you can physically SEE reiatsu? As in the flow and pattern of it?" Unohana asked to clarify.

"Yeah. I mean, I was able to tell right away that Ukitake-taichou was Claimed by Starrk-san, even though I didn't know what I was seeing at the time. So how come you aren't?"

Unohana smiled sadly.

"I have been 'Claimed' by Aizen-kami. As he is not a Hollow he can not bind me like they can." She answered.

"Oh. Sorry." Karin mumbled, looking down at her arm.

Unohana finished stirring and tapped the glass stirring stick on the side of the jar once before setting it down. Karin's eyes stared glued at the liquid as it ever so slowly turned green. She stared at it as if not seeing it.

"Karin-san…."

"I know." She murmured, still staring at the green tinted liquid and feeling like she had been dumped in a bucket of ice water.

"If you do not wish to keep the child…." Unohana started.

Karin shook her head before the woman could finish speaking.

"It is not my place to make such a call on my own." She interrupted. "This child is as much his as it is mine."

Unohana nodded in understanding.

"Would you mind if I give you a full physical since you are here?"

"No." Karin agreed.

"Is there a chance your sister could be pregnant?"

"No. I am the only one active and I would have sensed another's reiatsu on hers."

Silence.

"So, I guess I am the first confirmation, huh?" Karin chuckled, suddenly finding the situation amusing. "Do I win a prize or something? Free baby clothes and food for a year maybe?"

"I'll see if I can work something out." Unohana smiled up at her.

Karin sighed and went through the motions as Unohana gave her a full physical, letting her thoughts wonder.

What would she do if Grimmjow decided he didn't want the child? Would the Claiming affect the child in anyway? Was she even ready to be a Mother? She was only sixteen!

She rested a hand on her still flat stomach. A part of her wanted to take the easy way out, just abort. The other reminded her that the child she carried wasn't hers alone, and the father had a right in the decision.

"_When I offered myself to him it never even crossed my mind for a second that I could get pregnant. I mean, technically he__'__s dead and I am still alive and__…__.__"_ She dropped that thought quickly before the thought of necrophilia could jump into her brain.

"All done." Unohana smiled at her. "You seem completely healthy. I would like to see you in a month though if possible. We have no records of a Hollow impregnating another and I would like to monitor the situation."

"I think I can convince Grimmjow to let me come back."

Unohana nodded.

"Well, being the daughter of a doctor I trust I don't need to read you the riot act?"

"No. I will make sure to get a message out if I have any complications." She promised.

"Then there is nothing more I can do for you. Would you like me to send Grimmjow-san in on my way out?"

"Yes, Thank you." Karin offered the woman a bow from the cot she was sitting on.

Unohana left, and a moment later Grimmjow walked in. He definitely seemed to have calmed down a bit, but she could tell his 'fur' was still standing on end.

"Well?"

She gave her head a nod. The room remained silent for a few minutes.

"What do you want to do?" She finally asked him.

He looked at her surprised.

"This child is half yours. It isn't my right to decide for the both of us. You have a say as well of course." She looked at him in apprehension, awaiting his decision.

"Keep it." He grunted.

She felt relief wash over her body and she gave her head a short nod.

"Then I shall. Unohana-san said I am the first case to come up so far and she would like to monitor my progress."

He gave his head a nod. They fell into awkward silence.

"You sure gave those three a good denting. Had it been one on one you might have even beat them." He complimented.

"Thanks." She smiled, feeling that warm feeling she always got when he complimented her. "Thank you. For earlier."

"They shouldn't touch what is mine." He snarled.

She shook her head. "Thank you for that too, but I meant for stopping. When I asked you too."

He seemed surprised but nodded.

"I would like to talk to Ukitake-san or Orihime. Please?" She begged.

He nodded again and she followed him out of the room to see Unohana waiting patiently in the hallway.

"I will keep the child. When did you want to see me again?" Karin asked.

"In a month unless anything strange comes along. If so, please do not hesitate to come get me."

"We won't." Karin promised.

The walk back to Ukitake's place was silent, but her mind whirled about in turmoil. She had so much to talk about and she needed to speak to someone in the know. Someone who would understand her fears.

* * *

Thank you so much for those of you that took the time to review. I wont work on another story until this one is done, and this one has a loooooooong ways to go. It's looking to be, heaven forbid, over 1000 pages and probably a good 100 chapters, even with the chapters that have been omitted from this version.

Next Chapter: We see these events from Grimmjow's perspective. I will probably post it in a day or two so you don't have to wait too long while giving people a chance to read this chapter without accidentally skipping.


	12. Emotional Upheaval

Warnings: Language

Emotional Upheaval

The first thing he noticed when he stepped back through the Garganta after the lame ass mission Aizen had sent him on was the flaring of Karin's reiatsu. Grimmjow wasted no time in racing towards it, launching into a Sonido the moment he was clear of the gate.

"Oi!" Nnoitra protested, being left alone at the gate and not bothering to follow.

Grimmjow ignore the other's call. Aizen was of no interest to him over the reiatsu battling at his house. He saw the flare up of a Cero and increased his pace, arriving just in time to see Karin slam her head into one of her attackers face and blast the blond one with a bolt of Kido.

He felt a brief moment of pride before he realized she was half naked. Rage took over and his blood boiled as he realized the fucker on her meant to Claim her. With that rage came another emotion he had never felt before that sent a spike through his chest.

"Get that bitch under control." Blondy snarled.

"Shut it, or I'll Claim them both and leave you with none. A pity this will actually be pleasurable to you bitch, because if I had my way I would make this hurt as much as….."

Grimmjow never let the Arrancar finish. He plunged his hand through the bastards chest and ripped a lunge out, leaving a gapping wound.

Karin took the opening and elbowed the bastard. The little part of his brain that wasn't seeing red was pleased she seemed to still have her wits about her.

The other two bastards stared at their fallen comrade in horror before their eyes darted to him.

"What the fuck you pussy ants doing to my property?" Grimmjow snarled.

Neither one answered. Karin raced towards the one still holding her sister, reiatsu laden foot leading the way and kicking the bastard off of Yuzu. The movement broke the stillness and the two fools actually dared to try and go after her.

When the red wall of rage finally subsided, the mangled remains of the two idiots stained his hands. Rage was still playing through his veins, but now that the opponent had been defeated he realized what the other emotion was.

Fear. He was terrified. Not of these pussies. He could have killed them blindfolded with one hand in his sleep. He was terrified because he had almost lost her. Had the bastard been successful it would have been at least a year, if not longer, before he could Claim her himself, even after killing the creature.

In fact, he would have gotten in deep shit had anyone caught him killing the fucker if the bastard got a Claim off. Aizen had made it very clear killing each other over Claiming rights would be met with severe punishment.

The few that had been put on display in the first month was enough to even give him nightmares for a few weeks. And he had almost been put in that position. His 'thinking' was over and the needle was firmly buried into the 'going to' part of his radar.

He grabbed her and brought them to their room. He hated that feeling of terror and he planned on never having to feel it again. He gathered his reiatsu about him and prepared to Claim her.

"Grimmjow, wait." She protested.

He ignored her. When this was done he would never have to feel this fear again.

"Please, stop. Wait a minute. I don't think I am ready for this." She begged.

He paused and she twisted under him so she was on her back beneath him.

"Please. Just calm down." She whispered. "I am here, nothing happened, please."

"I should have done this the first time your reiatsu attracted attention." He growled.

He should have realized what had attracted the first one, but he foolishly believed no Arrancar would be dumb enough to come after his property after the last one. Karin was the last un-Claimed female of any worth; of course the foolish lowers wouldn't be able to control their instincts.

His hands grasped her hips with the intent to flip her over once more. He would finish this.

"Wait. Please, just wait a minute."

"I will Claim you." He promised.

Nothing else would make this feeling go away.

"I think I am pregnant."

He froze in shock.

"_Impossible_." Was his first thought.

He stared back down at her, only now realizing the terror on her face, in her reiatsu, and what he was about to do to her. Disgusted with himself, he quickly pulled away from her body and walked over to the closet, tossing her the first thing of hers he could grab.

"Put that on." He ordered.

He would clear up this matter quickly. The house was destroyed and he knew he wouldn't get Karin to go anywhere without first insuring Yuzu's safety. It was a quick detour to drop her off with Starrk's pets.

When they got to the fourth he demanded Aizen's pet see her. He knew the woman was the best and would not lie to them out of fear of him. It took all of his will power to not start pacing.

He felt a sudden brush against his reiatsu, soft and calming. It came again and he glanced at Karin, realizing it was coming from her. Even under her distress she noticed his own. He felt himself calm slightly as her reiatsu gently ran over his.

"Grimmjow-san." Unohana greeted him politely after entering the room. "My associate informs me you wished to see me, but you appear to be rather unharmed."

"I am fine." He grunted. "She's the one that needs to be seen to, and I don't trust any of your other pussies to answer the question right." He added.

"I see." Unohana turned to face Karin. "If I am not mistaken, despite the fact you have grown considerably in the last several year, are you not Kurosaki Karin?" Unohana asked.

"Yes." Karin answered.

Unohana nodded.

"Grimmjow-san, may I ask that you please wait outside." Unohana requested.

He was about to protest, but the woman sent him that small smile of hers that broke no argument. He didn't like to admit it, but the woman was far stronger than him. He left the room as requested and leaned against the wall.

He could hear the murmur of their voices, but even his sharp hearing couldn't make out what they were saying. That was fine. He would get the answer to his question anyway. Unohana was not scared to tell him the truth.

He was still on high alert, his instincts on overload, but he had calmed down enough to start thinking straight. His fear was still there, but overshadowing it was disgust with himself.

He had nearly done to her what he had accused Ulquiorra of doing to Orihime.

"_And if Karin asked you stop, would you?__"_

"_Of course. But I have yet to find a woman who didn't want a piece of this." _

The conversation ran through his mind. He had nearly done something he would have regretted later. He still had every intention of Claiming her, but not until after this latest mess was cleaned up.

She was terrified and he would not be known as someone who had to rape his women. He had never had to force one before and he sure as hell wasn't going to start now. He would let her calm down first before he staked his Claim. It was too dangerous to leave her alone any longer.

He would leave them both with Starrk for now. He was sure the 1st wouldn't mind. He would also have to find a new place to live. The damage to his old house was not worth trying to repair when he could just kick someone else out.

Unohana stepped out, breaking him out of his thoughts as he looked at her expectantly.

"She is perfectly healthy. You can go in. Thank you for waiting outside."

He gave the woman a nod of his head and entered. The confirmation that Karin was perfectly fine helped to ease his frazzled nerves some more, but Unohana hadn't answered the more important question.

They sat in silence for a little bit before he finally broke it.

"Well?" He asked.

She gave her head a nod.

He just stared at her in shock. She was pregnant! She was carrying a child! HIS CHILD! It was too much to compute.

"What do you want to do?" She asked him.

He looked at her surprised. Why the hell was she even asking him? Did she have any idea how exceptionally rare children where? Unless she didn't want the child? That caused another strange feeling to tighten in his chest.

"This child is half yours. It isn't my right to decide for the both of us. You have a say as well of course."

"Keep it." He grunted, trying to seem nonchalant.

In reality he was pleased she was considering his opinion. She had clearly been apprehensive about his response.

"_Does she honestly believe I would have no interest in a child, MY CHILD? They are so very rare. Now more than ever I must Claim her. If anyone were to discover she was with child they would waste no effort to try and Claim her. Fertility rates are so low among our kind." _

"Then I shall. Unohana-san said I am the first case to come up so far and she would like to monitor my progress."

He gave his head a nod. He trusted the shingimai woman. He would need to find a new den quickly to raise the incoming young. One with better defences.

Her thanks broke him out of his thoughts again. What was more surprising was it was for NOT Claiming her instead of coming to her rescue. Her request to speak to Orihime and Ukitake was understandable.

The fear in her eyes when she realized he was about to Claim her caused his chest to tighten, and as long as she feared being Claimed it would be rape. If speaking to the other two calmed her down and convinced her to let him Claim her without a fight, all the better.

She shared a conversation with Unohana before they headed back to Starrk's estate. He wondered if he could trust the first to guard her for a while. He doubted Starrk was interested in breeding otherwise he would have been all over the woman he kept with him.

He reluctantly admitted Starrk was probably the most stable of them all. Like an old wolf past his breeding prime but still there for the pack. Okay, Starrk wasn't **that** old but he still clearly had no desire to breed.

As soon as they made it back Karin disappeared, no doubt to find her sister. He turned about to hunt down Ulquiorra. If Karin wanted to speak to Orihime to help calm her nerves then so be it.

He found the 4th just coming from Aizen's office in the 1st division headquarters.

"Grimmjow. Aizen-kami is still expecting your report. I was sent to find you."

"Well you found me." He grunted.

"Report to Aizen-kami."

"Yeah, in a sec. Karin wanted to talk to Orihime. Can you send her over to Starrk's?"

Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow at him.

"I bet Orihime would like to know they are alright. No doubt she felt Karin's reiatsu flashing in battle earlier today."

Grimmjow smirked as he saw the look of contemplation on the 4th's face.

"Very well."

Grimmjow walked past Ulquiorra and into the 1st division's main building. He did have a report to give and the sooner it was over with the sooner he could get back. He wasn't a fool and he knew Aizen did not like to be kept waiting. If he was lucky all he would get for showing up so late to report was a firm, vocal, reprimand.

* * *

Thank you all sooo much for the revies. Yes, those 3 are dead, pulverized. Not much left of them in any sense. I am so glad everyone is enjoying the unique pairing.

Next Chapter: Unohana has to report Karin's pregnancy to her 'husband' and we see where Gin ended up. It's a rather sad chapter.


	13. Reporting to Kami

Reporting to Kami

Warnings: brief sex and oral

It had definitely been an interesting day at the office. From the clean up of three completely pulverized Arrancar to discovering Karin's pregnancy. Children were rare in soul society, and now one of the prisoners had gotten knocked up by their captors.

Unohana, like so many others, was uncertain if it was even possible for Arrancar to breed outside their race. Even within their own race pure born Hollow children were exceptionally rare, nigh unheard of.

The Doctor part of her was highly intrigued, the woman side was terrified of what she was now forced to do. She had to report the successful pregnancy to her husband.

"Welcome home, Unohana-sama." Gin greeted her with his usual smile as she walked through the front gates of the palace Aizen had built.

"Good evening, Gin." She greeted softly. "Has our lord returned for the evening as of yet?"

"No, but he has sent orders up." Gin answered as he fell into step behind her.

"I see." She sighed.

There were dozens of servants in the palace, but only one was permitted to serve her and be in her presence. It was her choice, and the only thing she had not bent on to Aizen when he had bluntly informed her she would be his wife and provide him with an Heir.

What he needed an Heir for now that he was a god was beyond anyone's understanding, but no one was going to argue. She really didn't have a choice. Aizen had more than enough power to contain and rape her to his absent heart's content should he desire.

She had agreed to be his wife in exchange for the lives of her division and Gin. The silver haired man had been tortured to almost death numerous times and his screams still haunted her at night on occasion.

Amused, Aizen had agreed to spare their lives if she willingly came to his bed. Some days she wondered if she hadn't condemned Gin at least to a fate worse than death. Aizen still tortured the man when the mood arose, but true to his word wouldn't let him die.

Gin, despite having been broken, still smiled with his eyes closed just like always, as if nothing had changed. But anyone who knew him well would notice he walked with shoulders down now and his once fox like grace was no longer present; the product of having his bones snapped, shattered and even surgically removed before being replaced once.

Gin was the only one Aizen would permit to serve her, and he had explicit instructions on how she was to be served. He even had to consume her food before she did to make sure no one attempted to poison her when she could probably detect any poison long before he could.

No servant other then Gin was permitted in her small wing of the palace; so he even had to make sure everything was keep clean, the private garden tended and that the laundry made it down to the cleaners.

"What plans does my husband have for me tonight?" She asked as they headed towards her wing of the palace.

"The usual." Gin answered, falling into step behind her.

The few servants they passed bowed and stepped to the side as she walked down the halls.

"Of course." She sighed.

So it would be bath, bed, dinner, bed. A typical night indeed. Guards slid open the doors for her with a deep bow as she passed them and they were slid closed behind her. Eventually they reached the solid mahogany doors that lead to her private chambers.

The two guards, both Arrancar, opened the doors for them and they closed with behind her with a load boom that always reminded her of a prison cell being shut and locked. It was more annoying to her, but every time those doors closed Gin visibly shivered.

She made her way straight to the large bathing chamber just off of the sitting room. It was no regular bathroom with a shower and tub, but rather a series of pools surrounded by exotic plants and flowers built just for her. Most of the flowers were Bell Flowers, the symbol of her division, but others were around to accent them.

As much as she despised Aizen she had to admit his taste in decoration was astonishing and when he had presented her with her wing of the palace, she had to admit he definitely knew how to impress. She had been speechless both during and after the small tour.

She shed her uniform to the floor, not in the least bit disturbed at her nudity as she stepped into the first pool on the lowest tier. The water was warm, not hot, but pleasant and flowed to just above her waist. She sank down and let it flow around her, closing her eyes and trying to let the stress wash away.

A second later she heard the water splash behind her as Gin joined her in the water. She sighed and remained still while his long fingers started to un-braid her hair.

"How was your day?" He asked cheerfully.

"Interesting." She admitted.

"Oh?" He asked with a clear hint of intrigue.

If Gin was permitted to leave the Palace unaccompanied by either herself or Aizen, she didn't know about it. As far as she knew the only time he left the Palace at all was during the Annual Claim Meeting. Any outside information he got he got from her or from overhearing the other servants. He wasn't permitted to speak to them and they were instructed to only speak to him when passing on Kami's orders.

She shivered as she recalled what Aizen had done to him the last time he had spoken to a servant. His neck had been bright blue and black for a month and he hadn't been able to speak for two weeks.

"Do you remember the two young girls Harribel-san found still alive in the town?"

"You mean those twin sisters related to Ichigo-kun?" He asked.

"Indeed."

"Didn't Grimmjow take them?"

"He did. I met one of them today."

"This does sound interesting."

Her hair was un-braided now and the conversation paused briefly while Gin used a vase to pour water over her head to soak her hair before his fingers returned to massage the shampoo into her scalp.

"It would seem they have grown up a bit. I met the black haired one, Karin."

"I remember her. Had a fire in her eyes just like Ichigo-kun."

"It's still there. She was in because she believed she was pregnant."

The hands in her hair froze briefly before quickly returning to their task.

"Oh? What a strange thing to believe."

At this she sighed. The conversation paused once more as her hair was rinsed and Gin started to massage the conditioner in. They sat in silence for a little while longer, the only sounds that of the bubbles from the soap and the water lapping at the edge of the pool.

After about a minute Gin's hands paused again.

"She was!" He suddenly exclaimed. "Grimmjow is going to be a daddy?" He suddenly chuckled.

"Indeed. Her reiatsu has grown in the last few years."

"I still can't believe Grimmjow of all people is going to be a father. Wait, does Ichigo-kun know his rival knocked up his sister yet?" Gin suddenly asked.

"I have no idea how he would find out. As far as I know there has been no word from those that managed to escape."

She stood still as Gin's hand disappeared from her hair and returned shortly with a soap soaked cloth as he began to scrub her body clean.

It had left them both uncomfortable for the first year, and not just because Aizen would stand there to watch, instruct, and punish when he felt his instructions were being ignored. Gin was expected to clean every crevice and creek of her body, and so help him if Aizen found a part of her he deemed not clean enough.

They went though this phase in silence and didn't speak again until after her hair was once more rinsed and she retreated to the pool up a level. This one was warmer and once more she was scrubbed from head to toe, every inch of her skin seen and attended to, her nails scrubbed clean, and hair giving one more quick wash.

"I suppose you have to tell Aizen-kami about this, won't you?" Gin was the one to break the silence.

"I do not relish it, but I do have to inform him. He gave explicit instructions that if any cross race pregnancies were to occur I was to report it."

"Poor girl. Who knows what kind of experiments Aizen-kami will have Szayel run on her."

"None I hope. Stress is not good for a new mother, especially one as young as her. Still, it's strange she conceived so quickly where others have not."

"Maybe she got a bit of Hollow blood in her, just like Ichigo-kun?"

"Perhaps. Her human blood could be a factor as well."

She moved out of the middle pool and stood still while Gin tied her hair up in a bun before settling down into the third pool, this one filled with scented oil and flowers that would leave her skin smooth and smelling like Aizen's favourite perfume.

Gin settled down beside her and she handed over her hand. He rested it on a floating pillow and set about trimming her nails and essentially giving her a full manicure. Aizen expected his wife to be perfect at all times.

They sat in silence and she let herself relax as much as she could. It had been a long day and she was not looking forward to reporting Karin's pregnancy. She dozed as Gin finished caring for her, his hands long since experts at their tasks.

A small bell rang and both stiffened briefly before identical sighs of resignation escaped them. That was the sign Aizen had left the office and would be arriving soon. Both climbed out of the pool and she stood still while Gin dried her off.

She moved over to the large vanity and tried not to look too hard into the mirror. In the mirror she could see Gin's equally nude body, but that wasn't what bothered her. He had nothing she didn't see daily. What bothered her was how many scares covered it and how thin he was. Aizen had forbidden her from healing any punishment the silver haired man received and she honestly suspected he was being deliberately starved.

Her hair was brushed out and once more re-braided down her back. Her skin was scrubbed one last time with a coarse cloth to insure it's smoothness before she was redressed in a Yukata of such fine silk she often feared it would just slide off of her body.

Gin dressed himself as well in nothing but a simple, plain, white Yukata made from cotton. He fell into step behind her as they headed towards the Master bedroom. His smile was gone now and both of them walked with a stiffness that several years of this had failed to work out of them as of yet.

The Master bedroom was just off of her own Chambers. It was large, complete with a sizable balcony looking over vast gardens. The view was exquisite and neither one of them could deny Aizen had good taste in such things.

It wasn't the balcony they headed to, but rather the large bed covered in silk sheets and pillows. The sound of leaves rustling and birds chirping came from outside and it was rather serene, just another of Aizen's pretty little lies.

She didn't sleep in this chamber, for it belonged to her husband, and for that she was grateful. She wasn't sure how much she we be able to keep up this charade if she was forced to actually sleep with him at night.

In fact, she had been quit shocked that he had let her return to work immediately and not forced her to become a prisoner in her own home like so many others had, like Orihime and Rangiku to name two off of the top of her head she knew of.

Both could feel the overwhelming power of Aizen's reiatsu as he approached the room him self. She sat on the edge of the bed while Gin moved to the side and kneeled, hands clasped before him with his eyes downcast and closed. No smile touched his lips as he did a good job impersonating a statue.

She could feel her heart hammer in her chest, not so much out of fear for herself, but out of fear for what she would have to tell him about Karin and that he would someway find a blemish on her body that would be taken out on the one kneeling to the side.

Aizen flowed into the room, the door being open and closed by the servants set to guard it.

"Welcome home, husband." Unohana greeted him. "How was your day?"

"A normal as ever my dear, with one interesting note. There were reports of some of my Arrancar being killed earlier. Please tell me you have the autopsy reports ready and inform me who was responsible."

"Grimmjow was." She answered truthfully. "From what I have gathered they tried to Claim his charges."

"Ah, that would explain it indeed. The girls should almost be old enough to be properly Claimed and prevent another such misfortune. I will have to suggest he do so when I see him again. Lucky for him that it is well known the girls were his, otherwise I would be short another Espada and a new statue would need to be erected."

As Aizen spoke he removed his clothing, folding it neatly and setting it in the designated spot for the cleaning staff to retrieve when they retreated for dinner. Her eyes followed him the entire time.

"How has your day been?" He asked.

"Interesting." She admitted.

She felt her heart clench for what she was about to say, and she felt sorrow for the young girl whose life was about to get seriously complicated.

"Oh?" He prompted.

"Karin, one of Grimmjow's charges, came to me today. I was able to confirm the fact that," she paused to take a deep breath and pushed one, "she's pregnant."

Aizen paused in what he was doing and turned to face her.

"Pregnant?" He asked, a small smile touching his lips. "The father?"

"Grimmjow." She confirmed what she knew he had already guessed.

His smile widened ever so slightly.

"So we finally have a confirmation. I will expect monthly reports, eventually becoming weekly, on her condition as she gets closer to a delivery. I will have to send her to Szayel as well." He mused.

"I feel it important to mention that stress is not good for an expecting mother, especially one as young as her. Szayel can be rather intimidating to a young woman."

"She will be fine I am sure. I will not permit any changes or experiments that might affect her physical being. Observation only. I do not wish any negative affects on the potential child."

Aizen was now wearing nothing more than a Yukata he had slipped on during the conversation and was approaching her. She felt her heart clench again, only this time the fear was not for Karin.

He seemed to be in a good mood with this new information so hopefully he would not find some fault, either real or imagined, with her body.

"All this talk of children has reminded me of the one thing I still lack. I trust you have not been finding a way to block conceiving without my knowledge?" He questioned.

She felt a bolt of fear race up her spine.

"Of course not, Aizen-kami. You know as well as I do how low conception rates are. It took five years for the first report." She answered meekly.

"Yes, but giving the age of the one in question, she could not have been sexually active for long."

"Four to five months, however by her own words the only night's she didn't where when she was on her cycle."

"I see. Well, there are some woman who have twenty children and others who are lucky to have one. Perhaps Karin-chan is one of the twenty."

His hand moved to brush her Yukata aside as he settled in front of her. She remained still while he eyed her body as he slowly peeled the clothing aside. She always felt like some kind of piece of meat when he did this, or prized pet.

His fingers felt rough against her skin as he let a hand trail down her arm to capture her hand in his own, bringing it up for inspection. He slowly inspected her whole body and the air was tense as the two prisoners awaited his verdict.

"Prepare her. I will return shortly." Aizen broke the silence as he suddenly stood and left.

Both of them let out a soft sigh of relief once he was gone. Unohana moved further up the bed and lay down while Gin finally moved from his spot. She stared at the ceiling and tried to ignore the other crawling between her legs.

It was yet another thing she had taken a while to grow accustom to. She shifted slightly as she felt his tongue touch her folds shortly before it sank into her. She stared at the ceiling as his tongue continued to stroke her and thrust into her, spreading as much saliva as he could.

It was more uncomfortable to her then pleasurable. The point wasn't to pleasure her though, but to make sure Aizen's entrance into her body would be smooth. Aizen didn't care rather she enjoyed it or not, hell he didn't even bother to take the time to get pleasure himself. The only purpose behind this was to try and get her pregnant after all.

She was sure he took pleasure from other woman. In fact she knew he did because she got the leftovers in the 4th the next day. None of them would say who had raped them so violently, but she could feel the traces of his reiatsu in their wounds. She strongly suspected he sent them to her deliberately as a reminder of what he could do to her should he choose to.

The door opened and she looked up to see her husband returning. She could practically feel Gin stiffen between her legs shortly before Aizen tangled his hand in the mans hair and simply tossed him across the room to slam into one of the walls.

Gin let out a small whimper, but otherwise made no other noise as he crumpled to the ground and remained where Aizen had tossed him. Unohana had to force herself not to react to the violence in anyway.

She made damn sure all of her focus was on the man crawling over her body, still wearing his Yukuta, shortly before plunging into her. Her eyes remained locked on his as he began to thrust into her at a steady rate.

She counted each thrust backwards from fifty. At zero she felt him pause as he came inside of her. It was the same every time he took her after coming home from work. He removed himself from her body mere seconds after finishing.

"Hopefully this time we will be more fruitful. I will see you at dinner." He smiled at her and left, leaving the two of them alone once more.

As soon as she felt his reiatsu retreat a safe distance down the hall she rushed to Gin's side. The back of his head was red with blood and she quickly probed around the wound.

"Tha hurts." He mumbled.

It seemed like he had cut himself on something when he collided with the wall. He was actually fine and the damage looked worse than it was, as was typical with head injuries. Still, she didn't dare do anything for him least it anger her husband.

"We should get you cleaned up." Gin commented, dragging himself to his feet.

Blood stained his hair pink, but it looked like the cut was already starting to heal. She nodded and rose to her own feet, following him back to the bathroom so they could be cleaned up for dinner.

He left her soaking in the bath momentarily before returning with a cup of tea. Unohana knew her teas well, but this one was unlike any other which she had ever tasted. No matter how much she badgered him, Gin still to this day refused to giver her the recipe with a twinkle in his eye.

* * *

A huge thank you to those of you who took the time to review. I am pleased to have corrupted even more of the fan fiction community to Grimmjow and Karin. They just go together so well I am honestly surprised there isn't a large following for it.

Next Chapter: Karin brings some of her concerns to Starrk and speaks to Orihime and Ukitake about Claims.


	14. Claimed

Please note that I posted two chapters at once, so you may need to back track one chapter.

Claimed

Warnings: Hot sex

Yuzu had calmed completely down by the time they made it back to the estate. Grimmjow had dropped her off before leaving again. She had unconsciously followed his reiatsu before realizing he was heading towards the power she knew was Aizen, no doubt to report on his mission.

By the time Karin had made it back, Yuzu and Nanao-san were in the kitchen with Hana-chan cooking the evening meal. Yuzu had apparently insisted on helping for sheltering them.

That was fine, Karin wanted to talk to Starrk anyway about one of her fears. He was easy enough to find. His reiatsu was so strong she could find him blind. At first she feared he was asleep under the tree he was resting against, but his reiatsu was too active for that.

Still, she wasn't sure how he would feel about her disturbing him. She doubted he would raise a hand to her, but he was still a very powerful being and one she didn't know all that well.

"What is it?" He finally asked.

"I was hoping I could ask you a few more questions about Claiming." She answered hesitantly.

He opened his eyes and looked up at her. After studying her for a second he sat up.

"What do you want to know?" He asked.

"Hypothetically speaking, if the one being Claimed is pregnant, will the Claim have an adverse affect on the unborn child?" She asked nervously.

He raised an eye at her.

"You're pregnant?" He asked with a touch of surprise.

"I never said that." She quickly denied.

"You would not be asking otherwise." He pointed out.

"Can you just answer the question please." She begged.

"Does Grimmjow know?"

She sighed. Cleary he wasn't going to answer her question until she satisfied his curiosity.

"I told him." She admitted. "Right after I was told. But please, don't tell anyone else, not yet anyway."

"I see no reason why being Claimed would have any affect on the child. Worse case scenario; the child would be Claimed as well, but as long as the Claim isn't reinstated it will wear off."

"So, it won't hurt the child in anyway?" She asked.

"Shouldn't."

"I see. Thank you." She bowed politely to him and left.

She could feel Ukitake's reiatsu approaching, his day clearly over. She wanted to talk to him as well. Because she was actively scanning she was shocked to notice that Orihime and Tatsuki were also heading her way, being escorted by Ulquiorra.

She headed to the front door and opened it, waiting for them to arrive. Tatsuki and Orihime greeted her with a group hug and by the time the three girls untangled themselves, Ulquiorra was already gone.

"Karin-chan, are you alright?" Orihime asked concerned. "We felt the flare ups earlier."

"I am fine. Grimmjow dealt with them." Karin assured her.

"Well this is an unexpected sight to see." Ukitake commented as he also arrived at his front door.

"We should probably move inside." Karin commented.

They moved from the entrance to the main living room, where Karin finally filled them all in on the attack that had happened earlier that day.

Subconsciously she sought out Grimmjow's reiatsu as she reiterated the story. The attack still left her feeling slightly sick, more so because of how close Yuzu had come to being Claimed and having her innocence ripped violently away rather then herself.

She found his reiatsu somewhere out in the city and the mere presence of it helped to keep her calm in the retelling. Since Yuzu was still in the kitchen with Nanao-san, Karin was able to bring herself to talk about what had happened after her sister had gone to her room.

"I was so terrified." She admitted softly. "I mean, I knew he was interested but he was completely out of it….. I don't even know how to describe what I felt from him."

"How did you get him to stop?" Tatsuki was the first to one to speak.

"I told him I thought I was pregnant." She admitted after a moment.

"An interesting tactic." Ukitake commented.

She nodded, not sure just yet if she was willing to tell them she actually was with child.

Yuzu cheerfully announced dinner was ready and shortly after Nanao and Yuzu brought out plates and food. Dinner passed pleasantly, but Karin found herself still tracking Grimmjow's reiatsu.

It was just returning now and heading to one of the rooms. She couldn't help but to brush hers against his, still sensing his slightly agitate state and feeling relief he was nearby herself. His flickered for a second as if surprised before brushing back gently. She smile softly at the gesture.

She was positive that if you said Grimmjow and Gentle in the same sentence, most (if not all) of the world would look at you as if you were crazy and possibly even lock you up. She was possibly the only person alive, and even among the dead, who had ever seen that side of him.

She was still uncertain if she should tell the others she was with child, and in the end decided she would ask what Grimmjow wanted to do first. For all she knew he might have some enemies that would use such knowledge against him.

She wasn't sure if she was ready to let them know herself. After dinner she asked to speak with Orihime and Ukitake while the others cleaned up. They retreated to one of the gardens out back where they would have lots of time to notice someone approaching.

"I want to know more about the Claim." Karin was the first to break the silence after they settled down.

"Well, what do you want to know?" Orihime asked.

"Is it true that your are under the control of the Claimer, that you have to do what they tell you to?" She asked.

"Yes, but it has to be a direct order. For example; if Starrk-san jokingly asked me to jump out a window I wouldn't just go and do it." Ukitake answered.

"It kind of feels like a pull on your reiatsu to make you obey." Orihime explained. "No verbal order needs to be given either." She added.

"I am still not sure I could stand being restrained like that. Feeling another chaining me." She shuddered at the thought, rubbing her arms with her hands as if chilled.

"It's really not even that bad." Orihime piped up. "In fact," the woman blushed, "I find it rather comforting."

"Comforting?" Karin asked surprised.

"Mm hum. Even at the very beginning when Ulquiorra-san forced the Claim on me, it was still kind of nice to know there was someone there, watching over you. To me the Claim kind of feels like a warm blanket resting on my shoulders." Orihime smiled encouragingly at her. "And unlike us you don't have the rocky start that Ulquiorra-san and I did."

Karin looked to Ukitake.

"Most of the time I don't even notice it." He assured her.

"Does it hurt?" She asked nervously.

To her surprise Orihime chuckled and Ukitake actually blushed a deep crimson, looking to the side in clear embarrassment.

"No. It doesn't hurt at all." Orihime suddenly leaned in and Karin found herself doing the same. "It's probably the most intense pleasure you will ever feel." Orihime whispered.

She felt a great amount of relief at their words. Her biggest fear had been that the Claim would chain her. That she would be forced to do everything he said.

"Thanks." She smiled at them.

Even if she had more to ask them, the feeling of Ulquiorra's reiatsu approaching stopped any further conversation. Orihime let out a sigh of her own and rose to her feet shortly before he appeared before them.

"It is time to go." He ordered.

She smiled softly up at him and nodded before bidding them goodnight. They returned the farewell and Ukitake also excused himself, leaving her alone.

Karin sighed as she stood up and moved over to the pond, watching the water ripple and reflect the pale moonlight. Today had been one hell of an emotional roller coaster. And it wasn't over just yet. As she stared at the pond she realized the entire day had started with her own mistake.

"_What the hell was I thinking, training like that alone? Starrk-san warned me that my rising reiatsu was attractive. Damn it. I might was well have just smothered myself in blood and jumped into a pool full of sharks!__"_ She berated herself, punching the ground in anger.

"_I was so damn stupid, and what__'__s worse I put Yuzu in danger. That__'__s why the first Arancar came after us, because I was advertising myself. It__'__s like a bloody catch 22. The stronger I get the more attractive I am going to appear. But I need to get stronger to defend Yuzu and I._

"_I can't trust Grimmjow will always be there to save us. He almost wasn't this time. By remaining un-Claimed I am putting Yuzu, and myself, at risk. I refuse to do that to her." _

She felt like crying in frustration. But she wouldn't be a Kurosaki if she let herself fall apart like that.

"_As always, I will do anything to protect my family. Orihime and Ukitake-san both said the Claim was hardly noticeable, well Orihime said it was actually comforting.__"_

Feeling fresh determination, she stood up and sought out Grimmjow's reiatsu. It was more habit than anything, she already knew where he was and after stretching once as a delaying tactic, she headed his way.

Grimmjow stared at the ceiling. He had been keeping one 'eye' on Karin since the attack. Fortunately for him Aizen seemed to be in a forgiving mood, more so when he learned that the reason Grimmjow had delayed coming in was because he had detected a disturbance in town and investigated.

He smirked when he thought about how he had gotten off Scott-free while Nnoitra had been the one to get in shit for not investigate the disturbance. He didn't mention his charges had been involved. Some information was best left alone.

Karin's reiatsu had calmed down, but he could tell she was still agitated. He hoped she would calm down some more soon. He still wasn't sure just how he was going to approach her with Claiming.

His thoughts were broken as he felt Ulquiorra coming closer. Shortly after he felt the 4th leaving with his charges. He hated to admit it but he owed the 4th for letting Orihime come over.

He had noticed Karin calming down even from a distance, her reiatsu evening out. It was still stressed, but was considerably calmer than it had been this afternoon. He spaced out again, keeping one eye on her level but not her location.

Thus it came as a complete shock to him when he heard the door to the room he had claimed open. Karin entered and closed the door behind her. He felt a large pool of pride for himself that even after nearly terrifying the shit out of her earlier, she still sought him out.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Much better, thank you." She answered, moving to stand before him.

He studied her, pleased with what he saw. She was coming along as he had predicted the first time he studied her. He felt his loins tightened at the mere thought of it, but he put a block on his need for the moment.

"I've been doing some thinking." She started with a hint of nervousness. "I was scared, actually terrified is a better description, but after talking to Orihime and Ukitake-san, I think I understand a bit more."

He remained silent and let her talk. She met his eyes with her own.

"Even if I had the strength to stop you, I will not deny you your right to Claim me. I understand that in this world you could have legally done so at anytime, and I want to thank you for not just doing so."

He felt himself stiffen painfully at those words. He thought he would have to give her time and convince her, but here she was offering herself to him once more of her own free will.

"But before I agree, I want to know one thing."

"What?" He asked, pleased his voice wasn't strained with the growing need in his Hakama.

"Do you want to Claim me for me, or because I am Niisan's sister?" She asked with her arms crossed and her eyes boring with challenge into his.

He smirked, standing up to stand right in front of her. He rubbed his body against hers to let her feel what she did to him and laid a kiss on her neck right below her ear.

"The fact you are that bastards sister is just the icing on a rather delicious cake." He whispered into her ear.

He felt her body shudder against his. Her arms came up to wrap loosely around his waist as his own settled on her shoulders.

"I wont lie, the thought of being Claimed terrifies me." She whispered into his ear. "I also fear what effect it would have on the baby, but Starrk-san assures me there should be no adverse effect."

"It will feel unlike anything you have ever felt before." He assured her.

"You have Claimed others?"

"No, never found anyone worth it." He paused, wondering if he should tell her. "I was once Claimed myself years ago when I was still a fresh Adjuchas and took on another much more powerful then I was at the time." He reluctantly admitted.

She stiffened in his arms and pulled back to search his eyes with her own. He could see the curiosity in them.

"It is a rather common practice among our kind. The one who Claimed me met the wrong end of a Shinigami and the Claim wore off a very long time ago."

She nodded her head in understanding, although she seemed slightly surprised.

"Out of curiosity, how old are you?" She asked.

"No idea." He shrugged. "But from an Adjucas on, just over one hundred I think." He admitted.

"Robbing the cradle much." She mumbled.

"What?" He asked, confused at the term.

"Nothing." She offered him a soft smile. "Which," she paused to lick her lips, "which Claim type do you plan on using?" She finished nervously.

He paused at that question. He hadn't considered permitting her to return the Claim for a Mating Claim. Before today he would have scoffed at the idea, but she was pregnant with HIS child. A Mating Claim would let her draw on his power to defend herself and his offspring.

This place was far safer than Hueco Mundo, but there were still dangers, as they had learned today. If she could draw on his strength to defend herself and their child from unexpected threats it would definitely ease his worries.

He felt himself shift that way; but would she even be able to return the Claim? If Shinigami could cast Claims it probably would have happened already. As far as he knew Claiming was a Hollow exclusive ability, much like a Cero.

He told her as much and she nodded her head in understanding, not seeming too upset with the news. He could tell she was still apprehensive, but no more then the first night he had taken her.

"You will like it, trust me." He assured her.

She gave a soft nod of her head. Feeling more confident that she would be responsive, he began to slide her clothes off. After a moment her hands slid under his jacket and she ran her fingers up his chest before going to his shoulders and sliding his jacket off.

Her responsiveness made his Hakama officially too tight. She seemed to sense his problem for after her hands finished removing his top she started to loosen his belt before pushing his Hakama down past his hips to drop onto the floor under their own weight.

He finished disrobing her as well and led her to lay on the futon. He missed the bed of the destroyed house, but the futons here were more then enough for his plans for her. He settled her onto her back and began to lick and nibble her neck. Her skin tasted as divine as he remembered.

He couldn't help but to grind against the futon, anything to get some friction on his straining arousal. She ran her hands gently up and down his back, and the returned affection was most pleasing to his sense of male pride.

He started with her neck and worked his way down her body. He stopped between her breast before nibbling his way to her right nipple, sucking it in and flicking the tip with his tongue.

She moaned softly.

"_That__'__s my girl. Nothing to be afraid of, just relax and let me enjoy you.__"_ He thought hazily.

He let go of her nipple with a soft plop and moved to the other, giving it the same attention. She gave a sigh and her hand moved up his back to massage his scalp with her fingers.

It was his turn to sigh softly as her blunt nails scrapped pleasantly against his scalp. He paused his breast suckling for a moment and just enjoyed the feeling as she continued to run her fingers through his hair. If he could purr, he definitely would be.

He continued to pay homage to her body, nipping and kissing his way down her body to a far more interesting part than her breasts, at least as far as one head was concerned. His tongue darted out to swipe up her folds.

Her core tasted as good as he recalled. She let out a whimper of pleasure and he found himself grinding against the bed harder, needing that friction or he would jump her before she was ready.

He could practically feel the apprehension drain from her as his tongue continued to work her, alternating between thrusting into her core and sucking her nub. Her hands remained tangled in his hair, but she was clutching it now instead of massaging his scalp.

Her breath started to come faster and moans started to escape her in increasing frequency. She was as relaxed and ready as she was going to get so he kissed, nipped, and licked his way back up her body.

He assaulted her mouth with his tongue while he gathered his reiatsu about him, getting ready to plunge it, and himself, into her. When he broke the kiss off he noticed her eyes were studying him.

"What?" He asked.

His voice was husky with desire and the need to stake the Claim was practically burning in his blood. He would not be able to hold back for much longer.

"Nothing." She replied, her voice just as strained as his. "It's just… interesting to see." She admitted.

"See?" He felt confusion wash over him before he caught on. "You mean what I am doing with my reiatsu?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"You haven't seen, or felt, anything yet." He assured her with a confident smirk.

He grasped her hips but instead of flipping her over, spread her legs and settled between them. She looked up at him in confusion. She could not return the Claim, but he fully intended to take her from the front as if she were a mate.

"I think I want to see the show." His smirk widened as he positioned himself at her entrance.

She gave a nod of her head and leaned up to kiss him before falling back against the bed and adjusting her legs to give him more room between them. Her eyes were slightly glazed with pleasure and he had to hold himself back from just plunging into her with how sexy it made her look.

He sank slowly into her, sighing in pleasure as her heat sucked him in. He rested there, just enjoying the feeling of being in her; in the woman who had his child in her womb, who was the sister of his rival.

He double checked his reiatsu before pulling out and thrusting back in, pouring some of his reiatsu into her with the thrust.

Her eyes widened in shock and she let out a gasp of pleasure that spread across her face. Seeing that pleasure on her face caused him to almost lose control and start taking her quickly, but he didn't dare rush the Claim.

He had never initiated a Claim before so he wanted to make damn sure he did it right. He didn't want to risk the chance of harming their unborn child. Her eyes may have been covered in lust and pleasure, but he noticed she was still watching him intently.

He pulled out and thrust in again, earning another gasp from her and she arched into him. He kept the pace slow and the amount of reiatsu he was pouring into her controlled. Each thrust into her earned a soft cry of pleasure from her.

Then the most unexpected thing happened. He froze as her reiatsu suddenly stroked against his and it was his turn to let out a gasp as intense pleasure washed over him.

"_What_," He gasped, trying to regain control over his senses. _"__What the fuck was__…"_ He didn't get to finish the thought because she did it again and it left his entire body trembling in pleasure.

The pleasure she had shot into him was unlike anything he had ever felt in his life. Her reiatsu invaded his body, coiling around his own and stroking it, rubbing against it. It was as if she was inside of him and tripping every pleasure nerve in his body. He started to pant heavily and quickly lost all control.

Grimmjow started pounding into her, thrusting his reiatsu into her with each stroke. She rose to match him, still doing whatever the hell it was with her reiatsu that left his entire body trembling. Both of their lust filled cries filled the room as the pleasure both were granting the other overwhelmed them.

He let lose a roar as he felt himself explode before he silenced himself by sinking his fangs into her neck and drinking both of their reiatsu back in. He could barely feel her convulsing beneath him under a wave of his own pleasure.

Her own reiatsu ceased stroking against his as she convulsed beneath him. She let out a scream of pleasure of her own as their joint reiatsu drained from her into him. It left them both gasping desperately for breath.

"Fucking hell." He gasped. "Every time I think I've learned everything about your body you bring me to another level." He growled.

She just panted beneath him, unable to reply. Her eyes were half lidded and completely glazed over. He took large gulps of air himself and barely had enough strength to pull out of her and collapse beside her.

He dragged her into his arms, spooning against her and marvelling how well her body folded against his. He had never felt so exhausted in his life and didn't even recall losing consciousness.

* * *

Since I was so lazy in the posting, and lets face it, this is the Chapter everyone has been waiting for, I decided to do a double post so you can get your fix /smile. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the smex.

Something I started to do on Adult fan, because it is always hard to think of something to say in a review other than 'good work,' was to ask a question at the end of the chapter to help give you a prompt.

This weeks question: What was your favourite part this chapter?

Next Chapter: The next morning, how Karin feels now that she had been Claimed.


	15. Like a Blanket

Warnings: more smexing. Is there such a thing as too much?

Orihime had underplayed what it had felt like to be Claimed. Karin had never felt such pleasure in her life. Even after Kami knew how many hours of sleep, she woke up the next morning feeling completely drained.

She felt strange and held up an arm before her, studying the double flow of reiatsu. She watched as his flowed around hers, as if inspecting every particle of her being to make sure she was okay. After a moment she smiled and returned her arm to her side.

"_Orihime was right. It is rather comforting; like a warm blanket on a cold day."_ She thought feeling somewhat warm and fuzzy.

Behind her Grimmjow was still completely comatose and was holding her against him. In that it was a normal morning. She felt sticky as the sweat they had worked up the night before had dried and she could feel a bit of his cum dried on her thighs.

A part of her just wanted to remain curled up in his arms, another part of her desperately wanted a shower.

"_Hmm shower.__"_ She thought with longing.

The thought of hot water and a clean body was definitely sounding good. However, she knew from experience prying herself out of Grimmjow's morning death grip was no easy task, and when she did manage to wake him he was always frisky in the morning.

"_Maybe not this time. He seemed pretty toasted after the Claim. Maybe I can get him awake enough to loosen his grip and I can sneak out to shower.__"_ She thought hopefully. "Grimmjow." She called softly.

There was no movement from behind her.

"Grimmjow." She called louder.

Still no answer. She moved to phase 2 and fused some reiatsu with her arm before elbowing him in the side with as much strength as she could muster at this angle.

His body shifted and he mumbled something, but instead of loosening his grip he pulled her tighter against him and buried his nose in the crock of her neck before sighing and clearly going down deeper.

She sighed in annoyance. With his tighter grip she couldn't reach his side anymore and with his head nuzzled in her neck she couldn't get an angle for a head butt. She changed tactics.

She rubbed her rear against him and snaked one hand down between her legs to reach him. She found her target and gave it a squeeze. Grimmjow shifted behind her and his grip loosened.

She stroked him and rubbed his tip with her thumb. He stiffened with the attention and he began to moan into her neck, his grip loosening some more. Finally she was able to escape his grasp, but his hand snagged her wrist before she could make a full escape.

"Don't start something you don't intent to finish." He growled playfully.

"Fine. I'll finish it, but in the shower." She promised.

She turned to face him. His half lidded, blue eyes gazed lustfully up at her nude body and she felt a bit of a blush coming on. There was no hidden desire there, just pure longing for her.

"Shower?" He asked, clearly intrigued.

"Why not." She shrugged as nonchalant as she could. "I am covered in dried sweat and feeling sticky. I want a shower."

"Shower it is then." He smirked at her and stood up stretching.

She couldn't help but to admire his build even with the hole through his chest that let her see the other side. The hole was hardly even noticeable around the lean muscle and sinew that made up his body.

The powdered blue hair, both patches of it, never ceased to amaze her, but nothing more so than the intensity of his vivid blue eyes. Briefly she wondered if her child would inherit his eyes. Blue was a recessive gene, but if it was one feature she hopped for it was for their child to inherit it's fathers' eyes.

"We going or what. I don't care where….."

"Yes." She interrupted quickly, turning her back on him and heading towards the bathroom.

She could practically feel his smirk as he followed her into the shower. They were barely under the water before he had her back pinned to the wall.

"Can I at least clean up a bit first?" She groused, pushing against his chest half heartedly.

"Why? You are just going to get dirty again." He pointed out.

She sighed in exasperation and gave up trying to push him away. His mouth latched onto her throat and suckled over his bite mark briefly before he stated to lick her neck before moving onto the rest of her body.

She squirmed as his tongue tickled her, giggling like a school girl.

"What are you doing?" She gasped out, trying not to squirm as his tongue swept over the underside of her arm.

"You wanted clean." He responded.

"Stop that, you don't need to lick me clean." She giggled as his tongue tickled her again.

"You wanted to be clean, stop complaining." He countered, kneeling before her and sweeping his tongue over her belly button.

She giggled and tried to push him away, but his superior strength held her firm against the wall and he licked his way further down her body. Her giggles turned into a gasp as he reached the more sensitive parts of her body. He thrust his tongue into her several times before moving to lick her inner thighs.

She let lose a whimper of protest as he continued to lick her thighs before moving back up to her core and thrust his tongue into her several more times. Karin felt her legs turn to jelly as he continued to tease her.

He stood up suddenly and flipped her about. She braced herself against the wall as he rubbed his body against hers. His mouth latched onto her neck once more and sucked on her skin.

She could feel his full length rub between her rear checks and he let lose a breathy moan.

"Do you have any idea what you do to me?" He growled.

"I think I have an idea." She responded breathlessly.

He rubbed against her like the cat he was. His arms wrapped around her and his hands captured a breast each. He massaged them while capturing her nipples between his fingers and rubbing them.

"_He is so insatiable.__"_ She couldn't help but to think as he tried to practically merge his body with hers.

He spread her legs a bit further before settling between them. One hand left her breast to guide himself to her entrance and she found herself sighing as he started to penetrate her.

Once he was in he rested against her and moved one hand to the wall while the other wrapped around her waist to hold her to him. His breath ghosted over her ear even as the water from the shower ran down her body. She shuddered at the sensations shortly before he pulled out and thrust back in.

He left one hand on the wall while the other moved to where their bodies were joined and began to stroke and play with her nub, earning a shocked cry of pleasure from her.

She rested her head on the wall between her arms and panted for breath as he continued to thrust into her while playing with her nub; stroking it, teasing it, pinching it lightly. She cried out as the pleasure finally came to a peak and her legs trembled as she came.

He shuddered behind her and let out a moan of pleasure into her ear while convulsing, shooting his seed into her. The only thing holding her up was his arm wrapped around her waist and the fact she was leaning against the wall.

They remained entangled for a few minutes while they regained their breaths before he pulled away and out of her. She felt a bit of left over semen trickle down her leg to join the steady stream of water heading to the drain.

A moment later she felt a sponge touch her back, and she turned her head to look at him questionably.

"You didn't look like you were going to clean yourself." He explained. "And while I like being clean, I am not that fond of water."

She let out a bit of a laugh.

"Could have fooled me, Mr wants a shower every morning." She countered.

He let out a bit of a laugh but continued to scrub every inch of her clean while she did her best to ignore him and wash her hair. It took half an hour until they were both clean and dressed once more; him in a spare uniform and her in one of the Yukata's Nanao lent them until they could retrieve their own clothing.

Karin left to meet up with the others for breakfast while he disappeared somewhere. She walked towards the dinning room, the smell of breakfast beckoning her, and once more studied the play of his reiatsu over hers.

Now that she was more awake she feared she would feel trapped like she had initially feared, but all she felt was exactly what Orihime had told her, comforted. The twin reiatsu's coiled around each other like mating birds of prey.

When she did arrive at the Communal Dinning Room she noticed everyone else was already there. Starrk looked her over before giving a nod of his head and turning back to his cup of tea. Lilinette smiled at her but made no comment on the change. Ukitake looked between the two Arrancar before looking at her questionably.

She gave a short nod of her head and he just nodded back, having nothing to say on the matter. Hana was sitting in her chair beside Ukitake, doodling on a piece of paper and oblivious to the entire silent communication.

"Breakfast is served." Yuzu announced happily. "Oh Karin, you are awake. I wasn't sure you would be."

"Why?" She asked confused.

Yuzu blushed and simple set her tray down.

"You were rather vocal last night." Nanao supplied.

Karin went beat red and mumbled an apology. Breakfast started off awkward until Yuzu broke it by thanking Starrk and Ukitake for letting them stay with them. The first waved his hand in dismissal while the second smiled and assured them it was no problem, the estate was big enough for a full noble family after all.

After breakfast Karin found herself in one of the gardens with Nanao, staring at the crude targets the older woman had set up. Being ousted from ones home was apparently not a good enough excuse to put training on hold.

(POV)

Grimmjow wandered around his targets path, trying to work up the grit to do what had to be done. He would never consider himself a coward, would kill anyone who even suggested the idea. This had nothing to do with a cower dance though, but rather with taste.

"Grimmjow, your constant hovering is becoming tiresome. Say what you have to and then leave." Ulquiorra spoke up, pausing in his own walking to stare where he knew the 6th was.

"Tch." Grimmjow walked up to him. "I can't believe I am saying this." He groused. "Thank you for bringing Orihime over to calm Karin down." He grumbled.

"Is that all?" Ulquiorra asked, non pulsed.

"Tch, yeah. Why the hell else would I waste time with you?"

"There you are. Aizen-kami wants to speak to you." Nnoitra called as he walked up to the two of them.

"I will be there shortly." Ulquiorra commented.

"Not you, Him." Nnoitra pointed to Grimmjow.

"What the hell would he want with me?" Grimmjow demanded.

"How the hell should I know? I was just the unfortunate one within grabbing range." Nnoitra called back over his shoulder as he continued walking, not even bothering to stop.

Grimmjow frowned before his eyes widen and he cursed. Of course. Unohana was the man's woman and she knew Karin was with child. At the very beginning Aizen wanted to know the moment any cross race pregnancies came up. She would have had no choice but to report it to her husband.

"Shit." He cursed and started to storm towards the 1st division offices.

Ulquiorra walked beside him, appearing bored but clearly interested in what was going on, even if he would sooner die a thousand deaths than admit it.

"I trust you know what this is about then?"

"Yeah, just another thing I am better then you at." He couldn't help but to smirk vindictively.

Ulquiorra shot him a questioning glance, but didn't lower himself to ask Grimmjow to explain.

"You've had that broad for what, almost six years now? Fucked her steadily, and you still couldn't knock her up."

"As usual you're language…" Ulquiorra didn't finish his reprimand and actually stopped walking.

Grimmjow stopped only so he could turn around and enjoy the look of utter disbelief on the usually stoic mans face.

"Are you implying that…"

"Karin is knocked up? Fuck yeah, that's what I am saying." Grimmjow interrupted.

He let his smirk widen and turned his back on the other, continuing his trek to Aizen's office.

Ulquiorra caught up to him.

"You are sure?"

"Aizen's bitch confirmed it, and I doubt she would lie about such a thing."

"So it is possible?" Ulquiorra mused aloud.

Grimmjow glanced over at the 4th, but he was looking off into the distance and clearly wasn't expecting an answer. The rest of the walk went in silence and they were admitted to see Aizen immediately.

"Ah, Grimmjow." Aizen smiled at him warmly.

Grimmjow felt the hairs all over his body stand on end. He hated this man but could not deny how powerful he was. Aizen smiling was more often a bad thing than a good thing. Even though he knew he had done nothing wrong he still found himself reviewing anything he might have done to get into trouble.

"You wanted to see me?" He demanded as firmly as he could.

"Indeed." Aizen rested his head in a hand and studied him, before shifting his gaze to Ulquiorra briefly before going back to him. "Do you know why I summoned you here?"

"Probably because your woman told you Karin is with child." He answered. "And before you get all barky at me for not reporting it first, by the time I found out she had been attacked and needed to be calmed down. Isn't stress bad for pregnant woman?" He tried to defend.

"The disturbance from yesterday. I trust it will not happen again, this is the second time your charges have caused an issue with the peace."

"It won't happen again. The temptation has been removed." He promised.

Aizen's smile widened ever so slightly.

"I trust Ichigo-kun will be interested to hear you Claimed his darling sisters." Aizen chuckled softly.

"_Sister_." Grimmjow automatically corrected silently.

"Granted, given their age I must admit I credit you with more patience than I initially figured. I had a bet going you would kick them out after the first year they failed to lure the boy to you."

Grimmjow didn't rise to the bait, no matter how tempting it was. He actually ground his teeth to keep his mouth shut.

"Szayel will be around to run his own tests. I expect full co-operation."

Grimmjow narrowed his eyes angrily. No way was that pink haired freak getting anywhere near Karin or his unborn child. He opened his mouth to tell Aizen just where he could go with the idea of letting Szayel anywhere near her, but Aizen spoke before he could.

"Rest assure Szayel has been instructed to monitor only and is forbidden to alter them in any way. Should he fail to do so he will answer to me. I made sure he understood the implications should he fail my wishes."

The look Aizen sent him caused him to snap his mouth shut before he said something to get in trouble. He didn't want to risk being on the receiving end of one of Aizen's punishments, or worse, seeing Karin on the receiving end.

Thus, Grimmjow just nodded. It was all he could do in this situation. He found himself silently swearing and cursing at Aizen, all the while praying the man wouldn't see fit to take the child away for study once it was born.

"Anything else, Aizen-kami?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"No, that is all. You are both dismissed."

They both bowed and left; neither one speaking and lost in their own train of thoughts. They separated at a fork in the road, Ulquiorra returning to his house while Grimmjow headed house hunting.

He didn't want to impose on Starrk for too long, after all he had to find his own den with a child on the way. He doubted Starrk would get territorial, but he had no doubt he probably would.

He hunted around for the rest of the day but found nothing to his liking that wasn't already claimed or felt too un-defensive. He stopped at the destroyed house and gathered some of their clothing, tossing them into various bags.

He had no interest in anything else in the house and simply blasted the last wall with a cero and watched the rest of the house collapse. There would be no returning here and the need to find a new den hit him again.

More so though was the instinct to check on the mother of his child to assure she was safe. Being gone from her for too long made him antsy as a pregnant woman was an easy target.

"_You would think becoming an Arrancar would have curbed some of this instinctual bull shit.__"_ He growled to himself.

His mind told him all was fine but his instinct was frantic to return to her side so he could guard and protect her.

"_This shit better not get worse.__"_ He grouched.

Still, he found himself picking up the pace until he was back at the estate and dropped the bag of Yuzu's clothing off in front of the surprised teen before dropping the bags of his and Karin's clothing off in their room and hunting her down.

She was in a garden with Starrk of all people and he slowed down as he approached, figurative hackles raised. He stopped close enough to listen in without alerting her he was there just yet while he assessed the situation.

Starrk was actually a respectful distance from her and did look past her briefly to meet his eyes. Grimmjow felt his instinct ease a bit as the conversation they were having reached his ears.

"I think I understand." Karin frowned. "The further along I get the more possessive Grimmjow will become?"

Starrk nodded.

"I know you said young were rare, but are they truly so rare that this is such a big deal?" She asked.

"They are exceptionally rare, not just due to conception and survival rates but because it is also so rare to find a woman able to bear them. As the first success some might conclude you are worth having. You are familiar with lions yes?"

"Of course. What about them?"

"When a new male moves in he will kill the offspring to get the females into heat again. The same thing works for many Hollow species. You will be most vulnerable after the child is born, for the new life will call to others.

"Do not be so surprised if Grimmjow starts to Nest and forbids you from leaving his sight, and the den, for the first several months. Of course we have no way of knowing what kind of child you will have, or even if you will carry to term, but those are some of the things you should be aware of that may happen. This will be the first Arrancar born child."

"I see, thank you Starrk-san. It is good to know of these things ahead of time." She stood up and bowed politely to Starrk before turning to face him with a soft smile of her own. "Welcome back."

"You knew I was here?"

"I always know where you are." She answered. "I can see reiatsu, remember?"

"Right." He grunted. "I picked up some clothes."

"Thank you. It was nice of Nanao-san to lend me some of hers, but they aren't really my style and don't fit so well."

Starrk stood up and stretched before leaving the two of them alone. Karin walked up to him and he held still while she reached a hand out to brush a stray strand of his hair to one side.

"Sorry, it was bothering me."

"It's fine." He assured her.

They stood there in awkward silence for several moments, neither one sure what to say to the other. He hated awkward silences.

"Come on." He grunted. "Just because you are with child doesn't mean you can slack off on the training. Like Starrk said, you better be able to defend yourself, and the child, because if you get yourself killed I'll have Orihime bring you back so I can kill you myself." He growled.

Karin hardly looked intimidated, but rather just smiled knowingly up at him before following him to their room to change into her training clothes before they headed to one of the more open gardens out back.

He felt the tension leave him as they settled into the training regime. He had long since giving up trying to teach her how to use a sword, she was more likely to cut herself than an enemy, and settled for hand to hand.

With her ability to fuse reiatsu with her body it was by far more effective for her than any dull blade anyway. Combined with the Kido training Nanao had given her he didn't care about weather or not she found her Zanpakuto or not.

Her hits were starting to hurt even him, and he was pleased with the dull ache of his own body from her blows. She could not keep up with his superior speed if he desired to use it, but her reiatsu infused strength was now strong enough to leave a good number of the Arrancar smarting, and they were the ones he was worried about.

He wasn't as worried about his fellow Espada taking an interest in her, they all had Claims of their own, most of them at the 2 number limit Aizen had imposed. Granted not all of them have CLAIMED their targets, like Ulquiorra and Tatasuki or Starrk and Nanao, but they were still permitted only 2 prisoners, or pets as they were more commonly referred to, each.

The only member of the Espada he was actually worried about was Nnoitra if the bastard ever learned about Karin. Starrk and Ulquiorra didn't care, nor would Harribel. Barragan was into young men. Szayel had two already. Yammy could be a potential problem, but he doubted it.

His distraction cost him as her fist collided with his face, sending his head reeling back and blood to fly from his nose. The best part was she didn't even hesitate as she went down low and swept his feet from under him and managed another kick to his face as he fell.

He landed on his back and caught the foot that was intending to crush his throat before it could reach him and jerked her down to the ground with him. She let out a yelp and blasted him with a bolt of Kido, causing his grip to loosen enough she was able to roll away and jump back to her feet.

This time she chanted a spell and he quickly jumped to his feet before being born back to the ground as the binding spell went off. He couldn't help it, he let out a barking laugh before easily shattering the chains and disappearing into a Sonido.

He came out to her fist connecting with his chest, causing him to grunt before catching both her hands in his and spinning her around in his grasp before holding her against him. He groaned and rubbed his body against hers, letting her know just what the sparing had done to him.

He was as hard as a rock and the pain from the few bruises she had managed to give him just made him harder. This was the mother of his child that had managed to harm him, to stand up to him. He almost dared to even consider her a Mate, but the bond was incomplete, could never be completed as she wasn't a Hollow.

"Is there anything that doesn't turn you on?" She growled in annoyance.

"Not if it involves you." His voice was once more husky with desire as he answered.

She sighed, but let her weight fall against him while he nuzzled her sweat soaked neck before he began to lick it, enjoying the taste of her. He ground against her, but found there was too much clothing between them.

She let out a gasp as he moved them to the nearest tree and her arms shot out to support her weight against it. He undid the belt to her training Hakama before pushing them down to her knees and doing the same for himself.

He took her against the tree; rough, passionately. He didn't last long and shuddered against her as he filled her, his need sated for a little while at least. Karin sighed and after a moment pushed against him.

He fell out and a small stream of cum ran down her leg before she pulled her Hakama back up, turned about, and slugged him hard in the face, taking him completely by surprise.

"You never said the lesson was over." She smirked as she stared down at him.

A lesson he had taught her earlier on when she had dropped her guard. He smirked at her in pride as she stepped over him and walked away, leaving him to pull his Hakama up and race after her.

She ducked under his swing and responded by elbowing him sharply in the side. He laughed and used his superior speed to pin her against the next nearest tree. She didn't fight in his grasp, but rather grabbed onto his shoulders and let lose a bolt of Kido at point blank range through his body.

The electricity cause his nerves to fry a bit and his grip loosened, giving her enough room to push him back a bit and blast him in the chest with another burst of pure reiatsu that solidified into a shield in front of her, separating them once more.

"Karin, Grimmjow-san. Dinner is ready." Yuzu's voice called out from the porch.

"Training is over." He smirked at her, and did nothing to hide the pride in it.

She was stronger than he had anticipated she would be at this point and that eased his worry a bit over her ability to protect their offspring. He would still need to find a new den though, and soon.

There was no telling how long she would be pregnant for. It was rather inconsistent in the world of Hollows, based entirely off of the specious involved. His own, being cat based, lasted about two to three months. It was unlikely she would give birth to more than one though. Raising young was not easy in Hueco Mundo, and as such even species that were known for having multiple offspring very rarely had two.

Being an Arrancar now there was no telling how long the gestation period might be. It could be the full human 9 months or it could be less, or even longer. He sure as hell hoped it wasn't longer. 2 months was torturous enough in the dangerous world of hollows, the thought of 9 was unbearable.

By the time he snapped out of those depressing thoughts, Karin was already gone and he gave his head a shake, but the grin of pride remained firmly latched on. He couldn't wait to see how their offspring turned out.

Then he would need to teach the child how to hunt and fight. He felt a surge of emotion at the thought. He just knew the child would be an excellent hunter. After all, the child would have his genes.

* * *

As usual /love all those wonderful reviews. They really do make a difference. There was some things mentioned this chapter that might confuse the reader simply because this is the EDITED version of P.O.V. and does not contain many of the much darker events of the MAIN version.

If you want to read the darker version it is on adultfanfiction(dot)net. Same title and user name and can generally be found on the first page of Bleach ficts. Be advised the sight is rated 18+ for more or less good reason.

This weeks question: Is there such a thing as too much smexing?

Next Chapter: Huh, we see a bit of the others by the looks of it. It will probably be shorter because it is one of the darker chapters and will have the darker stuff cut out.


	16. Taichou Meeting

It was unusual for Yammy to have servants other than Byakuya tend to his needs, but that was precisely what was going on while he was expected to stand still while another group saw to his needs.

This only happened a few other times he could think of and quickly checking the date he realized it was due for the yearly meeting with Aizen-kami to insure the Claims were being kept up.

It was a few weeks earlier than Byakuya had anticipated, but he was pretty sure that was exactly what was going on. He was dressed in the richest silks and the scarf Yammy had ordered him to wear at all times was wrapped several times around his waist like a secondary Obi.

His hair was brushed out and each strand studiously checked for any damage at the tips. A small amount of makeup was added, mostly to his lips and cheeks and seeing his reflection made him want to kill himself.

He did not need makeup, that was for insecure women, but force it on him they did. His nails were cleaned, trimmed, and a thin layer of clear coat added. Since he no longer had his Kenseikan his bangs were held back by two sakura peddle clips on either side, a gift from his Master he would sooner crush beneath his feet but admittedly feared the consequences of performing such an action.

When they felt he was ready, dressed in the full layers of his kimono like a rich noble woman, much to his disgust, he was led to where Yammy was waiting for him.

The brute had taken a shower so at least he smelt clean. Even his greasy hair was soft and in its usual ponytail. His small beard was trimmed and combed and Byakuya swore his mask fragment was even polished to a shine.

He was wearing a white overcoat made of the same matterial as Byakuya's scarf, a gift to their Master from his family, one they had forced him to present. He still wore his typical white Hakama and black belt, but they were also now made from the finest materials available.

"There you are, my Chicchai Hime." Yammy smirked at him.

No matter how hard he willed it, no black hole came to swallow the Espada up. He stopped before his Master and inclined his head. Yammy was not above punishing him in public and the last thing he wanted was a punishment from the Espada followed by a lecture from his family on proper behaviour befitting of a Noble.

He tried very hard not to remember the first year under this creatures rule and once again could only feel relief that Rukia had managed to escape this fate, even if it was with Kurosaki.

"Let's go." Yammy ordered.

He fell into step behind the other as he was led out of the Estate and towards the old taichou meeting room. They were the second to arrive, Harribel and Toshiro were already there, sitting side by side in their usual place when meetings were called.

Barragan arrived next, but he only had Soi Fon with him and not Yumichika. Byakuya frowned inward as he wondered about the meaning behind such a thing. Soi Fon took her place kneeling on the pillow provided on the floor behind her master while Barragan took his usual place.

Yammy threw himself down in his chair while Byakuya copied Soi Fon, but instead of against the wall behind his Master he kneeled beside him, spreading the expensive silk around him before becoming as still as a statue.

Ulquiorra arrived right behind them without Orihime and Byakuya suddenly suspected this meeting was about something else other than to confirm the Claims. Grimmjow arrived after Ulquiorra, and behind him came Nnoitra, also without his pet.

Byakuya was now positive this meeting had to be about something else, but all other thoughts froze when Szayel walked in next. Byakuya's eyes slid over the pink haired Espada to land on the red head following behind him.

He felt his soul clench every time he saw his former Fukutaichou. Renji walked like a ghost, his eyes unseeing, his body covered in thousands upon thousands of scars from the many varied experiments Szayel had run on the man.

Renji's entire soul felt wrong to him, and had since the second meeting years ago. There wasn't even a glimmer of light in those eyes, let alone one of recognition as the red head also kneeled on a cushion behind his master, eyes staring blankly at the floor.

Starrk and Ukitake arrived next. Like Toshiro and Harribel they sat side by side at the table. Unohana was the last to arrive with Gin flanking her. She sat to Aizen's left while Gin kneeled behind her on the floor.

Byakuya was an intelligent man and realized quickly the only prisoners here were those of Taichou level. Something was going on and Byakuya couldn't help but to wonder what the hell it was.

"Good afternoon." Aizen greeted them with a warm smile once everyone was seated. "Before I begin this meeting, let us please take a moment to enjoy a cup of tea."

It was a well known cue and Byakuya rose to pour his Master a cup before pouring himself one as well. He sat back down and nursed his own cup gently. Etiquette demanded he at least took a sip, and he did so. His Master ignored his own cup and after almost everyone took a sip Aizen began the meeting.

"Things have stabilized far nicer than I anticipated, and as a few of you know the divisions have surprisingly grown considerably. The graduating classes were larger than I anticipated." Aizen smiled softly in pleasure.

"And this means what to me?" Grimmjow snorted, crossing his arms in obvious irritation.

"_Ever the impatient one."_ Byakuya couldn't help to think in contempt. _"But still an understandable question. What does how the Shinigami divisions are doing mean anything to the Arrancar?"_

"We need a new commander for a fifth division." Aizen smiled.

Byakuya felt a spike of something race through him. A chance to finally escape Yammy's grip for at least a few hours a day. Now he knew why Aizen had summoned them. He was asking his Espada to give up one of their pets to return to their post, to run a division again.

"Does anyone have any suggestions?" Aizen smiled warmly at the room.

He begged silently for Yammy to elect him. Pleaded like he had never done so before, so badly in fact that he even made a slight whimper that drew his Master's attention.

"Are you interest, my Chicchai Hime?" Yammy asked him softly. "If so just say so." Yammy smirked at him.

Byakuya felt rage race through him. Of course he could not speak, Yammy knew that. In fact, his handicap would make running a division rather difficult. He didn't care, he would find a way to work around it.

Yammy ignore him though and turned his attention back to Aizen. Byakuya felt his hands clench into fists but he made no other outward signs of his anger or agitation. The room remained silent.

"No one is willing to take a division or let one of their pet's do so?" Aizen asked.

Silence again.

"If I may be so bold as to make a suggestion, Aizen-kami."

All eyes darted to Ukitake, the first to break the silence.

Byakuya felt another clench of fear, this time for his senpai. Aizen did not tolerate them to speak unless spoken to first. There was no trace of anger in the man's eyes though.

"A suggestion?" Aizen prompted Ukitake to continue, taking a sip of his tea as he did so.

"If all you require is someone to lead a division administratively, than might I be so bold as to suggest Ise Nanao, with Starrk-sama's permission of course? She has all the capabilities and experience to effectively run a division."

Aizen seemed to mull it over before shifting his gaze to the 1st.

"If she want's to." Starrk shrugged, clearly not caring one way or another.

"Get back to me with her answer." Aizen agreed. "That is all for now. I expect to see you all, and your pets, next week for our regular, scheduled meeting. Jushiro, a word before you go. Starrk, please get back to me with Ise-san's answer soon."

It was a clear dismissal and all those who still had a semblance of self looked at the white haired man sadly before being led out by their respective masters.

(POV)

He knew speaking up was a risk, but it was one he was willing to take. Ever since Nanao had begun teaching Karin, a light had returned to her eyes that hadn't been there since before the war.

She was exactly what Aizen was looking for, a woman capable of running a division with an efficiency to match any of the remaining, and former, Taichou. If running a division would bring more of that light back to her eyes than he would gladly take the punishment for speaking up.

It wasn't actually a rule per say, but Aizen had ordered his subordinates to 'keep their pets in line' during the first meeting and the few times others had spoken out with harsh words at the beginning they had been severely punished.

Ukitake knew the only real reason Aizen was going to punish him was to make it seem like he wasn't playing any favourites, that the rules applied to them all. The others filed out, leaving him alone with Aizen.

"An interesting choice. I must admit I had almost forgotten Starrk was holding on to her." Aizen commented, taking a sip of tea from the cup Unohana had refilled before leaving herself.

"As you know, Aizen-kami, she is well experienced in running a division."

Aizen gave a nod of his head, quite familiar with what Ukitake was implying. She had practically ran the 8th division for years before the fallout after the war.

"Regrettably, rules do apply to everyone and without rules there would be chaos."

Ukitake inclined his head, ready to receive whatever punishment Aizen was going to lay upon him for speaking out of turn. It would not be harsh for although Aizen was now Kami, Ukitake had years of experience that would be wasted on breaking him. Even Aizen admitted to himself that Ukitake was a valuable commodity with the years of knowledge he held.

After the fall out Ukitake and Unohana were now the two oldest surviving Shinigami. It would be a waste to kill them off.

"A few lashes should suffice." Aizen commented, setting his now empty tea cup down. "Before those though, should Ise-san decline, who else would do well do you think?"

"Byakuya, of course, if you could convince Yammy-sama to let him go. Rangiku might do well as well, but I do not believe Nnoitra-sama would let her. I wish I could vouch for Soi Fon, but I do not believe she has the personality to remain impartial. Yumichika might do well. I understand he was the one doing all the paperwork and such for the former 11th." Ukitake answered honestly.

He wished he could speak for Renji, but there was nothing left of the man after what Szayel had done to him. Nemu was too much of a follower to lead a division and Toshiro and Unohana already ran divisions. That pretty much summoned up the survivors other than the humans and he didn't think they would be up for running a division, nor would a division take them seriously.

He could have suggested Gin as well, but he knew that the silver haired man was a touchy spot with Aizen so left the name out; even though he was sure Gin could easily lead a division.

"I might take those into consideration. Now than, twenty should suffice."

Ukitake stood up and disrobe before leaning against the wall for support. The kido whip slammed into his back and legs the promised twenty times, leaving shallow but painful wounds. He would definitely be walking with a limp for a few days.

There was no unnecessary force, in fact the lashes were rather shallow and he grimaced with the pain but was no where near to screaming in it. After the twentieth lash fell he took a few deep breaths, trying to get over the stinging before he dared to move.

Since the lashes were shallow there was very little blood, but he still only pulled his Hakama back on. The rest of his clothing he folded over an arm, bowed to Aizen, and departed.

Szayel smiled at him as they passed in the corridor, the pink haired Esapda being called into the room by Aizen. Other then that the corridors were empty. Ukitake made his way back to his home to see if he could get Nanao to tend to the lashes.

She wouldn't be permitted to heal them, but getting sick from an infection would be foolhardy and they did need to be tended to.

(POV)

Aizen watched Ukitake leave, indeed walking with a slight limp from the stings on the back of his legs. Had anyone else dared to speak up the punishment would have been far worse, both for them and their Master, but every time Ukitake dared to speak it was with wisdom.

Not that Aizen didn't permit the 'prisoners' to speak to him; they were required to give division reports and such to him regularly. The no speaking rule was mostly because of the meetings from the first year when people like Renji and Soi Fon had some rather unpleasant things to say about him and to him.

Indeed those first meetings had been a riot, and kind of fun Aizen admitted to himself. Still, there were lots of interesting things going on now too and he called Szayel in.

The former 8th, now proud 7th, entered the room with a flourish and bowed to him.

"You summoned me Kami?" Szayel asked.

"Indeed. There has finally been confirmed reports of a cross species mating."

Szayel's eyes, and entire face, lit up with glee. Aizen could see the clockwork in the mans brains spinning.

"Who? When? I must…"

Aizen merely raised a hand and Szayel obediently snapped his mouth shut.

"The father is Grimmjow, so please be careful. It would be annoying to have to replace the head of the Science Division because you upset a superior."

Szayel seemed only slightly annoyed, but other wise non pulsed.

"The mother," at this Aizen paused and couldn't help but to smirk with the irony of it, "is Kurosaki Karin."

Szayel's eyes did widen, for he understood the significance in that. His grin widened in undisguised glee at the thought.

"As this is the first confirmation, observation only. I would be most displeased to find dear Karin-chan," a pause, "altered in anyway. Am I understood Szayel."

Szayel pouted, but gave a nod.

"I understand, Kami-sama." Szayel bowed to him. "I shall start immediately."

Aizen waved the Arrancar away. Szayel bowed one last time and retreated with a very fast pace of barely contained excitement. In fact Aizen felt the other launch into a Sonido the moment he was on the other side of the door.

No doubt he would have a full report the next day on everything the Scientist knew about the pregnancy by morning.

(POV)

"Ukitake-san, what happened?" Yuzu gasped when he walked through his front door.

Nanao was no where to be seen and a quick scan found her and her daughter in their quarters. A quick time check confirmed Nanao was most likely putting Hana down for a nap.

"Nothing serious." He tried to brush the young girls concern away.

The scowl that erupted on Yuzu's face made her look more cute than angry.

"Nonsense, come over here and let me clean those. You wont tell me no matter how much I badger you will you?" She huffed.

She didn't try to force him to sit, but did order him to take his Hakama off so she could see his legs. Apparently she was very perceptive when it came to injuries for she had noticed his awkward walking.

"I spoke up during today's meeting. Aizen-kami made a rule a long time ago we were to keep quite unless addressed. Since he can't show favourites, he had to 'punish' me for it." Ukitake sighed.

"Sounds stupid." Yuzu commented shortly before he felt a warm rag touch the first stripe with a distinct sting.

He hissed, but Yuzu didn't pull the alcohol soaked cloth away or stop cleaning the cuts. She moved with the proficiency of any trained nurse, tending to the wounds and not at all concerned he was standing in the kitchen wearing nothing more than his Fundoshi.

Nanao came in while Yuzu was tending to the cuts on his legs, took one look at him, and sighed.

"I figured as much when Starrk-san spoke to me earlier."

"Did you accept?" He asked hopefully.

"I told him I wanted some time to think about it. I do have Hana-chan to care for."

"Think about what?" Yuzu asked.

"If I should take over a division." Nanao answered.

"I don't mind watching her." Yuzu quickly supplied. "She is so adorable."

"Yes, but I am not sure Grimmjow-san plans on staying here for long." Nanao pointed out.

"Well, Starrk-san seems to like taking care of her too." Yuzu added.

The two of them looked at her in disbelief.

"Oh he does a good job of hiding it, but he gets a little twinkle in his eyes when she's around. I caught him watching Lilinette-san and Hana-chan playing together the other day with a soft little smile." Yuzu admitted.

"Well…" There was a hint of indecision in Nanao's voice.

Clearly she wanted to and yet concern for her daughter was holding her back.

"You could always bring her to work as well. It's mostly just paperwork and training the troops." Ukitake pushed lightly.

She needed this; something to focus on other than keeping his estate clean where she had time to think all day over the losses from the war.

"I think I will accept." She finally said.

He smiled softy shortly before wincing in pain as Yuzu poured more alcohol on one of the deeper lashes on the back of his thighs.

"_Definitely worth it.__"_ He thought.

He could already see Nanao's mind whirling into division running set up and schedules as a soft frown touched her features and her eyes had a far away look in them. No doubt about it, this was definitely something she needed now that Hana was older and more independent.

* * *

This is actually two chapters edited into one, as those of you who have read the other version have probably noticed, that is because I cut all the dark stuff out. I plan on posting several chapters at once to help this one catch up with the other.

Big thank you for the reviews, they really to make my day. I hope oyu enjoy the incomming updates :)


	17. Meeting Szayel

Meeting Szayel:

Grimmjow still hadn't found a place acceptable to his taste and so they remained at Starrk's. The Espada didn't seem to mind the addition of them to the Estate and had made no signs or hints he would like them to move on.

Currently, they were all gathered at the front door as Nanao stood nervously wearing a fresh, new Shinigmai uniform covered by a white Haori with the Kanji for 5 in the diamond on the back.

She stood tugging at the sleeve of her Haori nervously until Ukitake brushed her hand away and offered her a confident smile.

"Good luck, Nanao-san." Yuzu cheered.

"You will do fine." Karin assured her.

"There is nothing to be nervous about. You had ran a division for years." Ukitake smiled softly at her.

"Still…. What if they don't like me?"

"Nonsense." Yuzu offered her own charming smile. "Don't worry a thing about Hana-chan, we are going to spend the day making Origami."

"Bye bye, 'ka-san." Hana waved cheerfully.

Ukitake and Nanao headed out, leaving the three of them at the door waving. Once they were out of sight Yuzu grabbed Hana's hand and the two disappeared back inside. Karin stood at the door a moment longer before getting ready to head back inside herself.

She paused though when she noticed two people walking up the path towards the gate. One was clearly an Espada judging by the power and feel of his reiatsu. The other seemed to be a female Shinigami, granted not one of Taichou strength but still up there.

"Former Fuktuaichou?" Karin guessed correctly.

The woman felt kind of different to her, like her reiatsu had been deliberately altered. It was weird and Karin felt her figurative hackles go up as the two approached the gate. The pink haired one was smiling while the woman seemed stoic and walked with her hands clasped before her.

"Can I help you?" She asked as they stopped before her.

"Indeed, I believe I have finally found who I am looking for, my own fault for letting my excitement get the better of me. I had never expected you had moved."

"Excuse me?" Karin asked.

"You are Kurosaki Karin, yes?"

"Depends on who is asking." She crossed her arms and glared at him.

"Szayel Aporro Granz, head of Research and Development, 7th Espada." He introduced himself, arms held wide and bowing ever so slightly.

Karin frowned, feeling a bit of apprehension rise. This did not bode well and she unconsciously found herself gathering her reiatsu about her.

"You are indeed, Kurosaki Karin?" Szayel asked again.

She didn't answer, she wasn't going to let this creature know who she as.

"Karin, why are you still at the gate?" Lilinette asked as the Arrancar walked up behind her. "Oh, Szayel, what are you doing here?"

Karin could have face palmed, but the truth was out now, and Szayel had a wide grin on his face as his eyes lit up with delight.

"Aizen-kam has requested I run a few," a pause, "scans to see how our dear mother to be is coming along."

Lilinette looked at him confused and Karin felt a growl rise. As far as she knew only a select few knew she was pregnant. Not even her sister knew yet. She hadn't been able to find the words to tell anyone else.

"Mother?" Lilinette looked at her in confusion.

"I am Karin." She confirmed, stepping forward. "And I hate to break it to you, but I sure as hell will not be undergoing any sort of 'tests' you might want to run." She said firmly.

"My dear, you have no say in the matter."

"All I have to do is raise my reiatsu and Grimmjow will be here faster than you can blink to see what is going on."

"You don't seem to realize that there is no choice in the matter. My orders come from Aizen-kami himself."

She felt a spike of fear run up her spine. Drawing Aizen's attention was the last thing she wanted. Briefly she wondered how in the seven hells he had even found out she was with child. The only people who knew was herself, Grimmjow, Starrk and Unohana.

Unohana. Aizen's 'wife.' Of course she would have reported it. She would have had too.

She did not want to get anyone into trouble. She had seen Ukitake's back and that was Aizen being nice. She didn't want to know what he would do to her or Grimmjow, more him than her as she doubted Aizen would chance harming her and in the process her child, should she refuse.

"Starrk never mentioned anything about this." Lilinette frowned.

"I don't care what Aizen wants, I am not going to permit myself to be experimented on by the likes of you." Karin growled.

"There is no need to fear. I will only be running some scans. I am afraid I am not permitted to do anything else at this time." He actually looked disappointed.

Karin licked her lips nervously.

"I could always just go tell Aizen-kami you refused to co-operate." Szayel turned as if to walk away.

"Just scans, right?" Karin asked.

"No tests that will in anyway alter your being." Szayel promised.

Karin gave her head a small nod.

"Lilinette, can you let Starrk-san know where I am going in case Grimmjow comes back before I do."

"Yeah, sure." Lilinette still frowned at the two of them, but did return inside the Estate.

"Wonderful. Follow me to my lab please. This shouldn't take longer than a few hours."

Karin fell into step behind the Espada. The woman pulled out a clipboard and pen and followed on the other side of Szayel like a silent shadow.

"Forgive my excitement, but I simply can not contain it. May we please begin now? There are several questions I have."

"Yeah, sure. Why not?" Karin agreed. "But if I get a hint that anything you are about to do will threaten my child or myself there will be very little of you left by the time Grimmjow shows up to see why my reiatsu is spiked.

"Sigh, I already told you I will do nothing to alter you or your child. I do not wish to incur Aizen-kami's displeasure. Now, about how long have you been pregnant?"

"Just over a month." Karin answered.

"And the regular gestation period of your race?"

"Approximately nine months."

"Would you happen to know Grimmjow's approximate base period?"

"What?" She asked, truly confused by that question.

"Different base hollows have different gestation periods, much like the creatures we are born into." Szayel explained.

"Oh. Well he said he was a panther and I know a cat's gestation period is 2 months, but I don't feel nor look like I am halfway through."

"Panthers have 3 months. We must do an ultrasound, and of course some blood work."

Szayel started mumbling something about various other tests for a moment that the woman recorded on her clip board.

"Were you impregnated before or after the Claim?"

"Before." Karin admitted.

"Hmm. Note, Claiming may have an adverse affect, run test with un-Claimed partners later." Szayel spoke some more to the woman as she jolted down what he said on the clip board.

"How would you describe the level of sexual activity?"

"Very active." She admitted with a bit of a blush.

"Good Good. Does fertility run high in your family."

"I guess. I mean I have an older brother and twin sister."

"A twin! Fraternal or Identical?" He demanded with far too much excitement.

"Fraternal. She doesn't have any of the reiatsu like my brother or I have."

"Nemu, make a note to test the subjects reiatsu levels when we get to the lab."

"Hai, Szayel-sama." Nemu responded in a monotone voice.

"You are human, correct?"

"Well, yeah."

"Yet your brother has portrayed Shinigami and Hollow capabilities. Nemu, add a full spectrum blood test to the list."

"Hai, Szayel-sama."

Karin answered his questions, most of them ones she was expecting, others that she wondered what it had to do with the experiment at all. They eventually reached the research facility.

She was honestly expecting some sort of secret lab in a cave or basement, but this structure was actually wide open and appeared to be made mostly of glass. Inside dozens of people, both Arrancar and Shinigami, darted around working on various experiments.

There was no strained relationships here. Apparently the survivors from the 12th had adapted very quickly to their new head. The Shinigami didn't even wear their traditional robes, but rather white lab coats with Szayel's brand on them.

"It was a most pleasant surprise to find a fully equip lab with competent staff. I hardly had to terminate any of them." He commented when he noticed her looking around.

"Nemu, please lead our guest to examination room 4. I will join you shortly."

"Hai, Szayel-sama." Nemu bowed and led Karin around the work stations to a hallway and eventually to a sliding glass door with the number 4 on it.

It was a fully equip examination room with it's own set of equipment. Any Living World doctor's wet dream.

"Please strip, Karin-san." Nemu requested, holding out a hospital robe for her.

"Yeah, sure." Karin muttered.

She walked over to a corner and changed clothing. The room, while sterile, was surprisingly comfortable, warm and brightly lit. Karin recognized most of the equipment, and that help to ease her slightly.

They ran her through all the expected test, but the most interesting one was the Ultrasound. She wasn't expecting to see much of anything yet, but there it was, a picture of her baby as if she was already three or more months pregnant.

Karin stared at the picture they had printed off for her in shock.

"This can't be right." She murmured.

"Are you doubting my skills as a scientist?" Szayel asked with a hurt voice.

"No. I mean. At this point I should still only have an egg. The baby shouldn't be this developed yet." She frowned at the picture. "Unless I have been pregnant for longer. I could have gotten knocked up right after my last period. Perhaps it has been two months and just growing a bit faster."

Her hands went to her stomach and while she hadn't really noticed it before, there was a definite bump, small though it was.

"Well, I would guess your child is taking after the father than." Szayel suggested. "Which means I will want weekly updates."

"Are you saying I will give birth in two months?" Karin gapped at him.

"Indeed. Although why you are complaining is beyond me. My understanding is that women hate being pregnant. You should be thankful you will only have 3 months to go instead of nine." He pointed out.

She had to admit he got her there. She really wasn't looking forward to months of a bloated belly and swollen feet. He ran some more test and scans while she pondered her oncoming baby.

She was going to have to tell the others soon, that was for sure. At the min the baby would be here in two months. She suddenly stiffened. Something wasn't right. Her eyes darted around the room and she noticed her reiatsu was being drawn in four different vents.

Most would not have even noticed the drain was so small, but she could actually SEE it happen.

"What the fuck are you doing to me?" She shouted, jumping off of the bed and falling into a defensive stance.

He actually looked shock that she had noticed.

"What ever do you mean?" He asked innocently.

"I warned you, bastard." Karin shouted.

Karin flared her reiatsu, and in doing so lashed out with bolts of Kido at the four devices in the room, causing them to explode in a shower of sparks. She gathered the rest about her and kicked the table of instruments right at the Espada.

He didn't have time to move as the reiatsu infused cart slammed into him and knocked him to the ground.

"Nemu, grab her." Szayel ordered sharply.

"My apologies." Nemu said softly as the woman lunged at her, tackling her to the ground.

Karin gathered her reiatsu to her fist and slammed it into the woman's face. Nemu's head snapped back and her grip loosened, permitting Karin to send a reiatsu infused foot into the woman, successfully kicking her away.

She jumped to her feet in time to see Szayel pushing the cart off of himself and standing up, brushing invisible dirt from his uniform.

"Seriously, what is wrong with you?" Szayel demanded, adjusting his 'glasses.'

"What the hell are you trying to do to me?" She shouted.

"I think you are over reacting." Szayel tried to pacify her.

"What's going on here?" Came the rather furious shout of Grimmjow.

Karin wasted no time rushing to his side, glaring at the pink haired Espada.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, but only after sniffing her neck and running his reiatsu over hers to assure himself she was safe.

"It is just a misunderstanding, Grimmjow." Szayel said. "You do recall Aizen-kami wanting me to run a few experiments and Karin just over reacted to one."

"Like hell. You were draining my reiatsu." She snapped.

"Gathering some for study." Szayel quickly corrected.

"You don't need 4 ports for that." She snarled.

Szayel sighed dramatically.

"Again, you are over reacting. My apologies though, I should have warned you I was doing so." He looked around the messed up examination room. "Nemu, please see that this place is cleaned up."

"Hai, Szayel-sama."

"You come near her again and I will pull your teeth out through your ass." Grimmjow snarled, gathering her up.

She felt relief as his strong arm wrapped around her, pulling her closer. She nestled against him and he tightened his arm briefly before ushering her out of the Research Institute.

They walked in silence back to the Estate. She remained pinned to his side and she could feel his chest vibrate as he growled. Clearly he was an unhappy Arrancar and somehow that made her smile, knowing that he was that worried about her.

"Did he do anything?" Grimmjow growled halfway home.

"Just some normal tests. It wasn't until he tried to drain my reiatsu at the end that he tried anything."

"No injections?"

"No, and I told him if he wanted any blood he could ask Unohana-san for some."

She bit her lip nervously.

"Um, how long is your species gestation period?" She asked hesitantly.

"When I was still an Adjuchas, about 3 months. Not sure now, why?" He asked.

She dug into a pocket and pulled out the Ultrasound, passing it to him. He took it with the hand not attached to the arm pinning her to his side. He flicked his wrist a few times until it unfolded and stared at the picture.

"What is it?" He finally asked.

Karin sighed and took the picture back.

"Our child. See, you can see the arms and that's the head. But, this is what it would look like if I was three or four months pregnant, not one. I thought maybe it's possible I am two months along, assuming I conceived right after my last cycle, but still. It seems I am developing faster than anticipated.

"I don't think it's going to take the nine months I was anticipating. I think I should see Unohana-san again. I trust her far more than that pink haired freak."

He didn't comment and they made it back to the estate where Yuzu was more than pleased to see her safe return. Despite being distracted by her sister's disappearance, Yuzu, Hana and even Lilinette had managed to make a stock pile of assorted Origami.

After assuring her sister that she was fine, Grimmjow dragged her to the garden attached to their shared room. He sat down under one of the trees and pulled her into his lap, washing his reiatsu over her as if inspecting her for any injuries while nuzzling her neck.

She could feel his agitation and could almost visualize him with hackles and fur fully up. She sent her own reiatsu back at him, stroking against his comfortingly. It took about an hour for him to calm down.

"The next time Szayel shows his ass around here, you summon me. Got it?" He commanded.

"I think I handled myself just fine. Besides, he said Aizen ordered it and if I hadn't gone it just would have gotten both of us in trouble."

"I'll deal with Aizen, but I don't want that bastard anywhere near my child."

"Aizen is far more powerful then anyone else here. How would you plan on 'handling him?'" She snapped back.

It was nice to know he was worried about her, but sometimes it felt a little smothering. She could take care of herself. She was a bloody Kurosaki, they didn't lie down easily. Having met her brother he should know that.

"I'll handle it." He snapped back.

She pulled out of his grip so she could turn to face him. He growled in protest and snagged her wrist so she couldn't escape. She jerked her hand out of his and stood over him, glaring down with hands on her hips.

"I am not some foolish idiot that believes for a second anyone could stand up to Aizen. I can bloody well SEE his power. Not even Starrk-san comes close to it. Even if he doubled his power he would still be a star to the sun. So don't tell me you will 'deal with it.'" She shouted angrily before storming off.

"_Stupid idiot. Going against Aizen would just get him killed. Than where would Yuzu and I be? I am almost strong enough to defend us but not yet. Well, Starrk-san would probably let us live here.__"_

She sighed.

"_Great, now I am in self denial. If he were to get his ass killed or trashed it would make me upset. And__…__.__"_ Her hand went to her stomach, just starting to show it's bump, _"__the thought of raising my child without a father is__…__..__"_

She couldn't finish the thought. She had been raised without a mother for most of her life and she knew it had a profound affect on her. She couldn't bear the thought of her child being raised without a father.

She made it to one of the other many gardens and leaned against one of the many trees before sliding down it to sit at the base. Her head fell back to stare at the sky through the branches above her.

Her mind went numb and unconsciously she closed her eyes and started to mediate as Ukitake had showed her. She slipped into the inner world of peace that was Jinzen. She hadn't even realized she had slipped into Jinzen until she snapped awake as she felt someone approach her.

"Did I disturb you, Karin-chan?" Ukitake asked warmly.

"Ukitake-san? What time is it?" She asked, looking up to notice the sun was all the way across the sky.

"Dinner time. I believe Yuzu-chan and Hana-chan have prepared a rather large meal to congratulate Nanao-san on her first day of work."

"I'll be right there." She promised.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, concern in his voice.

"Nothing I can't handle." She assured him. "It's just been a stressful day. Apparently Aizen asked some pink haired freak to run some test on me."

"Szayel-san?" Ukitake asked, and the concern in his voice was stronger.

"Yeah. Bastard tried to drain my reiatsu, oh it was nice and slow and if I couldn't see reiatsu I probably wouldn't have noticed, but he assured me that he wouldn't do anything to alter my being and that is bloody well altering." She snapped angrily.

"What happened?" Ukitake asked, sitting down beside her.

"I kicked a reiatsu laden medical cart into his face and flared my reiatsu." She smirked. "You should have seen the shock on his face just before it hit."

She fondly recalled the look of shock before the cart had cut off her view of him as it slammed into him. Of all the Espada he was by far the weakest, his strength a fair ways below Grimmjow's, but still much higher than any other Arrancar.

"I take it Grimmjow-san didn't care too much for Szayel-san's interest?"

"No." She sighed, leaning back against the tree. "But if Aizen wants these tests, there is no way to stop them from happening."

"Why is Aizen-kami interested in running test on you anyway?" Ukitake asked with a frown.

Karin froze. She had forgotten Ukitake didn't know she was pregnant. She briefly toyed with the idea of telling him, but stopped as Hana came running into the garden.

" 'take-ji, Karin-san, come on, come on. Foods ready." Hana called happily.

Both of them smiled at the little girl and got to their feet, heading towards the dinning room where everyone except Grimmjow waited for them.

Nanao had a slight blush to her face and was still in Uniform. Karin smiled sympathetically at the woman before the evening dissolved into a rather pleasant dinner. Unconsciously she sought out Grimmjow's reiatsu during the later part of dessert.

He was just returning back to the estate and heading to their room. She sighed and briefly toyed with the idea of spending the night with Yuzu, but decided against it. She was no coward and just because they had an argument didn't mean she was going to run away.

All couples had arguments and she briefly toyed with the idea of apologizing for over reacting. She couldn't blame him for being upset. If anything happened to her there was a risk he could lose his child as well as her.

After the congratulation party and aftermath she headed towards their room. Despite herself she paused at the door before sliding it open and entering, closing it behind her. He was lounging on the futon, still completely clothed.

She ignored him as she undressed and set her clothes aside before crawling under the blankets and leaving her back facing him. They remained in awkward silence for over an hour before she felt his reiatsu brush hesitantly against hers.

She sighed and brushed lightly back, letting him know she was completely fine. She felt him shift and a moment later he crawled under the blankets and pulled her into his grasp, snaking an arm around her to gently stroke a breast.

"I am still mad." She said firmly, not in the mood for sex tonight. _"__For all the other nights I have giving him he can stand to skip one.__"_ She grumbled to herself.

He didn't say anything, simply nuzzled the crock of her neck and rubbed his body against hers.

She couldn't help it, she sighed and relaxed into his warm embrace. His hand left her breast to rub the small bulge in her stomach before resting there. Eventually she drifted off to sleep.


	18. Explaining Ones Rights: Again

Explaining Ones Rights: Again….

Orihime had no idea what had changed, but much like Karin she found herself moved into Ulquiorra's room and frequently under him. At first she thought her acceptance of the Claim was what had sent him into sexual overdrive, but this was something that had started shortly after he had brought them to Starrk's to talk to Karin.

It was also different because he was in complete control of his senses and not even released. It felt more mechanical. Oh there were still nights where he released and had her squirming, begging and crying in pleasure beneath him, but where as the nights he had slept with her were more weekly to biweekly, it was now damn near nightly!

She and Tatsuki tried to figure out why he had changed after so long, but so far they could only draw blanks. Well tonight she was going to ask him why he was suddenly so interested in actually sleeping with her on a regular biases.

She waited until after they were both alone in their now shared room, getting ready to go to bed.

"Ulquiorra-san?"

He paused and looked at her.

"I was wondering why the, umm, sudden… increased… interest?" She asked, rubbing an arm nervously as she awaited his answer.

"It has come to my attention that….. children were possibly between our species." He admitted.

She froze and stared at him in complete and utter shock. She had never, ever, for a single moment considered the fact she could get pregnant. Wait a minute!

"Are you trying to get me Pregnant?" She demanded sharply.

"It is expected of….."

"Stop." She held up a hand.

She took a few calming breaths and sat on the edge of the bed as she tried to sort out how to get him to understand that just deciding she should bear a child was wrong. It took years to get him to see that raping her was wrong, how the hell was she going to tackle this one?

She looked back up to study him, trying to gauge his mood and seeing a blank slate with a slight twitch of irritation in his eyes. He always hated it when she defied him as he still had a very difficult time trying to understand that even if he 'owned' her, she still had rights too.

"Look, I wont say I never want children, but right now I am not ready to raise a child. You do know there is more to children than just having them, right?" She asked.

He gave a short nod of his head.

"There are other things involved. They need emotional support and," she sighed, "I am not so sure you are ready for something like a crying child. You can't just order a child to stop crying and expect it to even understand."

"You are saying I am the one not ready?" He asked sharply.

"Both of us aren't ready." She said firmly. "I am still adjusting to this change in our relationship. Any child brought into a household without Love is doomed to become a problem."

"You were raised with Love?" He asked.

She stiffened and sighed. It was true she had not been raised by her parents, but rather by her brother.

"Yes. Niisan loved me very much." She declared firmly.

"And since you do not Love me you believe we could not raise a child properly?" He questioned with a hint of disbelief.

"It would be difficult on the child to know their parents do not love one another. Kids can pick up on those kind of things and sometimes they end up taking sides. Could you handle a child that hates you because it feels like you have wronged me?" She asked. "Because I know I could not."

He was silent for some time and she knew he was thinking about it. He would analyze what she had said before responding.

"How long do you think it will take for you to Love me?" He asked.

"What! Love is not something you plan. You above all others should know that. It just sort of happens."

"Soon or some time?" He demanded.

She sighed.

"I don't know. Pulling stuff like this on me doesn't help." She admitted softly.

"I see no reason why I should need to discuses this. It is the next expected step after claiming a territory and mate." He commented.

She felt a groan coming on and once more had to remind herself he wasn't human and his ways were different from hers. It was so difficult to explain to him what was nature to her, just as she had a hard time understanding what was nature to him. And did he just refer to her as a mate?

She left that part alone for the time being, deciding to address it after she convinced him they were definitely not ready to have children. This was definitely one hell of a bombshell.

"If it turns out I can never love you, would you still force me to bear you a child?" She asked, fearing his answer.

"It is my right." He answered firmly.

"You would go back to raping me?" She asked softly, casting her eyes down to the hands clenched in her lap.

She felt him bristle. He hated it when she referred to it that way, but to her that was exactly what it was. Maybe she could get Grimmjow to beat some more sense into him. It worked wonders on the last issue and might help resolve this one as well.

"I would prefer you were willing." He reluctantly admitted.

"Remember what I told you about Love earlier, how both need to make sacrifices for the sake of the other?"

He gave a short nod of his head.

"Give me a year, please, to try and learn to love you." She requested.

"And if you do not after a year?" He questioned.

"Then," she sighed, "I will agree to try and have a child." She promised. "As I said, both must give."

"And if you Love me before the year is out?"

"Than we can try earlier." She folded.

"Acceptable."

The conversation was clearly over. She crawled into the bed and he joined her a moment later after putting his own uniform away. They lay back to back and she found herself unable to sleep.

He had dropped one hell of a bombshell on her. She didn't doubt that he would still take his right of her body since she was positive she wouldn't be able to convince him to abstinence anytime soon. There was of course a chance she could conceive from that alone.

She blushed a bit as she considered talking to him about other methods to make sure she didn't get pregnant. Somehow she doubted she would be able to convince him to use condoms from here on out, even if she could muster up the courage to speak to him about it. Maybe she could speak to Unohana-san about birth control pills.

Trying to get her pregnant just because apparently he had discovered their two races were compatible was definitely something she had never thought of. Compatible. Human and Hollow were compatible. How would he have come to such a ludicrous conclusion?

Orihime bolted up right, turning to stare at him in shock. He looked over his shoulder to regard her at the sudden movement.

"Why do you think we are compatible?" She demanded.

She feared she already knew the answer. There were only four humans being held here, and of the four only two of them were sexually active. Since she was not pregnant that left only one other horrible possibility.

"There has been a successful crossbreeding." He answered.

"Are you saying Karin is Pregnant?" She demanded.

"It has been confirmed by Unohana-san."

She stared at him completely dumbfounded. Karin, Ichigo's younger sister, was knocked up by the same man who had tried to kill her brother no less then three times that she was aware of.

"Go to sleep." He ordered.

She lay back down but her mind was in far too much turmoil to even consider going to sleep. Briefly she wondered if he wanted a child for himself, or simply because he couldn't stand Grimmjow accomplishing something he could not. The two of them had been sleeping together for far longer than Karin and Grimmjow had been.

(TIME)

She didn't know when she had fallen asleep, but when Orihime woke up the next morning Ulquiorra was already gone and the smell of breakfast wafted through the house. Tatsuki was just dishing out the omelettes onto plates when Orihime entered the room.

"Morning." Tatsuki greeted her warmly.

"Karin's pregnant." Orihime couldn't help but to blurt.

Tatsuki dropped the fortunately empty spatula. Her childhood friend turned slowly to face her, a look of pure shock on her face.

"What? Why do you think that? Oh?" Tatsuki caught on quickly. "Is that why Ulquiorra has become more demanding? He is trying to get you Pregnant?" She demanded sharply.

"Was. I got him to agree to stop for now, or at least not try every night since I doubt he will stop completely." She assured her friend before Tatsuki went off the deep end on him.

She sat down at the table while Tatsuki retrieved the spatula from the floor and brought their plates to the table.

"For now?" Tatsuki asked, sitting down at her place.

"I got him to agree to at least wait a year to give me time to," she sighed, "love him."

"Is that even possible?" Tatsuki asked softly.

"I don't know." She admitted sadly.

"And after the year?"

Orihime looked at her plate, unable to answer. Tatsuki let out a sigh and reached a hand out to cover one of Orihime's.

"I wish I could take even half of your suffering for you." She whispered.

"I know. Just being here for me is a relief." Orihime responded with a soft smile. "I don't think I could have done this alone."

"I will always be here. Now, you said Karin is Pregnant?"

Orihime nodded her head.

Tatsuki frowned.

"She is too young. This will not be easy on her. I presume the father is Grimmjow?"

"Yeah, which is the only reason I think Ulquiorra is even really that interested in having a child."

"Which is wrong." They both sighed at the same time.

"Well, at least you staved him off for a year. Maybe you can convince him in that time that just deciding to have a child takes more planning."

Orihime merely nodded in agreement before taking a bite of her cooling omelette.

(POV)

She was so infuriating, but he couldn't bring himself to force her. And he reluctantly admitted she had brought up a valid point. True his instinct was telling him now that he had a Claimed female and a secure den that the next logical step was to produce offspring. He had just never really thought about it because he had never believed he could impregnate her.

As Grimmjow had pointed out in their argument a while back, the only females worth even considering to breed with were Harribel and her fraccion. Harribel would definitely be a worthy conquest, but she was strong enough that he could end up being enslaved instead of succeeding in a Mating Claim should she spurn his advances.

And Aizen had forbidden the Espada from Claiming each other. He would never go against Kami's laws. There were of course her fraccion, but he would have to go through her to get to them, and again Aizen had forbidden anyone to Claim another's fraccion. It was one of the reasons the other Arrancar were so desperate to be chosen as fraccion.

An Espada could Claim their own fraccion, there was no law against that, but as far as he knew none had been. The rest of the Arrancar ranks rankled him and he had no interest in any of them.

Despite being human, Orihime had a rather interesting power and a part of him wondered if it wouldn't breed through. She was rather pleasing to the eye as well and while her personality could be a source of irritation, it was hardly a continuous source.

As Grimmjow had pointed out, the other female Arrancar were after power and would do anything for it. Orihime would never attempt to lie or lay down praise in an attempt to get something from him. She would straight up tell him.

His walk led him back to the clearing he and Grimmjow had destroyed and once again he found himself reluctantly admitting that when it came to emotional things and things involving Women, Grimmjow was one up on him.

Love was mostly an abstract concept to Hollows. Any Claimed female instinctively understood the next step was to bred. It was in their nature to offer themselves to try and get pregnant.

But they were Arrancar now, not the more instinctive driven Adjucas. They were basically the emotional equivalent of a Vasto Lorde now and were capable of feeling and expressing a much larger spectrum of emotion.

Granted he had been a Vasto Lorde before Aizen had found him, but he was freshly evolved. Not like Starrk and Barragan who had been Vasto Lorde before Ulquiorra had even began his forgotten, human life.

After several hours of intense internal debate he decided that it might be time to see what other advice about getting a woman to love you Grimmjow might have. The sooner he could get her to love him, the sooner he could ease the instinct to breed her.


	19. Drawing Power

Drawing Power:

Karin frowned as she heard a banging on the front door. Nanao and Ukitake were both at work and Yuzu was with Hana in the kitchen preparing lunch. Lilinette was off somewhere, Grimmjow had some sort of meeting and Starrk was also surprisingly absent today, having a mission from Aizen.

She sighed and scanned to see who could be visiting anyway and scowled as she recognized Szayel's reiatsu and another that was on par with Grimmjow's. Both were Espada then and would easily be able to force their way in if they truly desired.

Grumbling, and imaging different ways to kill the pink haired freak, she went to answer the door and hoped they were actually here for Starrk.

"What?" She asked coldly as she opened the door to glare at them.

Sure enough Szayel was standing there, and beside him was a lanky man with an eye patch and a grin that sent a shiver up her spine. She suddenly hated this man and all she had done was look at him. He had a strange, huge, double crescent moon weapon slung casually over one shoulder.

"Ah Karin-san, just the young woman I am here to see." Szayel greeted her warmly.

"Fuck off. I am not going with you so don't even bother to ask. I gave you a chance already."

"Again, that was a simple misunderstanding and I apologize. Must I remind you that it is Aizen-kami's will that I run these tests to assure…."

"Unohana-san ran some test yesterday. You want some material, go ask her." Karin interrupted with a snap.

"This bitch needs to learn her place." The tall one commented with a sneer.

"And this asshole needs to get lost." She snapped back.

His eye narrowed.

"Do you have any idea who you are addressing wench?" He demanded sharply.

"No, nor do I care."

"Nnoitra Gilga, 5th Espada. You should show some respect slave." He sneered at her.

"Good for you." She offered him a golf clap. "Now screw off." She made to close the door, but Nnoitra's hand shot out to stop it.

"I think you fail to realize you have been giving an order by a superior bitch, and I suggest you follow it."

"And last I checked you don't own me." Karin snapped back. "The only way I will agree to any test you may want to do will be either under Unohana-san's supervision at the 4th, or with Grimmjow present. So unless you want to wait for him to come back or book a time at the fourth, I suggest you leave now and stop wasting my time."

"Grimmjow is only 6th, I out rank him. Now I suggest you come quietly like a good little slave." Nnoitra ordered, kicking the door open and grabbing her wrist.

"Nnoitra." Szayel warned.

Karin let him drag her out of the house and into the street before she reacted, spinning about and slamming a reiatsu laden foot into his knee. He hardly looked injured and her foot was hurting like she had kicked a solid, mettle door.

"_Damn it. Bloody thick, armoured skin bullshit."_ She growled inward.

He pulled on her arm and his superior strength sent her flying further down the path. She managed to land on her feet and spun to face him, anger rising.

"Nnoitra, do not harm her. You risk harming the child." Szayel lectured.

"The brat will be fine. I suggest you come along like a good slave if you don't want your legs broken. She don't need those for her baby."

Szayel elegantly face palmed while Karin felt her anger rise. How dare he threaten her.

"Nnoitra, we do not need to add Grimmjow's volatile temperament to the situation. She is Claimed and as such she can summon him if she feels threatened. I knew I never should have let you come." Szayel finished with a frustrated sigh.

"Shut it. You want her, I'll get her for you." Nnoitra snapped and started to waltz up to her.

Karin fell into a defensive stance and gathered her reiatsu about her, concentrating most of it into her fists. She didn't flare her reiatsu for help just yet. She knew Grimmjow was in some sort of meeting and she didn't want him to get into trouble by storming out of it to her rescue if she didn't need it.

Nnoitra swung what she assumed was his Zanpakuto down and impaled it into the ground before continuing towards her.

"I got the strongest hierro out of any of the Arrancar. Think you can hurt me little woman?" He laughed.

She studied his reiatsu as it flowed about him, looking for weak points to attack. She planned her assault as he waltzed up to her completely open to attack. Clearly he was a confident bastard.

Considering how much her foot hurt she had a sinking feeling it was a confidence well earned. He reached a hand out to grab her and she ducked under it, spinning about and slamming her foot into his knee. She also slammed her reiatsu against his as her foot connected.

A small look of surprise crossed his grinning face as her kick hit him with enough force to buckle the joint. He most definitely didn't go down but his step did falter. Her foot didn't hurt this time as she was smart enough to use a kido shield to protect the joint.

The shield still shattered on impact, but at least her ankle was protected from damage. He quickly recovered from his surprise that she had enough force to actually buckle the leg.

"Looks like the bitch has a bit of bite." He laughed.

This time he swung at her.

"Nnoitra." Szayel cried.

"Shut it." Nnoitra snapped back.

Karin ducked under the attack and once more spun about, aiming for his other knee. He stepped back this time. She smirked as she finished the double spin and her fist slammed into his face, driving his head back.

Once against the kido shield protecting her hand shattered under the impact and it tipped him back slightly, but she left no mark behind and if she hurt him he did one hell of a good job not showing it.

"Enough of this." Szayel tried once more to stop them, or more accurately Nnoitra.

"Told you to shut it. You want the bitch in your lab, I'll get her there."

"And once again I aint going, so fuck off." She snapped.

Nnoitra came after her again and she once more fell into the defensive stance Grimmjow had hammered into her. She didn't try to stand toe to toe with him. Grimmjow knew she was not a strength fighter like he was. In response, he trained her to use her opponents strengths against them.

She used Nnoitra's strikes against him as trained; spinning, ducking and weaving. His temper started to fray as she continued to avoid capture and used his own momentum against him. Nnoitra stopped holding back as his temper frayed and his next punch was fast pace and managed to clip her.

She cried out in pain and clutched her arm, fearful he might have actually cracked the bone for the pain that erupted. Nnoitra took the opening and snagged her uninjured arm. She felt panic overcome her at her capture and slammed all of her reiatsu against his.

She reacted completely on instinct now. Karin summoning up a Kido binding to protect her injured arm and went after Nnoitra like a rabid dog; kicking and punching while still countering his attempts to attack her back. He snarled at her as her last punch had enough force to send blood spurting out of his nose.

He countered with a hard slap to her face that sent her flying back and was probably heard a mile away. She wouldn't notice the pain until later when the adrenaline wore off and when her eyes shot back to her opponent they held no sense whatsoever.

"Fucking bitch. I am going to break your fucking arms and legs. You don't need them for no damn kid." Nnoitra roared.

"Nnoitra stop." Szayel cried out, and this time actually moved to intervene.

Things were getting way too far out of control. His interference was reward with a Cero heading his way as Nnoitra fired a quick one off. Szayel dodged to the side but the edge still clipped him and sent him spinning to the ground, blood starting to seep into his white uniform.

Nnoitra charged another and sent it her way. Karin copied the reiatsu pattern, drawing the reiatsu available to her and countered with her own. Both met in the middle and exploded, causing a dust cloud to erupt around them.

(POV)

Szayel stared at Karin in complete shock. Clutching his bleeding side and climbing back to his feet he gasped as Karin's reiatsu washed over him. Her reiatsu was much darker and her eyes were completely dilated and unseeing.

"_Impossible_." He thought shocked.

But he couldn't deny what he was feeling and seeing. Her reiatsu was no longer her own. In fact she fired another Cero Nnoitra's way before screaming in rage when it missed and attacking Nnoitra once more like a wild animal.

Nnoitra was actually put on the defensive as Karin went at him, her strikes leaving a mark even on his strengthened hierro.

Szayel could only watch in disbelief as her reiatsu slammed painful against his, tasting half like hers and half like a hollows.

"_Impossible_." He thought again.

Karin had Nnoitra pinned to a rock face now, still screaming in rage and assaulting him with a speed that was not her own. Nnoitra finally seemed to come to his senses and with a shout of his own rage managed to capture both of her hands with his.

She responded by firing a point blank Kido spell into his face and slamming the full force of her empowered reiatsu against him, slamming Nnoitra back into the rock face once more.

With a static sound of Sonido, another person was suddenly there. Starrk grabbed Karin in a hug; pinning her arms to her side and twisting her to face away from Nnoitra.

With her now actually facing him Szayel could only stare at the rage on her face in shock while watching in awe as her warped reiatsu clashed against Starrk's as she struggled violently to escape the 1st's hold on her.

Nnoitra was leaning against the rock wall, a small trail of blood leaking from his nose and bruises starting to form.

Karin struggled like a wild cat in Starrk's arms; lashing her reiatsu, Kido spells and even firing a Cero point blank range at the 1st. The Cero did more damage to her than Starrk, who remained impassive as he held her.

"Karin." Starrk finally spoke softly.

She roared and struggled against him.

"Karin, enough. You are safe now." Starrk said again calmly.

Her struggles lessoned slightly.

"Nnoitra you idiot." Szayel snapped in rage.

Nnoitra spat out a small amount of blood from where his teeth had slashed his tongue during one of her punches. Szayel suddenly froze as he studied the scene.

Distraught Karin. Check

Beaten up Nnoitra. Check.

Starrk calming the raging woman down. Check.

Hybrid Shinigami/Hollow reiatsu flaring from the distraught woman slowly calming down. Double check

Pissed of Grimmjow arriving to see why the woman he Claimed was flaring an impressive amount of reiatsu and should be sending pure panic through the Claim. Not Check.

Where the hell was Grimmjow? He shot his gaze back to Karin, who was finally calming down as Starrk held onto her. Finally her rage played out and she slumped against the 1st. All at once her reiatsu winked out to near extinguished as she fell unconscious.

Szayel would never say he was one to panic, always able to maintain a level head regardless of the situation, but right now he panicked. If any harm came to her Aizen would skin them all alive, then stitch their skin back on and do it all over again. Right now her reiatsu was so exhausted that if he wasn't staring right at her and could see her chest rise and fall he would think she was dead.

"The 4th, now." Szayel snapped.

Starrk nodded and picked Karin up bridal style before disappearing with a bang. Szayel spared a second to scowl at Nnoitra before chasing after the 1st. Starrk's speed was far superior to his own and by the time he arrived at the fourth, the 1st was already laying Karin down on a stretcher while a concerned Unohana hovered over the unconscious girl.

"What happened?" Unohana demanded as he approached and they rolled the stretcher bearing Karin into a nearby room.

Starrk did not follow, but rather waited in the main room.

"She got in a scrap with Nnoitra." Szayel answered quickly, following Unohana.

"How?"

"Aizen-kami asked me to run some more tests on her and Nnoitra came along out of boredom. When she refused to come with us he tried to force her." Szayel admitted reluctantly. "I told him to let it go and tried to stop him." He quickly tried to excluded himself from fault.

She may have been Aizen's pet bitch to breed his heir, but Szayel knew Aizen took her reports seriously. And while they both worked in different biological fields, he did respect her knowledge of the body.

They got Karin into the room and Unohana quickly ran a scan of the comatose girl's body, a frown of concentration on her face.

"She is just heavily exhausted and most of her reiatsu is drained." Unohana finally announced.

Szayel let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. Involved or not had the girl been in any real medical trouble Aizen would have punished him severely.

"The baby?" He asked worriedly.

"The child is completely fine and there is no damage to her stomach or abdomen. She does have some wounds from her fight, but nothing more serious then bruises and scrapes. They will heal on their own quickly enough." Unohana assured him.

Szayel had a moment to sigh in relief before commotion broke out at the main entrance, drawing both of their attentions. Unohana headed to the door to check it out and shot him a pointed glance when he made no motion to move. He reluctantly followed her out of the room. What met them at the entrance arose more questions then they answered.

Ulquiorra was just setting Grimmjow down on a stretcher, the other completely inert but seemingly uninjured. Hovering over them was a concerned Ukitake.

"What happened?" Unohana asked as they entered the room.

"He ran from the meeting shouting something about Karin and made it four blocks before suddenly collapsing." Ulquiorra answered.

Unohana frowned as she walked up to the stretcher and rested a hand on Grimmjow's shoulder while she scanned for what was wrong. She removed her hand and blinked.

"He is completely drained of reiatsu, but is otherwise fine." She announced, confusion in her voice.

Szayel prided himself on being one of the smartest people around, second only to Aizen actually. As such he quickly put two and two together and still came out with five. Which was fine because he was damn certain he was using large values of two in the equation.

"She drained him." He realized aloud.

"What?" Unohana asked, looking up at him.

"She drained him, that's why Karin-san's reiatsu felt like a hollows and how she was throwing Ceros around."

Unohana still seemed to be a bit confused.

"How much do you know about Claims?" He asked her.

"A bit. It was my understanding that only a Mating Claim could drain another when one was threatened. A shinigami, and most certainly a human, should not be able to return a Claim though."

He held his hands out helplessly, but Ukitake had a thoughtful frown on his face as he stared at the coma toast Grimmjow.

"I wonder." He pondered.

All eyes turned to face the white haired Taichou.

He licked his lips nervously before speaking.

"Karin-chan can physically see reiatsu. What if," Ukitake paused and looked down at the unconscious Espada," what if Karin-chan SAW what Grimmjow-san was doing when he Claimed her, and copied it without realizing what she was doing."

"How though?" Szayel frowned, although he was now definitely intrigued.

"Well, if she can fuse her reiatsu with an object, why not a person?" Ukitake suggested.

Now everyone was looking at him.

"You are suggesting she used her ability to see and manipulate reiatsu to accidentally completed the Claim without even realizing what she was doing." Szayel asked instantly intrigued.

Oh this was definitely interesting. No wonder she knew he was drawing some of her reiatsu despite the fact the drain should have been completely unnoticeable. She physically **saw** what he was doing.

It also explained how she was tossing about Ceros if she had unconsciously drawn on Grimmjow's reiatsu to defend herself. In her panic she had drawn everything she could and drained him without even realizing what she had done.

"Is there anything we can do for them?" Ukitake asked.

"Nothing that rest won't cure." Unohana assured them. "Let's get him to a room to recover."

"Is there any reason why Grimmjow-san can not share a room with Karin-chan?" Ukitake asked.

"I see no reason why not." Unohana agreed.

They wheeled Grimmjow into Karin's room. Karin was still completely unconscious and didn't even stir at the disturbance. Unohana ushered them all out once more, leaving the two patients in silence.

"I should get back to the Estate to let Yuzu-chan know her sister is alright." Ukitake excused himself.

"I will make sure you are kept inform." Unohana assured him.

Ukitake thanked her and left. Unohana turned to her staff to give them their instructions on the pair.

"I will need a sample of their blood and reiatsu to study for my report to Aizen-kami before I depart." Szayel spoke up.

Unohana looked at him, but gave a soft nod of her head in acquiescence.

"The appropriate needles and vials are in the marked drawer." She offered, pointing to one of the counters.

He nodded and went right to the right drawer, pulled out two needles and several different vials of various size with different coloured caps. He walked into the room and frowned.

Karin's bed was empty. His eyes darted over to the other bed before walking up to it. Grimmjow was still completely inert, but he was no longer alone. Karin was curled up against him, apparently completely asleep once more and clutching onto the Arrancar as if afraid he would disappear in her slumber.

He held one of the needles up and sighed. He set it aside and instead pulled out a small device from one of his many hidden pockets and pointed it at Grimmjow. He was omitting so little reiatsu it hardly registered on the device. Karin was just as weak.

He returned the device to its appropriate place in the right pocket before picking up the needles once more. Karin shifted and murmured something before nuzzling closer to her bed mate.

Szayel sighed and turned about.

"I am getting far too soft living in this world of ease." He grouched as he walked out of the room.

"Szayel-sama?" One of the Shinigami asked as he exited the room.

"I will expect a full blood sample from both of them by tomorrow evening." He said as he handed the tray of needles and vials over to the shocked man.

"Ahh. Hai, Szayel-sama." The man bowed nervously.

He waltzed out of the 4th back to his lab. He had a number of thesis to put together and a need to think about which tests he could do that wouldn't anger Aizen.

(POV)

Karin woke slowly in confusion. She had no idea where she was or how she got there. The last thing she remembered was fighting that dip shit Nnoitra. She was warm and she was practically laying on someone.

She blinked her eyes open to see an unfamiliar room. She recognized the person she was curled up to right away, but his reiatsu was so low that she felt a bolt of panic. What had happened? How did they get here?

She felt exhausted and drained but she didn't seem to be very injured. She slowly sat up and looked about. Once she got a good look, and sniff, she quickly determined that she must be in the 4th.

Grimmjow didn't even stir as she moved and she frowned down at him. He didn't seem to be injured at all and once more she wished she knew what in the seven hells had happened.

"Ah, Karin-san, I see you have awakened."

Her eyes bolted to the door where one of the members of the 4th was smiling at her. He was wearing glasses and it took her a second but she recalled seeing him before. He was the one Grimmjow had yelled at when he had first brought her here.

"What happened?" She asked, her voice rather groggy.

"You were both brought in drained of reiatsu. Unohana-taichou is assured all you need is rest to recover. However..." The man paused.

"What?" She asked when he didn't finish right away.

"Szayel-sama requires a blood sample from you both." The man said, nervously adjusting his glasses with one hand while holding out a tray with needles, swabs, band aids and vials.

She looked at him in surprise before nodding her head and sitting up some more. He seemed relieved and approached the bed, setting down the tray on the stand next to the bed. He still seemed highly nervous and his eyes kept glancing to Grimmjow.

She smiled in understanding and made to crawl out of the bed. This time Grimmjow did move. He bolted upright with a start, smacking his head against hers and the bone fragments on his face cutting her cheek.

"Fuck." He cursed.

"Ouch." She growled, wiping some of the blood from her cut cheek on the back of her hand.

"Shit." He growled when he realized he had hurt her, trying to turn her face to see the cut.

"I am fine." She fended off his attempt to see. "Just a scratch." She assured him.

He studied it for a second before finally letting her go.

The shinigami shuffled nervously and once more adjusted his glasses. The shuffled caught both of their attentions.

Grimmjow growled at him. Karin finished climbing off the bed and moved back over to her own. She sat down and started to pump her fist.

"Gomanasi. I seem to have forgotten your name." She spoke, trying to ease the sudden tension in the room.

"Iemura Yasochika, 3rd seat." He introduced himself.

"Kurosaki Karin. It is a pleasure to meet you." She offered him a warm smile.

"What are you doing?" Grimmjow demanded.

Iemura shook slightly in fear.

"Szayel wants a blood sample from the two of us." Karin answered. "What happened anyway?" She asked.

"All I know is you were both admitted for a severe drain of your reiatsu." Iemura answered.

Grimmjow frowned and Karin tried to recall how such a thing happened.

"If you don't mind me asking, what is the last thing you recall?"

"Szayel showed up with some jerk off who thought he could get me to go with them." She growled.

"And?" Iemura pressed softly when she didn't continue.

"My fist told him no." She said coldly.

Grimmjow smirked at her response before a scowl once more crossed his features.

"Who attack you?" He demanded with a growl.

"Some jack off named Nnoitra. The last thing I remember is fighting him."

She frowned at the lose of memory. What the hell had happened?

Iemura finished drawing her blood into the different coloured vials and removed the needle. He labelled the samples and set them on the tray before turning to look nervously at the Espada.

Grimmjow crossed his arms and glared at him, daring the Shinigami to just try and take any of his blood.

"I'll do it." Karin smiled in amusement, taking the tray and walking up to him.

"Karin-san." Iamura tried to protest.

"It's fine. I am well trained and use to assist in a clinic." She assured him.

"What makes you think I will give any of my blood to that sick freak?" Grimmjow growled, but he let her approach.

Karin set the tray on the side table and sat down beside him on the bed, holding her hand out while she waited for him to give her his arm.

"You know as well as I do that if this is what Aizen wants, he'll get it. Would you trust Szayel to draw your blood over me?" She asked when he still didn't move.

He growled something under his breath, but reluctantly held out his arm for her. She set about gathering the required blood into the vials, labelled them properly and handed them over to Iemura. The Shingami seemed rather relieved to make a quick retreat.

They sat in silence for a minute before she felt his weakened reiatsu run across her own as he pulled her into his grasp, hands exploring every inch of her body to seek out all her injuries.

"Every cut, every bruise he gave you will be revisited upon him." Grimmjow growled.

"I doubt that will be necessary."

Both looked up to see Unohana standing at the door, a soft smile on her face.

"You left a good number of marks yourself, Karin-san. How are you both feeling?" Unohana asked.

"Tired and drained. A little sore but otherwise fine." Karin answered.

Unohana turned her gaze to Grimmjow.

"I am fine." He snorted.

"What happened?" Karin asked.

"A rather interesting thing. Grimmjow-san, perhaps you could answer her question." Unohana smiled at him.

"All I know was that I was heading her way when I suddenly blacked out." He admitted reluctantly.

"Karin-san was in danger against a powerful opponent." Unohana prompted.

Karin looked between the two of them in confusion. Grimmjow seemed confused for a moment as well before his eyes suddenly widened in shock and his gaze darted to her.

"Impossible." He said.

"Improbable," Unohana corrected, "but it seems somehow it happened. It is the only explanation both Szayel-san and myself have been able to come up with."

"What?" Karin demanded.

She hated being left in the dark and she turned a glare onto Grimmjow. What did they know that she didn't?

"I will leave it to you to explain, as my knowledge in such areas is limited."

"How though?" He demanded before Unohana could leave.

"Is it that much different to fuse ones reiatsu with a person than say, a rock?" Unohana asked before closing the door and leaving the two alone.

"What is going on?" Karin demanded sharply.

"The Claim." He growled.

"What about it?" Karin asked with a frown.

Had something gone wrong with it? Is that why they had both been drained?

"How did you return it?"

"What?" She asked in disbelief.

"You drained my reiatsu to defend yourself. That is why I passed out and have no reiatsu left at the moment. Only a MATING Claim would permit such a thing!"

She stared at him in disbelief. Slowly she thought about the night he had Claimed her, how she had copied what he had done, mostly at least.

"Is there a way to check?" She asked.

"Yeah. Strip naked and dance." He snapped at her.

"How the hell is that suppose to prove anything?" She demanded.

"Because you didn't do it."

She blinked at him in shock as what he had just tried to do, and what she hadn't done, registered.

She had ignored a direct order. Something she should not have been able to do under a Partial Claim.

They sat in silence. Grimmjow was scowling and glaring at the wall over her head. She tried to ignore it and work out what she had just learned.

She had returned a Claim and didn't even know she had done it. Did this mean she had the ability to cast Claims of her own? Was he furious with her now? He had never given her permission to return the Claim.

"Good." He finally grunted.

She jumped a bit and turned her gaze back to him.

"If that Szayel bastard tries to get near you again, you can pound the shit out of him. Since you're with Child this is better."

"And," she gulped a bit, "when the Claim weakens?" She asked nervously.

He didn't get a chance to answer as someone knocked on the door.

"Enter." Grimmjow snapped in annoyance.

The door opened to admit Ukitake, who smiled at seeing them both awake.

"My apologies, but I heard you were both awake. I have a missive from Aizen-kami about the Annual Claim Meeting."

Ukitake handed Grimmjow a rather fancy envelope.

"It's in two days."

Grimmjow took the envelope and incinerated it in his hand without even bothering to open it. Ukitake sighed, but said nothing on the matter, instead turning his attention to Karin.

"How are you feeling?"

"Tired, a bit sore, but otherwise fine."

"That is a relief. I understand that Aizen-kami has spoken to Nnoitra-san about his behaviour. It shouldn't happen again." He assured her.

Karin somehow doubted that talking was all Aizen had done, but she wasn't about to go down that road. The bastard deserved whatever punishment Aizen had given him.

Unohana returned to check them both out before giving them more or less clean bills of health and permitting them to leave while insisting they rest for the next few days. Karin thanked her and they headed back to the Estate, where she was pulled into a hug by a concerned Yuzu as soon as they were in the door.


	20. Matsumoto and Nnoitra

Warnings: Brief sexual violence.

Matsumoto and Nnoitra:

Nnoitra was hardly a difficult person to figure out. He is what many would consider a 'sexist pig' whose entire belief on women is that they should be barefoot, in the kitchen, and pregnant. Ready to serve their man when, where and how he demanded it.

As such Matsumoto found herself indeed barefoot, washing rice in the kitchen, but thankfully not pregnant. In fact she was pretty sure it was an impossibility. It had been a very rocky start for the two of them.

By nature she was a strong woman able to fend for herself, so Nnoitra's sexist views were not appreciated. He had Claimed her no later than an hour after Aizen had declared open season on them. She had a feeling it would have been faster but Nnoitra had insisted on securing a place first and then Claiming her after killing the former inhabitants.

True the Claiming had left her tingling, but all she could think of at the time was what was happening to her friends and mourn over the large number of people that had died.

She had laid awake after he was done with her, tears streaming down her face (not because she had just been raped but because she felt for her friends) as she gave each dead companion a moment of her time to remember them. She did her best to remember them in life and not the horrid ways in which some of them had died.

Matsumoto frowned as she realized she was letting her thoughts go dark once more and instead forced a small smile on her face as she drained the rice she had been washing.

Despite not needing to consume 'human' food, Nnoitra had quite the taste for it, especially for beef and rice. She was expected to prepare at least two meals a day, breakfast and dinner.

They had given up on timing lunch because there was no way to predict when, or even if, he would arrive. She shifted her stance and sighed at the sound of tinkling mettle. She held back a scowl and unconsciously shifted her leg again.

The chain attached to her ankle tinkled again. It was a simple gold chain about the size of a normal rope that ran to the central pillar of the house. There was enough slack she could go anywhere on the property, and even past it in a few places if she lined the chain up right.

It was attached to a gold band around her ankle and she could easily reach down to unclasp it, if she dared. The few times her hand had drifted towards it Nnoitra had shoved her against a wall, pulled her Yukuta down, and strapped her. Her back gave a twinge in memory and she felt herself sigh once more.

She wasn't the worse off by far, and she tried to keep her spirits up. She wasn't the best, but she wasn't anywhere near the worse. Yes, Nnoitra was a male dominating, egotistical bastard, but as long as she played her submissive role he could be quite the gentleman.

The hard part was playing the submissive role. Matsumoto was not a submissive person. It didn't help that she still had full, unrestricted access to her reiatsu. Haineko was gone, presumably kept with everyone else's Zanpakuto's, but she could still fire out all her Kido spells if she desired.

Not that any of it did any good against Nnoitra. Once he had let her go at him with everything she had and he had just stood there and laughed before telling her she was turning him on.

"What doesn't turn the bastard on?" She couldn't help but to think sourly.

The sound of the front door opening took her by surprise and she quickly checked the position of the sun. Nnoitra shouldn't be due back yet, at least not for dinner.

"Rangiku-san?" A familiar voice called out.

"Kitchen, Tesra." She called back. "Where the hell else would I be at this time?" She added under her breath.

The sandy-blonde haired Fraccion appeared in the kitchen doorway. She leaned against the counter and stared at him while he looked off to the side. He never looked at her directly and when she had asked him about it one time he said it was because she was Nnoitra's and it wasn't his place to look.

"What is it?" She asked.

"I am here to pick up your weekly shopping list."

"Of course."

She grabbed the paper with her list of needed supplies from the notepad on the counter and handed it to him.

"It's almost been 6 years now. You would think he would trust me by now to get my own crap." She grumbled. "At least you have half decent taste in clothing." She complimented.

He blushed slightly at the compliment while reading through the list to make sure he had no questions. It was pretty straight forward and he bowed his way out with a promise to be back in a few hours with the requested supplies.

It was barely ten minutes before the door slammed open and the sound of chain clanking came shortly before the sound of something heavy hitting the floor reached her. There was no mistaking the distinctive sounds of Santa Teresa hitting the floor.

She turned to face the door, but didn't get even half way around before she found herself forcefully pinned against the hallway wall.

"Fucking Bitch." Nnoitra spat in rage.

She felt panic grip her and she tried to push away from the wall. He grabbed the back of her head and slammed her face against the wall, leaving her slightly dazed and a trickle of blood to flow from a cut on her forehead.

"Needs to learn her fucking place." He growled.

Her yukata was pulled off roughly, leaving her pinned against the wall naked. He kept her pinned with his body while he freed himself from his Hakama before kicking her legs apart and thrusting into her completely unprepared.

She cried out in pain at the forceful, dry intrusion while he continued to curse and scream behind her, bouncing her between himself and the wall. She bit her lip to stop her cry of pain and leaned against the wall for support once her legs finally responded.

Dimly she was aware that it wasn't her he was pissed at, but rather someone else. When she did manage to get a look at him she realized his face was covered in blood that appeared to be his own.

She clenched her hands into fists and tried to force her body to relax as his assault, and tirade, continued. He hadn't been this violent in a rather long time and the ferocity of the attack left her brain slightly stunned.

He finally shuddered and she felt him pour himself into her. With his release his anger seemed to go as well, and he simply leaned against her and the wall, breathing heavy as he regained his breath.

Finally he pulled away from her and she fell to the floor, her legs unable to support her weight. She winced at the pain but didn't dare move just yet to inspect the damage he had done. She was still in a bit of shock.

"Tsh." Nnoitra finally spat and stormed down the hall before sliding the bedroom door shut with a loud, resounding clack.

Matsumoto took several deep breaths and tried to regain her composure. She was still on the floor in a confused, crumpled heap when Tesra returned. He was silent as he set the bags aside and walked up to her.

She flinched slightly as his shadow fell over her, not out of fear, but out of self-consciousness to her state. Still, she could not bring herself to move. Tesra said nothing as he reached out and pulled her yukata back up over her shoulders.

In silence he helped her to her feet and pulled the rest of her yukata back on, eyes still averted. She leaned against him for support as he helped her to the large bathroom and started to draw a hot bath in a tub large enough for four.

She stood there in silent shock, her brain slowly starting to reboot. By the time she came out of the shock she was neck deep in the bathwater alone. She could hear the sound of tinkering downstairs and realized Tesra must be finishing up preparing dinner.

With strong determination she went through what Nnoitra had done to her, trying to ignore the pain she had been in and instead focusing on what he had been saying. Clearly some woman had pissed him off, defied him and, if she recalled right, even managed to injure him.

He prided himself on having the strongest Hierro so for some one, especially a female someone, to get through it would be a serious blow to his male pride. Which would definitely explain his pissed off mood.

She couldn't help but to jump when the door banged open and she flinched as Nnoitra strutted up to her. A hand shot out and grasped her chin, forcing her head to face him.

His nose had been cleaned up and already well on its way to being healed. The few bruises that had started to form were already fading. He seemed far calmer now and had a familiar, domineering smirk on his face.

"I'm sorry." He apologised.

She gave a short nod of her head in acceptance of the apology. The first time he had apologised for hurting her when she had done nothing wrong it had taken her by complete surprise.

He released her head and she dropped her gaze. The sound of rustling clothing reached her ears shortly before the water was disturbed as Nnoitra joined her in the large tub. She shifted slightly as he sat down beside her, pulling her into his grasp.

She let him, knowing better than to resist. One hand ran down her back and began to message her lower back, easing the pain slightly.

Curiosity made her want to ask what had happened, but she knew to keep her mouth shut. She just leaned against him and tried her best to relax in his grasp. They sat like that for half an hour before she got the nerve to speak.

"I should get back to making dinner." She commented.

Nnoitra loosened his grip in silent permission and she pulled away from him before crawling out of the tub. He sat back and smirked while he watched her dress. She escaped as quickly as she could, retreating to the kitchen. The sound of the chain attached to her ankle resounding loudly in her ears as she walked back down the stairs.

She reached the kitchen and sighed. Tesra jumped a bit at the noise and put the knife he had been using to slice beef down as he turned to face her.

"Thanks." She offered him a weak smile as she entered the kitchen.

"It is nothing." Tesra offered as he stepped aside to let her take over.

"No, seriously. I don't think I would be able to keep this up without your help Tesra."

She picked up the knife he had abandoned and continued where he had left off. He washed his hands and retreated from the room before Nnoitra could discover he had been doing her work for her.

She was halfway through preparing dinner when she heard the water drain from the tub. Nnoitra had just come back down the stairs when the front door was kicked open. She jumped and gasped in shock as a wave of powerful reiatsu invaded the house.

"What the fuck?" Nnoitra cursed as he stormed past her line of sight to the front door.

"Aizen-kami would like to speak to you." A cold voice declared, sending a shiver up her spine.

"So you bust in my door?" Nnoitra demanded with a snarl.

"I suggest you come immediately. Aizen-kami was most displeased with your actions earlier."

Matsumoto felt her heart stop. If Nnoitra got in shit for something there was a damn good bet he would take it out on her afterwards.

"Tch, fine. I am coming."

She heard him leave and the house was suddenly very quiet, and all the more terrifying. She managed to finish preparing dinner and set it in the oven to keep warm before setting about cleaning.

It helped a bit and briefly she wished Tesra had remained behind so she could ask if he knew what was going on. The best she could do was mentally prepare herself for the worst.

When the door opened again she froze and quickly sent out a trail of reiatsu to gauge what kind of mood Nnoitra was in. To her surprise, pure terror met her search and when he finally came into sight he was as white as a ghost.

In fact he walked right past her and up to their room without a word. She stared after him in shock while inwardly feeling a sense of cheer the bastard finally got what he deserved.

There was a tentative, weak knock on the door and another quick scan showed it to be Tesra returning. She opened the door and stepped aside to let him in.

"What happened?" She asked.

"My knowledge is limited, but Lilinette was saying something about Nnoitra-sama attacking Grimmjow-sama's charge."

She frowned, having no idea who Tesra was talking about. Last she knew Grimmjow had no one Claimed. Clearly it was a woman though.

"Aizen-kami had ordered us earlier to make sure no harm came to her as she is with child."

"He attacked a pregnant woman?" She asked shocked.

Sure he was a sexist pig, but she doubted he would stoop that low.

"I don't know all the details. Is he alright?" Tesra asked worried.

"Fine. Ghost white but I saw no evidence of wounds."

Tesra gave a relieved sigh.

She always wondered how someone like Tesra could follow someone like Nnoitra with such loyalty.

"You should probably go to him."

She most certainly had no desire to go to him. For the first time in a long time she almost felt a bit giddy. She wished she knew what had turned him ghost white so she could try to emulate it in the future.

"It would be for the best." Tesra pushed gently.

She sighed. He was always right when it came to Nnoitra's erratic behaviour. No telling what kind of mood he would be in when he snapped out of it. With great reluctance she headed back to the kitchen.

She piled a plate full of food, turned the oven off, put the leftovers in the fridge, and hesitantly made her way to their room.

Nnoitra was laying on his back on the large bed and didn't acknowledge her as she entered. He actually looked like he was pouting and it was clear he was still terrified. She set the plate down on the night table on his side of the bed before undressing and joining him.

For a long time they simply lay in silence.

"Beef fried rice?" He finally asked in a neutral voice.

"Yes." She answered.

He shifted beside her and she looked over to see him sitting up and pulling the plate onto his lap. The room was silent other than the sound of him eating.

She was honestly surprised he even bothered. It wasn't like he needed to eat or anything like that, at least not 'human food.' But he still ate the entire meal before putting the empty plate back on the night stand.

He shed his own clothing, pulled the blankets over them, pulled her into his grasp, and curling up behind her. He brushed her hair aside and nuzzled her neck.

"You at least are a good woman." He breathed into her ear.

She shivered as his breath ghosted across her skin and his grip tightened. A moment later his breathing evened out and after half an hour she sighed and let herself drift off, honestly surprised he hadn't reasserted his dominance over her and wondering if Tesra's advice to go to him had been the reason she had been spared.

* * *

I really hope I caught the essence of a typical, male domineering, abusive relationship here where the male doesn't even realize what he is doing is wrong. Things will get better for Matsumoto, that I can promise you .


	21. Claim Meeting

Please Note that I have posted several chapters in a row, this is #6 , and you may need to jump back a fair bit if you just skipped to the latest chapter.

Claim Meeting:

Karin forced herself to hold still while Yuzu finished tying off the obi to her outfit. She felt like her heart was going to constrict in fear at the thought of once again meeting Aizen face to face.

It had been six years since she had seen him after her home had been obliterated, but she still recalled how powerful he had been. The thought of having to go to a meeting with him and the other Espada was not pleasant.

"Are you almost ready?" Grimmjow demanded, striding into the room wearing his usual uniform.

"I would be ready if you hadn't insisted I wear this ridicules thing." She growled, indicating the Kimono her sister was adjusting.

"I thought chicks liked getting dressed up." He snorted.

"Cause I am such the girly type." Karin snorted back.

"But you look so pretty Karin." Yuzu beamed at her.

"Yeah, well pretty won't let me kick that bastard Nnoitra's ass if he tries to touch me again." She snapped irritably.

"You won't need to kick his ass. I will be there." Grimmjow assured her, coming up behind her to rest his head on her shoulder and wrap his arms around her waist.

Karin sighed in annoyance, but did lean back into his embrace while her sister smiled warmly at them.

"It was Aizen's great idea to have our pets wear these things." Grimmjow comment, apparently finding it important to let her know it wasn't his idea.

"Are you almost ready?" Ukitake's voice came from the door way.

"Yeah yeah." Karin grumbled, pulling out of the warm embrace with a reluctance she would never admit to anyone.

She blinked as her eyes fell upon Ukitake, for she had never seen him wear anything other than his uniform or a simple yukata.

Now he was dressed up in several layers of kimonos with the black, top layer covered in white wolves howling at a crescent moon.

"Oh Ukitake-san, you look wonderful." Yuzu beamed.

"Thank you, Yuzu-chan." He smiled at her. "You are looking wonderful Karin-chan."

She couldn't help but to blush lightly and pulled on the hem of her own outer Kimono nervously before Yuzu brushed her hand away.

She honestly wondered why they needed so many layers in the first place, but had to admit Grimmjow at least had good taste. Her outer layer was a very deep shade of blue with a single white panther stalking across the print.

"Hurry up, you guys are going to be late." Lilinette commented as she entered the room, Starrk following behind her.

Like Grimmjow, Starrk was also in his uniform. It even looked freshly pressed instead of the usual slept in, rumbled up look it was normally in. Actually, even Grimmjow's uniform looked freshly pressed and she had no doubt that Yuzu was behind it.

"What is the point of this meeting again and why do I have to go?" Karin asked in annoyance.

"Well, it's real purpose is to make sure the Claims on us Taichou are being kept up, but since Aizen-kami didn't want to play favourites with those that Claimed Taichou class Shinigami, everyone is expected to bring their companions." Ukitake explained.

"I see." Karin sighed. "So it's a dog show where Aizen get's his Espada to show off their pets?" She asked annoyed.

"Something like that." Ukitake smiled at her.

"Joy."

She really did not want to go. She had no way of knowing if Aizen would announce her condition or not and she still wasn't sure on telling the others. She would have to soon though because her stomach was starting to grow and sooner than latter she wouldn't be able to hide it anymore.

Yuzu walked them to the door and waved good bye, little Hana waving her own arm vigorously. Karin offered them a smile and Ukitake waved back as they followed their respective masters.

Karin didn't really get to spend anytime out side of the mansion, and before that the house, so she couldn't help but to look about as they walked, getting to see where she lived for the first time in six years. Ukitake noticed her interest and began pointing thing out to her.

He explained this was the first district, the top of the 80 there were. The streets were rather busy once they hit the market area and the large wall that loomed up as they approached it nearly took her breath away. It was guarded by a few Shinigami who bowed as they were permitted to enter without any delay or challenge.

Inside the walls it was much quieter and the only people they passed were either Shinigami who scurried about or Arrancar who strutted about. She could understand the Shinigami's fear, for the Arrancars reiatsu far outweighed theirs. In fact, she overshadowed all of the Shinigami they passed by a fair amount and admitted to herself she was as powerful as many of the Arrancar they passed, just not as highly trained.

The closer they got to the meeting hall, the brighter the large flare of Aizen's reiatsu was starting to get and she tried to find someway to turn her sight off without having much luck.

She had never been this close to him since her ability to visually see reiatsu had developed and once more she couldn't help but to compare it to a sun, one she was approaching rather quickly and was overwhelming her sight.

She was so focused on trying to get her sight to turn off, or at least toned down, that she failed to notice another couple approaching them until the surprised gasp of a woman caught her attention.

Karin looked over and the first thing her eyes fell upon was the scowling face of Nnoitra, followed by an urge to punch it in. Quickly though her gaze adjusted to the woman standing slightly behind him dressed in a green outfit that seemed to have an elaborate leaf pattern printed on it.

At first she didn't recognize the woman, but after a moment the memory came back from so long ago on a soccer field.

"_Matsumoto-san._" Karin recalled.

It was indeed the woman from her past and with a rather polite request, that sounded more like begging, she obtained permission from Nnoitra to approach them.

Karin barely had time to register it before she found herself pulled into a large hug that she returned after a moments shock.

"Karin-chan. I can't believe it's you. I haven't seen you in years." Matsumoto exclaimed.

"It's good to see you too." Karin returned.

"Ukitake-taichou, you are looking good." Matsumoto smiled at him.

"You as well, Rangiku-san." He returned politely.

"Rangiku-san." Another warm voice called.

Karin looked over to see Orihime and Ulquiorra approaching their gathering group. Orihime and Matsumoto pulled each other into a large huge and shared warm smiles.

Karin was starting to suspect there was something more to their Kimono's other than Aizen's sense of humour. Now that Matsumoto was closer she was able to find the praying mantis hiding in the field of green leaves. Orihime's was white with what at first appeared to be strange, almost ink blot like patterns before Karin realized they were a swarm of bats.

"It is so good to see you all." Matsumoto smiled at them.

"You as well." Orihime replied.

"You sure have grown, Karin-chan. In more ways than one." Matsumoto looked her up and down and she couldn't help but to blush a little.

"Thank you. Have you heard from Toshiro?" She asked hesitantly.

She knew he was still alive. She had been able to sense his reiatsu for a long time now.

"Not in about a year, but he should be here today." Matsumoto answered with a small smile, clearly eager to see her former Taichou as well.

Orihime was silent and studying her strangely, but didn't say anything. It was making Karin a little nervous truthfully.

"Speaking of Hitsugaya-taichou." Matsumoto smiled.

Karin turned to see the white haired Taichou approaching them. He was walking beside the Blonde haired Espada who had pulled her sister and herself out of the wreckage of their former home.

His outfit was various shades of blue reminiscent of light filtering through water with a white shark.

Toshiro paused as the two approached and his eyes shot to her with a look of surprise and disbelief.

"Karin?" He asked shocked.

"Toshiro." She greeted him warmly, walking up to pull him into a hug that he returned after a moment of surprise. "It is so good to see you."

"You as well." He returned as they broke apart.

Matsumoto had him in her grasp almost immediately after Karin let him go. She could swear there were tears threatening the corner of the woman's eyes and while Toshiro may have stiffened a bit at the embrace, he didn't try to stop it in anyway and did return it.

"Oi." An annoyed voice snapped.

Karin shot a glare at Nnoitra, who was staring at the embraced duo with a dark look. Reluctantly, Matsumoto let her former Taichou go and took a step back.

"Come. We do not want to be late." Ulquiorra broke up the little get together.

Orihime gave a nod of her head and fell back into step with him as the rest returned to their respective Masters side.

"I see you have finally Claimed someone." Harribel commented to Grimmjow as they walked.

The green eyed woman studied her as they walked. Surprisingly, Karin didn't feel all that uncomfortable or threatened by the gaze. It was more curious than scrutinizing.

"What of it?" Grimmjow asked nonchalantly.

"Curious. Is that not one of the Kurosaki girls? She is older and cleaner, but I do recognize her."

"Bitch is as annoying as her brother." Nnoitra spat in disgust, tossing her a glare she returned.

"Want me to pound your face in again?" She asked sweetly when he continued to glare at her.

His hand tightened around the handle of his large weapon and he looked about ready to draw it.

"Just try it." Grimmjow threatened as the three of them stopped walking.

"We do not have time for such pathetic posturing." Ulquiorra broke up the fight before it could start.

"Tsh." Nnoitra snorted. "I went easy on you. Wouldn't want Aizen-kami's little experiment to fail now would we." He snorted, releasing his grip.

"Experiment?" Toshiro asked, looking at her in confusion that was mirrored on many of the others faces.

"Drop it." Starrk spoke up for the first time, shooting a warning glare to Nnoitra, who scowled but backed down.

She didn't answer the questioning looks, simply brushed past them and kept following the others still walking. After a moment everyone fell into place once more. They walked in silence until a large building she vaguely recognized from so long ago came into view.

The closer they got to it, the closer they got to Aizen, and his reiatsu was getting rather bright at this close range. Karin's entire focus went back to trying to find a way to turn her sight off or at least dim it, but she wasn't having much luck.

The more they walked down the corridors, the more her vision started to fill with the overwhelming reiatsu off the other. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore as her vision was now a field of nearly complete white and she stopped, turning her back to the source but not finding much relief behind her.

Like light, power bent.

"Karin, what's wrong?" Ukitake asked concerned.

"I can't see." She admitted. "It's too bright. Everything is white."

She rubbed her eyes, trying to clear them but it made no difference. Closing her eyes didn't help much either. She was starting to get a resounding headache from the sharp light and felt herself waiver.

"Karin." Orihime called concerned.

She was getting a bit dizzy to go with the headache and would have probably collapsed if someone hadn't steadied her.

"My, this is an interesting gathering."

Karin's eyes snapped open to glare hatefully at Szayel as he walked towards them. To his left was the woman Nemu, to his right was a red head she was pretty sure she recognized but who's eyes were so lifeless one would mistake him for dead if it wasn't for the fact he was walking.

"_He use to hang around Niisan.__"_ She recalled.

She didn't focus on them for long though, and forced her eyes shut as she tried to do anything to ease the pain from the blinding light. She was really stating to feel dizzy and kneeled down before she really did collapse.

"Karin, what is wrong?" Ukitake kneeled beside her, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"It's too bright." She complained.

"Bright?" He asked.

She nodded her head. "Too much power." She whimpered.

"Aizen-kami's reiatsu. You are seeing it." He realized.

She nodded again.

"You mean her ability to physically see reiatsu has no way to be turn off?" Szayel asked with far too much interest.

"Yes." Ukitake answered reluctantly for her.

"Wonderful. I think I may be able to do something for her though. Nemu, can you go get the device stored in Lab D, Section L, Sub Section A, Drawer C, Item # 48492."

"At once, Szayel-sama." The woman bowed and just disappeared as she launched into a Shunpo.

"Why should I accept help from you?" Karin snapped.

"Think of it as my way to apologise for the misunderstand the other day."

Nemu returned as quickly as she had left with what looked like a pair of visored sunglasses. She handed them over to Szayel, who quickly began to tinker with them.

"What are those going to do?" Grimmjow asked with a near threatening voice.

"Awhile back I made these to see reiatsu so I could study the flows and patterns. It would be nothing to reprogram them to do the opposite. There we go. Try these on." He smiled as he held them out.

Karin continued to glare at him distrustfully and Ukitake was the one who took them from the Espada before slipping them over her head. Her vision merely darkened as if she was wearing normal sunglasses and everyone's reiatsu levels suddenly snapped to an even glow with numbers scrolling up the side of her vision giving out what she presumed was some sort of power level.

"Thank you." She reluctantly said as she stood up again, her headache starting to dim now that the blinding light had been removed.

Now that she could see again she noticed that both of the Shinigami by Szayel's side were Claimed by him and wearing similar outfits. Light pink with what looked like a swarm of butterflies. They were rather pretty.

Nemu she had known about, but the red head was new to her. Now more than ever she could see the dead look in the others eyes and what more his reiatsu was completely out of whack. Almost like a piece of his soul was missing.

"Shall we continue on. It would not do well to keep Kami waiting." Szayel bowed lightly and gestured down the corridor.

Reluctantly, she once more fell into step beside Grimmjow as they finished their trek to a large board room. There was a beautifully carved table where two others were already sitting.

One was an old man with a rather nasty scar on his face. Kneeling on cushions behind him was a small woman with the power readings of a Taichou and a rather handsome man who, while powerful, wasn't quite Taichou level. Both wore black kimono's with red scythes crossing over an hourglass.

Karin frowned a bit as she realized the reiatsu surrounding the woman did not belong to the Espada. In fact, the binding power didn't match anyone in the room at all.

The other Espada was a rather large, one might even say gargantuan, man. Kneeling beside him was another man sitting with far more poise than Karin had ever seen in a person before. Unlike the rest of them his Kimono was made of what had to be the finest silk she had ever seen. His was a swirling vortex of various shades of red and black. He also had a white scarf wrapped around his neck.

"Eh? What's this? Finally get tired of being left out, Grimmjow?" The huge man taunted as everyone spread out to take their seats.

"Mind your own business, Yammy." Grimmjow snapped back.

She noticed that while Nemu and the red head also kneel on cushions behind Szayel, Orihime, Toshiro and Ukitake all sat beside their Masters. She found herself sitting beside Grimmjow with Starrk on her other side, much to her relief. He and Ulquiorra were honestly the only other Espada she felt relatively safe beside.

There was some chatter between Ukitake and Toshiro as they talked about work and Nnoitra and Yammy jabbered on about something involving decapitation. The room fell silent however when the doors in the back swung open.

Aizen stepped in, looking far different from what she recalled. His wings were long gone and now he looked very much like a warm father figure. Flanking him were Unohana and an un-Claimed, male Shinigami of Taichou level.

Unohana sat beside Aizen as he took his seat, but the unknown man kneeled on a cushion behind Unohana. Everyone seemed to be gathered as there were no extra chairs or cushions and Aizen spoke.

"Good afternoon, My Espada." Aizen smiled warmly at the room. "Let us enjoy some tea while you tell me how your year of Mastery has been. And I see we have a new guest. Would you be so kind as to introduce your pet to those of us that do not know her, Grimmjow?" Aizen requested.

"Karin." He grunted.

"Ah yes. Kurosaki Karin. You have grown considerably in the past six years." He offered her a smile.

Her mouth was too dry to speak so she gave a small nod of her head. She wasn't so sure she wanted to speak anyway seeing as how the last time Ukitake had spoke during a meeting he'd had his back strapped.

Tea was brought in and she noticed everyone received it differently. Some poured for themselves while others poured for both themselves and their Masters. The tea smelt wonderful and she had to admit for all his evil faults, Aizen did know how to pick out a good tea.

She poured herself a cup, and since she was holding onto the pot, poured one for Grimmjow as well. His gaze was on Aizen and he didn't touch his drink. She was more than happy to take care of the tea pot herself while wondering if she could somehow get the recipe for Yuzu.

She didn't bother listening to the conversation. It seemed as if each of the Espada were giving their reports and answering questions in order of rank. Aizen didn't speak once to the slaves and she quickly deduced they were just there for show, like a bloody pet cat or something.

"_At least the tea is good."_ She couldn't help but to think slightly amused.

Finally it was Grimmjow's turn and despite herself she found herself paying attention once more.

"I was starting to wonder if you would ever find an interest in anyone." Aizen chuckled. "How long have you had her?"

"Few months." Grimmjow grunted.

"I trust all has been going well?"

"Peachy."

"And yet I have heard of some… issues." Aizen frowned at them.

"Well, if Nnoitra could keep his hands to himself, he wouldn't have gotten his ass kicked by a little, human girl." Grimmjow smirked.

Despite the somewhat insult to her statue and race, Karin had to hold back a laugh for she knew Grimmjow wasn't intending to insult her, but rather the fuming Arrancar across from them.

Nnoitra looked ready to kill them, almost ready to leap across the table. Aizen merely let a small smile widen his lips and Karin could feel his reiatsu clash against the two men. Since she was so close to Grimmjow she could feel the wash out. There was also the fact she could see Aizen reiatsu assault the two of them.

Grimmjow scowled and Nnoitra went pale, but both back downed. She rubbed the arm closest to Grimmjow. It felt a little singed and she unconsciously rubbed her stomach, hoping the violent reiatsu hadn't harmed her still forming child.

"Is that why your nose was all bloody the other day?" Yammy laughed. "You got your ass kicked by this slip of a creature?"

Nnoitra looked pissed. Aizen frowned and the conversation instantly dropped.

"I do believe your pet is currently engaged in a project that I informed you Szayel would be assisting with. He is informed no test are to alter her in anyway, and yet you seem to be denying him access. I trust this will not happen again?"

"Fine. But I insist on being there. This has bearing on me too." He crossed his arms and glared.

She could tell they definitely had the interest of the others now.

"What experiment?" Harribel asked curiously.

"_Please say nothing. Please say nothing."_ She begged silently.

She was totally not ready for Orihime or Ukitake-san to know she was with child. If they knew than the others would find out.

"I will let the rest of you know when it comes to its completion."

She felt a rush of relief.

"And if anyone does try to harm her, well." Aizen just smiled. "Let's just say this is one experiment I am watching closely. I will not tolerate interference or questions from anyone until it's completion."

He switched to Szayel next and Karin was just pleased she was no longer the topic of conversation, but there were still several people looking at her with clear curiosity. Now more than ever she was thankful for the tea. For it settled her suddenly upset stomach and she wondered if that property wasn't one of the many reason's Aizen had chosen it.

The meeting finally concluded and everyone rose to leave.

"Karin, Szayel, a moment please." Aizen called.

The others left, leaving the two called plus Grimmjow.

"I did not ask for you to remain. "Aizen frowned at him.

"I like to know what's going on with her. Would hate to hear someone else got their nose busted in because they couldn't keep their hands to themselves." Grimmjow looked pointedly at Szayel.

"Again, that was simply a misunderstanding." Szayel sighed in sufferance. "And I have apologized several times."

"I assure you no such thing will happen. Please wait outside, Grimmjow."

Grimmjow scowled, but reluctantly left. Karin felt fear grip her as she was left alone with the mad scientist and an evil maniac.

"Please sit back down, Karin." Aizen smiled softly at her and indicated a chair by his side.

She reluctantly did as ordered and tried to get her body to stop trembling. She could feel Grimmjow right outside that door, and that helped to ease her nerves slightly. Granted, there was really nothing he could do against Aizen.

"I would like to hear from you in your own words what happened the other day with Nnoitra." He smiled encouragingly at her.

"Szayel-sama," the honorific tasted like ash in her mouth but she wasn't going to push her luck with Aizen, "showed up with Nnoitra-sama because he wanted to run some more so called test.

"I went with him without a fight the first time he wanted to run some tests and he started draining my reiatsu thinking I wouldn't notice." She glared at him.

"A misunderstanding." Szayel quickly interjected.

"Szayel." Aizen warned.

"My apologies, Kami." Szayel bowed and went silent once more.

"I had no reason to trust him a second time and told him if he wanted more material he could get it from Unohana-san, who had just ran some test the day before. Nnoitra-sama didn't like it very much and tried to physically force me to go. I said no in a way he would understand.

"I am sorry, Aizen-kami, but I don't remember much of the fight. I blacked out half way through." She admitted reluctantly.

"I see. What caused the black out?" This time Aizen looked at Szayel.

"Reiatsu drainage. Karin-san panicked when Nnoitra finally caught her and threw all of her available reiatsu against him." Szayel reported.

"And you did nothing?" Aizen asked warmly, taking a sip of his tea.

Karin could hear the danger in Aizen's voice and Szayel stiffened in fear. Actually, she would probably label that as terror as he was suddenly ghost white.

"I..." Szayel stammered.

"Szayel-sama constantly ordered Nnoitra-sama to stop during the whole thing and Nnoitra-sama blasted Szayel-sama when he tried to physically interfere." Karin interjected, bringing Aizen's attention back to her.

Szayel looked at her in surprise before his look turned grateful.

"I see."

"I am sorry Aizen-kami, but Nnoitra is far stronger than me." Szayel admitted.

"It is irrelevant now. However, I am displeased you failed to admit to testing I have ordered." He frowned at her.

"I was scared." She offered.

This time his smile was one of understanding.

"You have nothing to fear. I assure you that none of the tests will harm or alter you or your child in anyway. Do I have your assurance you won't misbehave anymore?" He asked warmly.

"Yes, Aizen-kami." She bowed her head.

There was really nothing else she could say after all. Nothing else she could do.

"Good girl. I do have one last question before I permit you to depart. Why are you wearing such interesting head gear?"

"I can visibly see reiatsu and yours is very overwhelming. This contraption filters reiatsu down." She answered.

"Ah. I am curious then. How would you rank my Espada power level wise? You may drop the honorific's for this response."

"With no knowledge of their abilities and by pure reiatsu level alone: Starrk, Yammy, Ulquiorra, Barragan, Harribel, with a toss up between Grimmjow and Nnoitra right on Harribel's tail, and Szayel." She answered.

"Strange. You place the 4th above the 2nd and 3rd and the 1st above the Zero."

"Ulquiorra-sama has more reiatsu. But like I said, I don't know their abilities."

"Can you see active Claims as well?"

"Yes." She admitted slowly.

"And everyone in this room was Claimed by their Masters?"

"Not quite." She swallowed nervously as his eyes looked at her dangerously.

"Who was not Claimed?" He demanded.

"Only two were not, Unohana-san and the white haired man."

"Then you are lying?"

"No. It's just." She bit her lip. "The woman with black hair sitting behind Barragan-sama. She is Claimed, just not by him. I didn't recognize the reiatsu entrapping hers." Karin explained.

Aizen's eyes narrowed and she felt her body go ridged with fear.

"Szayel?"

"Well, I would need to do a more in-depth study." He stammered. "Hollows can only tell that someone has been Claimed, not the who. She is definitely Claimed."

Karin nodded in agreement.

"In the end it hardly matters." Aizen suddenly brushed the subject aside. "I believe we have left your master alone in the hall long enough." He smiled amused as he looked at the door. "You are dismissed, but before you go, Karin."

She paused getting out of her chair.

"I expect to hear you have reported to the lab for the tests I will be requesting tomorrow. Correct?" He asked with a warm smile.

"Hai, Aizen-kami." She bowed.

"Any questions before you go?"

"Just one." She admitted, rubbing her arm nervously.

"Ask." He offered her a warm smile of encouragement.

"I don't suppose I could have that tea recipe for Yuzu?" She asked rather embarrassed.

Aizen actually laughed softly.

"I will see she gets it." He assured her.

He waved her away and she retreated as fast as she could without making it look like she was running. As she entered the hallway she found Grimmjow to be right where she knew he would be. She was very positive that if Grimmjow had fur, it would be fully up like any agitated cat.

He looked her up and down, studying her for any signs of distress or injury. Finally pleased, he grunted for her to follow him. She was just happy to escape.

* * *

I hope you all enjoyed the massive posting and once more thank you all for the reviews. Feel free to ask any questions you may have as I understand some scenes might not have flowed as smoothly due to the editing out of darker content. Or you can just send your love for the massive update, either works for me :)

Next Chapter: Karin and Szayel come to a sort of understanding as she submits herself to his testing.


	22. Ultrasound Shades

Ultrasound Shades

When the knock came on the main estate door the next morning, Karin was not surprised when her scan came back confirming it was Szayel, thankfully alone. She informed Yuzu and Hana she would be back in a bit and her sister offered her a wave while doing a poor job of hiding her worry.

Szayel was smart enough to come for her a little later in the morning after pretty much everyone had left for their duties for the day. Karin had a feeling that Grimmjow's sudden mission with Starrk was not by accident.

She opened the door to see Szayel smiling at her. With a sigh she stepped out and closed the gate behind her.

"Karin-san," he greeted. "This way please," he offered her a small bow and indicated the road.

She nodded and fell into step beside him as they walked to the lab. He started asking her questions almost before she had even taken her second step.

"How have you been feeling, any morning sickness, queasiness?"

"Not very much. A bit more at the beginning, but otherwise I have been feeling alright. Eggs are still a bit of an issue," she couldn't help but to smile in amusement.

"Any cravings?"

"Meat, the more raw the better. Which is funny. I thought I was suppose to be craving pickles and ice cream."

"Well, your child is hardly human."

"True," she admitted. "Look. I, ah, wanted to thank you for not mentioning the fact that I drained Grimmjow and that we have a full Mating Claim. I am not sure how Aizen would have taken that."

"Yes, well," he adjusted his glasses nervously, "thank you for defending me as well. Aizen-kami's punishments do not always leave marks," he actually shuddered.

"Call it even then."

"Indeed."

The lab came into sight and she felt butterflies start to invade her stomach. She was led to the same room as last time and found Nemu was already waiting for them, a hospital gown folded over the woman's arm.

"Szayel-sama," she bowed as they entered.

"Please make sure Karin-san gets dressed and proceed while I retrieve something I forgot," he requested.

Karin felt relief that he wouldn't be standing there watching as she got changed. She changed quickly and set her folded clothes on a near by chair before obediently hopping up onto the examination table. The room was surprisingly warm and rather comfortable today.

Nemu pulled out a chart and began asking her questions, some of which she had already answered for Szayel earlier. Measurements were taken of her growing waist, and it was growing. If the Hakama and jacket she wore were not so lose fitting others would definitely have noticed by now there was something going on with her waist line. The bump was getting pretty damn obvious.

All her vitals were checked and recorded. Blood and reiatsu samples were taken. The most embarrassing part had to be when Nemu shoved a probe up to checked the birth cannel to make sure it was free of infections or any other oddities that could complicate labour. It was definitely very uncomfortable and once more she was glad Szayel wasn't there.

They were just setting her up for the ultrasound when Szayel returned, a small box in his hand he set aside and instantly forgot. He was clearly excited as he took Nemu's place by her bed and lifted the gown out of the way to reveal her stomach.

Her skin flinched as he spread the cold jell about before turning his attention to the screen. She couldn't help but to do the same, both excited and scared of what she was going to see.

The child came up and she couldn't help but to smile. That there was her baby. She knew she was developing fast, but the baby already looked like she was five months in, not two.

Some things did seem strange though.

"Why do the feet looked like that and what's obscuring the chest?" she asked with a hint of panic.

"Well, the feet appear more cat like, no doubt an attribute from Grimmjow. See, looks like it's going to have paws instead of feet. The fingers seem humane. The dark markings on the chest are probably mask fragments. Oh, look here! You can see the ears are starting to form slightly pointed as well," Szayel beamed. "The tail bones seem to be getting longer so I wouldn't be surprised to see it have one."

She did notice.

"You should start to feel the baby moving around soon. Would you like to know the gender?" he asked. "I will have to report it to Kami of course but if you would sooner have it be a surprise I won't tell you."

"Not now," she requested, feeling unsure.

Somehow seeing the baby on the screen made it all the more real and she felt her heart clench a bit. She was definitely not ready for this. Oh she had no doubt that Grimmjow would take an active interest if his hovering was anything to go by, but she wasn't sure she was ready for the kind of responsibility a child was going to impart.

A child that wasn't even human. Was it going to grow up faster too? Be fully matured in ten years?

A part of her kind of liked the idea of a quick babyhood (thus less dippers to change), while another part of her rebelled at the fact she would get to enjoy so little time of her baby's childhood.

"Hold still, I want to get some reiatsu readings from the baby. Nemu pass me the…"

Nemu handed a device over before Szayel could even finish asking for it.

"Ah, thank you. This might hurt a bit like a pinch, but it won't actually harm you or the baby," he assured her.

She studied the needle and finding nothing off or strange about it, gave a soft nod of her head. It did pinch a bit when he pierced her stomach with it, but he was done quickly.

"Wonderful," Szayel exclaimed happily as he looked at the reading.

"What is?" she asked.

"Your baby is displaying a wonderfully strong and steady reiatsu rotation. It is impossible to say how strong the baby will be at this point, but a solid, strong, reiatsu rotation is a good indicator the baby will have the chance at having a decent amount of power."

"Hollows eat reiatsu don't they?" she asked a little nervously.

"More or less," he admitted.

"Will my child need to consume reiatsu? Will I even be able to breast feed?" she asked suddenly concerned.

"Well, judging by the fact your breast have been swelling, I would presume so. If not I am sure we can work a solution up quickly enough. After all Hollow young, as extremely rare as they are, do not consume meat, and thus reiatsu, right away. Granted Hueco Mundo has far more excess reiatsu particles then here, but again I am sure we could work something out quickly enough if something does arise."

She nodded, feeling slightly better.

He picked up her chart and quickly scanned it, nodding his head in satisfaction as he quickly checked over Nemu's notes and added a few more of his own.

"Well, I think we are done here for now. As much as I have many other tests I would be thrilled to run, such as how the body would respond should the child or mother catch an infection,"

She shot him a glare that promised a very painful and long death.

"I would not wish to arise Kami's wrath," he finished. "Today wasn't so bad now was it?" he asked with a smile.

"You didn't try anything stupid," she pointed out.

"Indeed. Well, you can get dressed and I will meet you outside the room to schedule your next session. Remember, if anything strange happens let me know at once. The baby should start moving around enough you might start feeling some flutters."

"Right," she sat up and Szayel left the room to her and Nemu.

She quickly got dressed and exited. Szayel was waiting for them at the front desk. She noticed he was holding onto that small box he had come in with earlier. They agreed on the next appointment date and he escorted her home, which she honestly found strange.

Nemu could have easily done the escort. It probably would have been quieter as he seemed to feel it necessary to remind her off all the common side effects she could possibly experience.

"Szayel, I am nurse trained," she finally interrupted. "I know how a normal pregnancy is suppose to go about," she finally groused as they approached the gates.

"It never hurts to review," he lectured.

"Yeah, review," she sighed. "Are you sure you just don't like to hear yourself talk?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

He cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses.

"There is one last thing," he said, his voice had a hint of nervousness in it.

She looked at him confused. He handed her the box.

"What is this?" she asked suspiciously.

"Well, one is just something I think you could use. The other is a heart rate and reiatsu monitor I would like you to wear at all times. It will record the data and I will download it when I see you next week."

Frowning, she opened the box and pulled out a simple, gold, watch like device and put it on, making sure it covered her pulse point. The other item she pulled out of the box looked like a pair of violet blue shades.

She set the box down and turned the shades over in her hand before looking up at him questionably.

"Put them on," he encouraged, his voice sounding awfully giddy.

She put them on, blinking as his reiatsu suddenly snapped to an even level just like the device he had given her yesterday had done.

"The other one was outdated, far too clunky, and didn't match your fashion. I expect Aizen-kami will desire to view a few of our sessions and it wouldn't do to have you blind and with a headache.

"On the side is a button that will turn the filter on and off and you can set what information you want to display," He explained excitedly.

She clicked the button and her vision returned to normal, if not shaded.

"The glass is tempered and will be highly resistant to being shattered."

He continued to list the features and she scrolled through them as he went through them.

She didn't know what to say as he finished the tutorial and handed her a rather thick manual for such a small device.

"I… Thank you, Szayel," she said, and meant it.

"Yes, well," he suddenly seemed nervous and adjusted his glasses. "I will see you next week for our appointment."

She gave a nod of her head and opened the front door, heading to the kitchen to let Yuzu know she was back and to see if she needed any help. Her sister and Hana waved her offer aside and with nothing else to do she headed to the small herb garden next to the kitchen for a little relaxing Jinzen.

She felt herself fall into the world of peacefulness the meditation invoked and didn't stir from that bliss until Grimmjow and Starrk came back around late afternoon.

Grimmjow was bitching about some gay ass, useless mission they had to suffer through while Starrk just hunted down a quite place to nap that lasted all of two seconds before Lilinette arrived from wherever she had been all day in a whirl wind of energy demanding to know where the hell he had gone and why he hadn't told, let alone taken, her.

Grimmjow dragged her to one of the smaller gardens in the back of the estate linked to the area that he had sort of claimed as their little territory since moving in. The estate was rather large when you considered it and one day Karin was going to have to explore the whole thing.

He pulled her to the ground between his legs and nuzzled her neck while his hands slipped under her shirt to explore her growing belly. She rested comfortably against his chest and let him, finding the rubbing of his hand over her stomach soothing.

Starrk had warned her the further along she got the more protective, and hovering, Grimmjow would become, weather the Arrancar noticed it or not. Her stomach tingled as she felt him scan their baby with his own reiatsu, a very small pulse returning. She could feel him grin against her shoulder.

"Good," he murmured and continued to nuzzle her neck.

"I had to get some tests done today," she sighed.

He stiffened behind her.

"Nothing happened," she quickly assured him. "I am far enough along that gender can be determined. I said no this time but, do we want to know?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at him.

"Doesn't matter either way," he grunted. "Do you know how rare children are?" he asked quietly.

"Well, from what I have gathered with what Starrk-san said, pretty rare. Out of curiosity, how can you tell a naturally born hollow from a changed one?" she asked.

"Naturally born ones don't have a hole and never need to fear regressing," he answered.

"I still haven't told anyone, but I won't be able to hide the fact I am pregnant much longer. I didn't want to tell anyone because I was worried someone might try to use the baby against you."

"Pretty much anyone I am worried about knows now anyway," Grimmjow grunted in clear annoyance.

"Point taken," she sighed. "What about names?"

"What about them?" he asked.

"Well, the baby is going to need a name," she pointed out.

"Such things are instinctively determined when the child is born. It is bad luck to have a name before hand."

"Kind of like counting your chicks before they hatch?" she questioned comparatively.

"Yeah."

They sat in comfortable silence until Hana found them to let them know dinner was ready. With a sigh of regret, she pulled out of Grimmjow's arms and stretched. He followed her example and they made their way to the dinning room.

They were the last to arrive and took what had become their normal seats on a now crowded table while Yuzu laid out the dinner she and Hana had prepared.

Her sister was definitely happier here at Ukitake's estate then she had been at the house, but Karin could tell it was not a full happiness. Her own relationship with Grimmjow was just showing the likelihood of Yuzu ever finding a partner was very slim in this world.

Karin shook the thoughts away and forced a smile on her face as they all dug into dinner. Without a word she loaded her plate up with meat and settled in to devour it.

"You have been pretty hungry lately," Ukitake offered with a smile.

"Been doing lots of training," she shrugged. "Didn't you say people with high levels of reiatsu need to consume lots of food?" she asked.

"Indeed," he seemed satisfied with her answer.

He hadn't had a chance to corner her yet to interrogate her on what little project Aizen had her involved in, and frankly she wasn't interested in telling him just yet.

"Speaking of training, I am sorry I haven't been able to focus on your Kido since my promotion," Nanao apologized

"Hay, it's only been what, a week? Setting up a new division has to be tons of work," Karin waved the apology away.

"Still," Nanao frowned.

"Well, my division is doing Kido training tomorrow. With your permission, Grimmjow-san, Karin-chan could come and participate in the exercises?" Ukitake offered with a soft smile.

"If she wants to," he grunted with a shrug of his shoulders.

She smiled at him in thanks and agreed. Even if he did try to corner her it would be worth it to continue her training.

The rest of dinner passed uneventful, other than Hana attempting to paint herself with her food once more. Karin swore the little girl only did it to get attention. She definitely didn't remember being that messy of at eater at her age.

* * *

Thank you all so much for the reviews and I am please you all enjoyed the massive update.

The woman with black hair was Soi Fon. The chapter involving her, Barragan, Ggio and Yumichika was cut out due to the rather dark content it contained.

Next Chapter: A picnic in the park ends in catastrophe. I will probably update this chapter, and the one after it as they flow together, when I get back from work. For now, I got to run before I am late.


	23. Picnic in the Park

Picnic in the Park

The sky was painted a bright blue and the birds chirped happily as they went about their business. This entire trip had actually been Starrk's idea, and Karin had a strong feeling it was more because he wanted the Estate he technically owned to himself for a long, peaceful, quiet nap rather than because he was trying to be nice.

Somehow Starrk had even managed to get Ulquiorra to let Orihime and Tatsuki come along, and so the party of girls, hauling a large picnic lunch prepared by Yuzu, headed out through the first district to one of its more predominant parks.

Lilinette was the one leading the way with Hana cheering happily by her side. The party definitely drew the attention of the inhabitants and several of the Arrancar living in the area, but with two of the women clearly Claimed and a third being the fraccion of the 1st, none of them bothered them.

The fact that a rather bored looking Grimmjow was brining up the rear with Karin was probably the biggest deterrent of all though. He'd had no interest in going, but seeing as how there was nothing to do elsewhere anyway and how he didn't want Karin outside of his sight, or the sight of someone who was both powerful and trustworthy, he ended up coming along, even though it was clear he wasn't happy about it.

He had thought about refusing to let her go, but that would have been unfair and would have no doubt brought about stress. Stress was not something he wanted her to be under right now. The fact she would have ripped his head off had he told her no was definitely not the reason he had agreed.

They reached the mostly abandoned park and Lilinette dragged them somewhere deep into the forested area until they came to a rather secluded glade.

Yuzu quickly set up the blankets with some help from Orihime while Tatsuki broke out the bug nets and kept an eye on Hana while the little girl started chasing bugs. Karin settled down against one of the trees and watched with a smile, her hand unconsciously going to her stomach while Grimmjow disappeared up one of the trees.

Orihime glanced at her with a frown, but said nothing and Karin felt a sudden bolt go through her. Did Orihime know? Had she figured out what Aizen had been talking about during the Claim Meeting or had Ulquiorra told her?

"_Well, I guess today is as good as any day to tell them," she_ thought.

She felt her hands go sweaty with nervousness.

"_After lunch. Yeah, that sounds like a good time," _

Okay so she was a coward, but at least she could admit it.

"You coming over Karin?" Yuzu asked once everything was set up.

"Yeah yeah," she smiled and made her way over.

She paused as she felt a fluttering in her stomach and her hand went to it quickly in surprise. The only one who noticed her reaction was Orihime, who looked at her pointedly.

"_So she does know," _ Karin realized.

She finished the trek and sat down beside her sister, instantly going for a pork rib.

"Are you feeling alright Karin?" Orihime asked.

"Fine fine," Karin waved the question away. "Still a bit drained from that Kido lesson yesterday."

"Kido lesson?" Tatsuki prompted the conversation, although one eye was still on Hana and Lilinette as the two chased insects all over the place.

"Ukitake-san's division was doing Kido practice and I got to participate. It was interesting, but man do his men have a lot of work to do. Their patterns were a right royal mess. Picked up a few new tricks though."

"That's good. And the glasses?" Tatsuki asked, pointing to the shades she was wearing on her forehead.

Her hand shot up to her head in surprise. She had completely forgotten she was wearing them. It had become a quick habit to put them on in the morning.

"Oh, Szayel gave me these to filter out higher levels of reiatsu so I don't get blinded by people like Starrk-san or Aizen," she answered.

"That was nice of him," Orihime chirped.

Karin just shrugged.

(POV)

Grimmjow scowled as he tried to tune out the girl talk below and finally giving up, prowled off to a further distance from the group. Seriously, what was it with girls and their need to talk? He was damn happy Karin was the more silent type and not the chatter your ear off type like her sister.

He kept one 'eye' on Karin's reiatsu and the other he used for scanning the area for threats, not that he was expecting any. The other Espada were the only real threat to him. Other then Szayel, none of the others had any interest in her. Well, Nnoitra would probably be happy to pop her head off of her shoulders, but Aizen had already made it quite clear the 5th had better not be spotted anywhere near her without one hell of a good reason.

He had just found another comfortable branch and was settling down for a quick cat nap, no pun intended, when he felt it.

He bolted upright, rolled off of the branch to land crouching on the ground and pressed his palm to it, searching. A grin stretched across his face as he felt it and he couldn't help the laughter that erupted as he raced towards the familiar feeling of power.

(POV)

The Shingami trash had their sets of patrols, just as the Arrancar had theirs. Espada or not they were expected to do their own patrols to make sure the Shingami trash were doing their jobs right and that there was no foolishly planned rebellions.

He doubted any such thoughts would be entering their pathetic minds anytime soon. They were still a very broken people, at least the ones who had been Shinigami before the end of the war. The new graduates were somewhat normal, having experienced none of the loss, beatings, or rapes that had occurred at the conclusion of the war.

Ulquiorra paused in his circuit of the massive stone walls, frowning as he looked out where he knew Orihime and the others were. There was something in the air, something different.

"Ulquiorra-sama?" The Arrancar accompanying him asked nervously.

"Continue on the route," he ordered as he jumped down from the wall and launched into a Sonido as soon as his feet hit the ground, taking to the roof tops for faster travel.

There was definitely something wrong with the air. He couldn't detect anything distinctive, but he was not going to chance that it might be something harmful to his property.

The air pressure slowly started to return to normal but he was close enough now to whatever had caused it that he could feel the barely contained reiatsu of the intruder. As faint and hidden as it was, it wasn't hidden enough from his sharp senses.

He stopped as he found the source and blinked. It was a cute little girl with pink hair standing on a rock and watching butterflies flutter about. She was wearing strange clothing like the humans had. Surly this child had not been the source of disturbance. One of Szayel's experiments maybe? It would explain the pink hair and odd feeling.

"Oh, one came," she exclaimed happily as she spotted him. "Are you an Espada?" she asked innocently.

"I am the fourth Espada, Ulquiorra. Who are you?" he demanded.

"Yay, 4. That means you are stronger than Nnoitra was right?" she asked, clapping her hands together excitedly.

"I am far superior to that trash," he agreed coldly.

"Good, this should be fun then," A much deeper, masculine voice smirked as Ulquiorra's gaze shot to the behemoth walking confidently towards him with a long, severely chipped sword causally slung over one shoulder.

A moment later he felt the rush of Grimmjow's reiatsu clash against theirs, followed quickly by another frightfully familiar reiatsu.

Kurosaki Ichigo was here, and not too far from where Orihime and the others were.

"I have no time for you," Ulquiorra snapped as he made to make his way to his property, but found his way blocked by the man.

"Oh no. You are strong and I haven't gotten to play in a very long time. Zaraki Kenpachi," The man introduced himself.

"I have no time for you," Ulquiorra repeated, but once more found his path blocked by the man and his now drawn blade.

"Fight me," he growled.

Another attempt to get around the man proved that despite the mans' size, his speed was phenomenal. Cursing inward, Ulquiorra drew his own Zanpakuto and smashed the offending blade aside as he once more tried to get pass, only to be blocked once more.

He really had no time for this trash. This was the man who had beaten Nnoitra's release though and was to be taken seriously. Every attempt to get by the man failed. If he could not go around the obstacle, he would just have to go through it, and he didn't have time to play.

"Tozase, Murcielago," he declared.

(POV)

It had taken a lot of work to find a way to, not only break into Soul Society, but to do it without being detected without Kisuke's assistance. Yoruichi had chosen the park to come out in because it was secluded and yet still close enough that any reiatsu leakage would hopefully be attributed to the Arrancar and Shinigami living in the first district.

It was pure blind luck that there happened to be people here. Weather it was good fortune or not was debatable, for the people they were here to rescue were not very far, but so to were there some guards.

Yoruichi hadn't counted on them being caught twenty minutes after they arrived, but at least the one to have done the catching was someone they all knew wouldn't go running amok setting off alarms.

She felt another high power heading their way and was pleased to notice it was on a collision course with Kenpachi. Yoruichi had quickly asked Kenpachi and Hiyori to watch the perimeter while Rukia, herself and Nel hunted down the people they were here to rescue.

Grimmjow's entire focus seemed to be on pounding into Ichigo as the two destroyed the landscape about them with no regard to any possible bystanders. One was shouting in glee, the other was demanding in fury to know what the hell the other had done to his sisters.

It was a rather immature fight when one was looking in from the outside. Yoruichi shook that thought off. They had to find the girls quickly for with the fighting the window of opportunity was now very, very small.

(POV)

Orihime and Karin both bolted to their feet as they felt the wash of clashing reiatsu reach them. Yuzu gasped, Hana started wailing, and Lilinette looked at the direction it was coming from in shock.

"That's…," Orihime couldn't finish.

"Ichigo," Tatsuki shouted in shock.

Sure enough, Karin barely had time to pull Yuzu aside as her brother flew past them, followed quickly by a smirking Grimmjow. Everyone's eyes were on Ichigo but hers. She was staring at Grimmjow in pure shock.

"_Well, now I know what he meant when he said he was a Panther," _she couldn't help but to think.

Her eyes kept drifting back to his ears, staring at them in wonder and wondering if they were as soft as they looked before she snapped out of her daze and her gaze shot to her brother.

He was terrifying. In fact if it wasn't for the fact she knew his reiatsu so well, even as corrupted as it had become over the years, she would not have been able to tell it was him due to the horned mask that covered his face. Yuzu's and Hana's screams broke her out of her trance.

Karin's gaze darted to where her sister was laying on the ground under the crushing power of the clashing reiatsu. Tatsuki was kneeling in pain beside her and trying to support her while Lilinette was trying to calm a screaming Hana.

Orihime stood frozen as she stared at Ichigo in pure shock. Three more people came running into the clearing. Karin recognized Rukia and Yoruichi, but the third was unknown to her.

Acting quickly, Karin summoned up a kido barrier around them, lifting the crushing reiatsu from the shoulders of those unable to bear it. Her gaze never left the shocked looks of the others and after a moment Rukia and Yoruichi made their way around the two once more battling.

"Karin, Yuzu, Orihime, Tatsuki," Rukia cried.

"Wait," The green haired woman cried and Karin was surprised to notice it was an Arrancar. "Rukia-chan, stay back."

"That is Karin and Yuzu, Ichigo's sisters, the ones we are here to rescue," Rukia argued.

"And two of them have been Claimed," Nel argued back, grabbing a hold of Rukia to stop her a decent distance away.

Rukia's horror filled eyes met hers and Karin forced herself to break the eye contact to focus on the bloody battle taking place. And it was bloody. In no time at all the area was covered in crimson splashes of it.

She couldn't follow even half of the fight, the two men were moving at speeds her eyes could not follow. All she was capable of seeing was a streak of their reiatsu, like a person waving a burning stick around in the dark. Sprays of blood splashed the ground and stained their skin, hair and clothing.

Karin felt so many emotions running through her as she watched that she couldn't focus on any of them. She went from terror to happiness to fear to regret to a million more she couldn't even begin to name.

"Ichi-nii," Yuzu suddenly screamed out.

Karin jolted and the two competitors suddenly froze. With them finally standing still Karin could only look on in horror at how injured they both already were; blood trailing down their bodies and both were panting with exhaustion.

Both sets of eyes snapped towards them and Karin realized the two of them had completely forgotten they were even there in their desire to fight each other. She found her brothers eyes first, and while they were black and frightening, there was a fresh look of determination.

Her brothers eyes rolled over her before quickly turning their concerned gaze to Yuzu. His eyes softened ever so slightly. With her brothers gaze diverted she shot hers to the other combatant.

Grimmjow's eyes were on her alone, and she noticed there was a large amount of something there. She would have called it fear if she hadn't known he was incapable of such a feeling.

With the pause in fighting they were able to feel another group of reiatsu heading slowly their way. Orihime's eyes darted towards that fight, a look of concern and fear on her face.

"_Ulquiorra is getting closer. And he is fighting someone pretty damn strong, but,__"_ Karin frowned. _"__He__'__s not using his full strength? Why? It__'__s like he is only using half of his reiatsu?__"_

Karin was the first to break the suddenly tense silence.

"Ichigo," Karin nodded her head at her brother, her voice surprisingly calm despite the fact her chest felt like it was being constricted in a vice.

"Yuzu, Karin," Ichigo called out, his voice extremely gravely.

"Why are you here?" Karin asked.

Her brother's head shot back as if slapped. Yuzu and Tatsuki looked at her in shock while Orihime's eyes remained facing the direction Ulquiorra was fighting.

"Why else? I am here to rescue you," he answered.

"It's been six years," she snapped. "Why now? Why not back then, when everything was destroyed?"

"I thought you were dead?" he bowed his head.

"So what? You just _discovered_ we were alive and only _now_ decided to come get us?" she snapped, crossing her arms.

The anger in her voice was real and she felt her heart clench in pain that he had given up on them so easily. Did he think them so weak?

"Karin," he started.

"Don't Karin me," she shouted angrily.

Yuzu's eyes widen in shock as she starred at her sister.

"Why didn't you tell us what was going on in the first place? Are we not your family? Do you have any idea how terrified we were when everyone started dying around us with no idea what the hell was going on? Why didn't you come for us six years ago? Did you have so little faith in us?" she shouted in frustration.

"The town reappeared in the living world with no signs anyone was left alive," Rukia quickly interjected.

"The house was completely destroyed," Ichigo added.

"Did you even think to check? To look?" she asked, feeling tears threaten the corner of her eyes. "There would have been no bodies to find. Was that not clue enough?"

"There were no bodies left anywhere in the town," he answered sadly.

There was definitely a hint of guilt in her brothers eyes now and slowly his mask cracked and broke apart, revealing a pain filled face. She felt her clenched heart twist, but managed to hold back her tears just barely.

"I am here now," he offered weakly.

"And just what the hell do you think returning to the living world now would accomplish?" she shouted. "We are six years behind our schooling, do you honestly think there is any hope of a future for us?" she demanded. "Everyone we ever knew is dead."

His head whipped back as if she had physically slapped him from the sudden venom in her voice.

"And what good would going home do? For what? Struggling through some un educated life for forty or sixty years just to eventually die and end up back here anyway. The only future we could hope for would be to find some man to marry us and be at home wives living off of his support. Not even a fast food joint would take us with our level of education," she pointed out.

Yuzu would be perfectly suited to such a future, and with her exotic and beautiful features finding a husband would be easy enough. But her. Karin would not be able to live on the charity of another, even assuming she could find any man interested in spoiled goods with baggage.

Her hand went to her stomach. Her life was no longer her own and she would not deny her child its father the way she had been denied her mother if she had anyway to prevent it.

The kido shield shattered as her concentration broke. She could feel Ulquiorra getting closer, and in the distance more high powered reiatsu was quickly coming their way. While it looked like the fighting had stopped between Grimmjow and Ichigo for now, she didn't think for a second the other Espada would be so lenient when they got here.

Grimmjow's eyes were back on Ichigo and she could tell the fighting was about to commence once more. Ichigo was strong and he and Grimmjow were pretty damn close in power, but he was not as strong as the combined forces heading their way and likely to arrive soon. If they arrived her brother and friends would die.

Karin did the only thing she could think of to do, knowing it was going to shatter her brother. But at least he might be able to walk out of this alive and forestall any other fighting, for she knew Grimmjow would not risk harming his unborn child, and thus her.

She did the hardest thing she had ever had to do in her entire life. She turned her back on Ichigo and walked up to Grimmjow until she stood before her child's father, directly blocking the path between them with her own body. She turned to face her brother once in position.

His eyes were wide with shock and pain as she stood before Grimmjow. She could almost see her brother's soul and resolve crack, only to be shattered by her next words.

"Go home, and don't bother ever coming back for me. My fate was sealed awhile ago," she said sadly. "Take Yuzu and go. There is no longer any desirable future for me in the living world. I am dead to it, and you."

Ichigo made to take a step forward, arm held out towards her. Grimmjow closed the small distance between them and pulled her into his grasp, glaring pointedly at the Vizard. Karin relaxed in his embrace and the last fragments of her brother's will finished shattering.

Yuzu finally seemed to snap out of her own daze and ran to their brother. Ichigo caught her in a one armed embrace, holding her tightly to his side as she cried in happiness, as if afraid that if he let Yuzu go she would forsake him as well.

"Karin?" Yuzu called worriedly.

It was Yuzu's pain filled face and voice that nearly broke her resolve, but she forced herself to stiffen her back. Just as there was no life for her in the living world, there was no life for Yuzu here.

"Go, before your chance at escape is gone," Karin snapped.

Grimmjow made to move, but she caught the arm that was around her before he could move it, holding him to her body. Her brothers eyes fell in defeat, with a hint of confusion as he watched her hold onto his long time enemy, and what more watched his opponent still all motion and accept her calming touch.

"Ichigo, we need to go. Time is almost up," Yoruichi called.

Rukia ran to the couple and slapped a bracelet on Yuzu's wrist.

"Tatsuki, Orihime?" Rukia called to them.

"I can not go," Orihime smiled sadly at them. "Even if I wanted to Ulquiorra-san would be able to find me no matter where we went. I would only put you all in danger."

"She is right," Nel confirmed sadly.

"I am not leaving Orihime," Tatsuki crossed her arms firmly when they looked at her.

Rukia nodded sadly to them both.

"Times up," Yoruichi declared.

There was a blinding flash of light, and then they were gone. A few seconds later Ulquiorra arrived in the clearing. Karin didn't even notice his released form. Her eyes were too blurry from held back tears to see straight.

In the background Hana was still sobbing and demanding to know where Yuzu had gone. Lilinette was still trying to calm the young girl down without much success. Ulquiorra and Orihime disappeared a second later while Tatsuki let out a sigh and assisted Lilinette with the sobbing Hana.

"Karin," Grimmjow started.

She slapped his hands away from her body and bolted while he was still stunned with surprise, running on pure instinct.

"Karin!" He shouted after her.

She ignored him. She needed to be alone right now.

"Karin," he shouted again, a hint of desperation in his voice.

She ran as hard as she could, trying to outrun the pain that constricted her chest and the tears threatening her eyes.

(POV)

Grimmjow stared after Karin in surprise before preparing to go after her when she ignored his third call.

"Wait!" Tatsuki called, running up to him to block his path before he could launch into a Sonido to chase after her.

"What?" he snapped at her in frustration.

"Karin just gave up her entire family, and what few friends we just discovered were still alive, to be with you," Tatsuki said firmly while pointing a finger at him. "So please just give her a moment to sort it all out in her head," she begged sadly, her own eyes looking off to where Karin had disappeared. "It is not an easy decision to turn ones back on their own family, no matter the reasons behind it."

"We should get Hana-chan to her mother," Lilinette spoke up.

Hana had ceased wailing and was now whimpering to see her mom or 'take-ji, tear stains covering her cheeks.

Grimmjow looked off to where Karin had disappeared before giving a simple nod of his head. He sheathed his Zanpakuto as he returned to normal. Tatsuki let out a soft sigh of relief.

He was soaked in blood and covered in wounds that were starting to sting now that the battle was over and his adrenaline ran out.

"Che," he spat and headed back to the estate so he could take a shower and cleaned up before the blood dried.

All this emotional crap was pissing him off. Next time he saw Kurosaki he was going to rip the bastard to shreds for making Karin upset. How dare the bastard give her stress when it was bad for a pregnant woman. Like hell he would let anything threaten his child.

He paused on the march home.

"Shit, I forgot to let the fucker know his little sister was knocked up. Damn it. And Yuzu doesn't even know to tell him. Fuck."

He kicked a tree, walking away from it as it collapsed behind him in a pile of splinters.

(POV)

Tatsuki watched Grimmjow stalk off and sighed as she turned her attention back to Hana and Lilinette. What was suppose to have been a relaxing day had turned out to be quite a stressful one instead. What's more, there was no telling what sort of shape Orihime was going to be in when Ulquiorra was finished with her.

The reiatsu of the one Ulquiorra had been fighting had been frightfully powerful and such fights always left his blood boiling. All Tatsuki could do for now was offer a quick prayer that both women would come out of this event all right.

"C'mon, Lilinette, Hana-chan. Let's go find your mother,"

"Hai," Hana sniffed.

Tatsuki picked the little girl up and nodded to Lilinette to lead the way. The sooner they got Hana to her mother, the sooner at least one problem would be dealt with.

* * *

This will be another set of large posts because the next several chapters really need to stay together for the full effect to be felt.


	24. Karin's Breakdown and Arise

Note: several chapters are being posted at once. You may need to skip back a chapter.

Karin's Break Down and Arise

She didn't stop running until she was back at the Estate, bolting up one of the trees to sit on the branches. Her stomach was fluttering a mile a minute and she couldn't tell if it was from fear, anxiety, the baby or a combination of the above.

She rested her hand on her stomach, and felt the flutters start to ease slightly as she let her reiatsu run over the budding one in her tummy to calm it.

"There there, it's alright," she whispered. "Everything will be alright. Mommy's okay, a little upset but okay," she murmured. "I am here. I am not going anywhere. Calm down," she whispered more to herself than her baby.

The flutters died down a bit.

"As much as I would like to just go back to sleep, regrettably, duty requires me to ask what is going on?"

Karin stiffened in surprise as she looked down the tree to see Starrk resting at the bottom. In her haste to escape she hadn't noticed the tree she had chosen to hide in had been the one he had chosen to sleep under that day.

She didn't answer as the events came rushing back to her, and she felt the first tears start to leak despite her desperate attempts to hold them in. She had vowed never to cry again after her mother died, to never be a burden on anyone.

No matter how hard she tried, she felt them start to leak.

"_I won__'__t cry. I won__'__t cry. I am stronger than this. I won__'__t cry,"_ she chanted to herself even as she felt her resolve weaken.

(POV)

When Karin didn't answer, Starrk groaned to himself and dragged his lazy ass up to join her in the tree. He regretted it the moment he noticed she was about to have a mental breakdown. He did not handle crying women at all.

"Are you okay?" he asked hesitantly.

Her tear-filled gaze rose to meet his and that certainly answered his question. Something had definitely happened and he quickly scanned for his other half and Hana. He found them both in their way to the fifth.

Lilinette's reiatsu was calm but did display some distress while Hana's was almost catatonic. It seemed the woman, Tatsuki, was also with them. He couldn't find Yuzu's at all and judging by the flare ups from Ulquiorra, Orihime's reiatsu was probably buried beneath the Fourth's, in more ways than one.

"What happened?" he asked firmly, all pretences of laziness now gone.

"He came. After six years he just showed up out of nowhere," Karin answered with a bit of a hiccup.

Starrk frowned.

"Kurosaki Ichigo?" he guessed correctly.

It would definitely explain the flare ups of reiatsu from both Grimmjow and Ulquiorra. Both Espada had bones to pick with the human hybrid.

She nodded her head and her shoulders started shaking. She was about to have a full melt down and he was defiantly not the one that should be handling something like this. He felt panic well up as he realized there was no one else here to deal with her.

"Okay, umm," he ran a hand through his hair nervously.

What was one was suppose to do with a distraught, pregnant teenager going through an emotional crisis? He reached a hand out to pat her shoulder awkwardly. Her shoulders heaved more and her hands dug into the bark of the tree. He jumped away from her in surprise.

"Karin-chan?" A voice from heaven ironically called from the ground.

When Karin didn't answer Ukitake appeared in the tree next to them, looking at Starrk questionably.

"I'll just leave this in your capably hands," Starrk was quick to excuse himself.

Ukitake moved over to take Starrk's place while the 1st dropped down from the tree, disappearing into a Sonido the moment his feet touched the ground to escape before he could be dragged back in. Besides, Lilinette would be able to fill him in on what happened without all the blubbering and sobbing.

(POV)

Like Starrk, Ukitake had felt the flare ups and recognized who they belonged to. Leaving the division in the care of his Fukutaichou, he instantly sought out the reiatsu of the girls since he knew they were in that area.

Lilinette, Hana and Tatsuki were on their way safely to the 5th and Hana's mother. Orihime's was barely distinguishable under Ulquiorra's, and Karin's was at the estate radiating so much grief it had nearly ripped his heart out.

He couldn't find Yuzu's at all and he felt terror at the thought that somehow Karin's twin sister had been killed, for that would definitely explain the large amount of anguish coming from the teenage girl and the absence of Yuzu's reiatsu.

He raced to the Estate and found Karin in a tree with a very uncomfortable looking Starrk. The Espada was quick to make his escape and Ukitake didn't blame him. Dealing with intense, emotional situations, especially ones of a teenage girl variety, was not up any Hollow's alley, regardless of their evolutionary state.

"Karin?" Ukitake moved up into the tree and rested a hand gently on her shoulder.

She looked up at him shortly before throwing herself into his arms and sobbing brokenly. He could hardly make out a word she was saying as she started babbling about her brother and how she had deliberately hurt him to get rid of him.

He held her, rubbing her back and making soothing noises as she shook in his arms and soaked the front of his uniform with her tears. After about ten minutes she started to calm down and her heart wrenching sobs turned into sniffs.

"Thank you," she whispered, sitting back and rubbing her eyes. "I haven't cried like that since the day my mother died," she admitted.

"What happened?" he asked softly, brushing a lock of her hair behind one ear as she looked up at him.

"Ichigo showed up. He said he was here to save us. It's a little late now, at least for me. The living world frowns down upon those who are uneducated and after missing six out of twelve years of school, and other things, there is no way I could ever hope to create a life outside of being a house wife and living on another's charity. No one would hire a 'drop out' for even the lowliest of jobs.

"Yuzu would be happy being a house wife, it's kind of been her dream, but not me. There is nothing for me in the living world anymore. So I told Ichigo to just leave and never come back. That I didn't want nor need him," her voice quivered.

"Karin," he said sadly, and just held her again while she shuddered, but retained enough control to not break down again. "Yuzu?" he asked worriedly.

"I sent her with him. There is no life for her here, and let's face it, I'll probably see her in forty years or so. All going to the living world at this point would do would be to delay the inevitable," she pointed out, regaining more of her composure.

She pulled out of his grasp completely and they sat in the tree facing each other. The pain in her eyes still spoke volumes, but she was completely calmed down once more.

"Even if there had been hope for me in the Living Realm, I would still not be able to leave so easily," she said with a sad smile, resting a hand on her stomach.

She grabbed the branch they were sitting on and swung down from the tree, landing easily on the ground with a flip.

"Thank you, Ukitake-san. I needed that cry. I have been holding my tears in for so long now that it feels nice to have finally let them out."

"What are you going to do now?" he asked worriedly, concerned she might do something drastic like try to end her life.

Once more her hand rested on her stomach.

"I have given up my entire family. So the only thing left to do now is to start all over with my new family. I grew up without a Mother, so I know what it is like to have only a single parent.

"I will NOT deny my child it's father if I can help it," she answered firmly as she straightened her posture. "Us Kurosaki's are survivors. Always have been. Always will be. When we face a challenge we rise to meet it head on," she offered him a sad smile and walked off, back straight and eyes forward.

Ukitake stared after her in shock. Her words could only have one meaning and Aizen's interest in her suddenly became very clear. She was pregnant. No doubt with Grimmjow's child.

"Oh Karin-chan," he sighed sadly for the teenager.

(POV)

Grimmjow could feel the anguish radiating through their link, and it caused him pain unlike anything he had ever felt before; except for perhaps that one moment when she had looked at her brother. He had been so happy to finally fight with Kurosaki again that he hadn't even thought about what the man's presence might implicate.

He had felt fear when those dumb ass Arrancar had tried to Claim her, but the feeling he had felt when he realized Karin might go with Kurosaki, that he would lose both her and his unborn child, was of the deepest terror he had ever felt.

But, she had turned her back on her own brother and chose him. He had been so shocked that he hadn't even been able to react until after the intruders had already disappeared in a flash of light.

The fact Yuzu was gone didn't really affect him much. He'd had little interest in her other than her initial potential as bait. But Karin's pain, and his Child's. The baby was developed enough now to notice it's mothers distress, and he could feel his Child's pain. He wanted to assure it that all would be well, but then Karin had slapped his arms away and ran.

How he wanted to chase after her, but Tatsuki's words held wisdom. Some battles could only be fought alone and without swords. He was definitely not good with the 'not swords' kind. So while it pained him greatly to lay in their room after having taken a shower, treat the numerous injuries Kurosaki had left behind and wait for her to calm down, that was exactly what he did.

He was so lost in his musing that he failed to notice she had arrived at their room until he heard the door clack shut. He jerked in surprise and his eyes darted immediately to her, studying her.

Her hair was slightly damp, clearly from taking a shower, and she was wearing a simple navy-blue yukata. Her eyes still looked a little puffy, but otherwise she seemed to be alright, although there was still pain radiating from her reiatsu.

He had no idea what to say, so they stared at each other in silence.

"You chose to stay," he finally spoke, breaking the uncomfortable silence after five minutes of just staring at each other.

"I have no life in the Living World," she answered and finally moved to close the distance between them.

He felt himself stiffen slightly.

"Is that the only reason you stayed?" he asked softly, his expression falling and his chest clenching.

"No,"

His gaze shot back up to her as she kneeled before him on the futon.

"I stayed because WE have a child to raise. My own Mother was murdered when I was very young, and though my Father tried his best to raise us alone, I know the pain of being raised by a single parent. I do not want that for our baby," she answered sadly.

He knew there were other reasons, she had given them to her brother during the argument, but the ones she had just given him where definitely the ones he wanted to hear.

"I will always be here," he promised, a hand reaching out to touch her stomach.

He sent a small pulse of reiatsu and was pleased when the baby responded. A slight smile touched Karin's eyes and tugged lightly at the corner of her lips. He froze when he felt a small physical flutter against his palm.

Both of them stared at each other in wonderment and enjoyed a moment of companionably silence.

"There is one thing I was kind of hoping," she suddenly blushed softly.

"What?" he asked.

He would give her anything she desired right now. She who had abandoned her own kin for him and the family they were about to start. She who bore his child.

"Your transformation."

"You mean my resurreccion?" he asked confused, wondering what his transformation had to do with anything.

"Yeah. Could….. I see it?" she asked nervously.

He smirked and drew his blade.

"Kishire, Pantera," he declared, running his hand down the blade.

When the change finished she sat before him and he felt his male pride swelling as she stared at him in clear awe.

"So…," she didn't finish.

"Deadly? Amazing? Bad Ass?" he suggested helpfully.

"Kawaii!" She exclaimed, and before he could even registered it her fingers were buried in the soft fur of his ears, rubbing them gently. "They are so soft," she declared excitedly.

He stared at her stunned.

"I am not cute," he snapped once he got over his shock.

He couldn't bring himself to pull his head away from her grasp though, and if she would just lower her hands a little to the… ah yeah. That was the spot. He felt his eyes slide shut as she continued to rub him behind the ears.

"Definitely a spoiled house cat," she smirked.

"Am not," he murmured.

She removed her hands and he looked up at her, trying to hide his disappointment. She shifted more onto the futon and patted her lap. Growling, for he was not some trained animal, he glared at her.

One of her hands snaked out and was once more latched onto an ear. Before he even knew it his head was in her lap as she massaged the fur. He sighed and just let her play with his ears and run her fingers through his now extremely long hair.

They sat like that for an unknown length of time until he felt himself drift off. When he woke up Karin was curled against him sleeping peacefully and Pantera was once more in her sheath laying beside them on the futon.

"_What did I ever do in my fucked up life to deserve you?"_ he asked himself as he gazed down at her.

* * *

So, let me know what you all thought. Was it emotional, did you find yourselves reaching for a hanky?


	25. Orihime's Surrender

Note: This is a triple update, you may need to skip two chapters back.

Warnings: Sex

Orihime's Surrender

Orihime felt terrible as the scene played out between Karin and Ichigo. What's more, Karin had brought up several valid points Orihime had never even considered herself about what returning to the living world would entitle.

As she had stated when Rukia had looked at her, running would do her no good as Ulquiorra would just find her through the Claim. If anything she would be a danger to the few who still held their freedom.

Her entire focus was on the mass of reiatsu rushing towards her. As much as she wanted to comfort Karin, she had a bigger fish to appease if she didn't want all the work she had put into this 'relationship' to be torn asunder.

She remembered what he had been like the night he had beaten Ichigo. This was the first time since then that he had fought another over her at this level, and she had no doubt his blood would be boiling, more so because Ichigo had been here.

He appeared before her, wings spread wide and green eyed gaze quickly scanning her. She offered him a weak smile and stepped towards him, making sure to never break eye contact, to let him know her attention was on him and only him.

It hurt like hell as all she wanted to do right now was comfort Karin, but she knew that would not be an option; not until much later after she had calmed the so called 'emotionless' Espada's raging blood and instinct.

It was a strange feeling as she realized that she was _exactly_ what he wanted and needed. It had taken so many stumbling steps, but she had learned a lot about him over the years, more so when she had finally surrendered to her fate.

"I am here," she assured him, stepping closer to close the small distance between them.

His eyes bore into hers and she could see the emotions racing through them like never before. There was everything from fear to relief to something she couldn't quite name but it left her knees feeling weak.

Hesitantly, she reached a hand out and cupped the side of his face. He leaned into it briefly before his arms enveloped her and the world spun by as he launched into a Sonido.

"_I hope you can make it back alone, Tatsuki," _she thought as the world blurred by.

She was not at all shocked when the motion stopped in their bedroom, or what she had learned would have been considered a Den had he still been a Vasto Lorde.

She half expected to be thrown onto the bed and have her clothing ripped off, but instead he set her gently onto her feet and just held her. She could feel his body trembling against her own and his grip tightened, thankfully not enough to hurt.

He nuzzled her neck and just held her while he trembled. She was rather surprised to say the least and dawning suddenly arose. He was holding back. He was trembling because he was trying to stop himself from hurting her.

She felt her chest warm and she turned about in his grasp to stare into conflicted green eyes. He was fighting his very nature, his very instinct, for her sake. She smiled softly and pressed her hands to his chest, pushing him slightly away from her.

There was a flash of pain and hurt in his eyes before it quickly disappeared into shock as her hands found the zipper to his jacket and started to pull it down to reveal his chest.

"I told you I would give it a year to fall in love with you," she whispered. "What kind of person would I be if I backed out after all the work you have already put in?" she asked softly as she brushed the trench coat off his shoulders, letting it fall to the ground in a heap behind him.

She ran her hands down his pale chest, bypassing the hole before wrapping her arms around him and resting her head against his chest. She ran her hands along his back before they drifted up and she tentatively traced the base of his wings. His wings folded around them, and she couldn't help but to feel safe and warm as they just stood there holding onto each other.

"_He was actually scared I would leave,"_ she realized. _"That I would chose to leave with Ichigo over staying with him," _

She was surprised by that revelation. She tightened her grip on him and felt him do the same. His buried his nose in her neck and he began to nuzzle her intently. His hands tightened into her clothing.

She sighed and relaxed fully into his embrace and began to run her fingers through his lengthened hair and along the large feathers that ran alongside his bat like wings. She returned his nuzzling and felt his own body relax against hers.

They had shared a bed hundreds of times, but she had never been so forward. She had always just laid there and let him do to her what he willed. To be the one actively giving attention was different and it made her feel more… something.

She couldn't put a name to it, but the fact he was willing to hold back for her sake was definitely leaving a warm feeling in her chest. The fact he had obviously struggled to reach her left her feeling even warmer.

His thoughts had been on her, not on the intruders at all. He still hadn't said a thing about the obvious traces of reiatsu that had smothered the clearing. In fact he hadn't said a word and she wasn't all that surprised. He rarely spoke after all.

The hands tangled in her clothing were starting to twist it rather too tight against her body.

"_He's holding on, trying to maintain control,"_ she realized with a start.

She stopped stroking his hair and feathers and pushed away to give them enough space to look eye to eye.

"It's okay. Just let go," she said softly.

His eyes widen in surprised and his grip tightened in her clothes for a moment before she saw the relief wash through those green orbs and his grip loosened. As if a dam had been broken, his hands were suddenly all over her, quickly removing her clothing and getting her onto the bed.

She felt fear spike through her for a moment, too many memories of the many times he had forced her coming to the fore front. Not that he had ever hurt her bar the one time when Tatsuki had intervened, but being forced by another was never emotionally pleasant.

He paused when her fear spiked through her reiatsu, green eyed gaze searching hers out in worry.

"It's alright," she assured him, calming down.

Giving a nod of his head, he started attacking her body with his mouth, starting with hers and working his way down her body. She started to play with his hair before finding those long feathers.

They were so soft and she ran her hand along them from the base to their tips. She felt herself entranced by their softness and couldn't help but to stroke them. She knew his fur in his full release was soft from the few times he had taken her in it, but she never knew his feathers were just as soft.

She could feel his power fluctuating, jumping to extreme levels before he forcefully dragged it back down. His kisses against her skin were desperate and she watched as his hands dug into the blankets, his knuckles turning white.

"_He's still holding back,"_ she realized with a start. "Ulquiorra,"

As his name fell from her lips his gaze shot back up to her with a hint of surprise. It was the first time she had spoken to him without the suffix, perhaps even the first time she had ever called his name during these sessions.

She cupped his face with one hand and offered him a small smile.

"It's alright. You can let go. I trust you. I know you wont hurt me."

His eyes widened in shock before she saw such relief, and that other thing she had noticed earlier, wash through them that she felt her heart skip a beat.

There was a wave of power and suddenly there was fur instead of skin against her. She gasped as the power flowed about her and she felt her skin become hyper sensitive. His lips sought hers once more and she opened her mouth to him, tentatively stroking her tongue against his.

He froze in shock and briefly she wondered if she should be taking a tally on how many times she had surprised him today, or at least make it a contest to see how many more times she could.

Her hands came up and wrapped around his body once more. She ran her fingers up and down his back. She tangled them in the soft feather like fur that cover his lower torso and some of his wings.

His reiatsu crackled pleasantly against her own and he eventually broke off from her lips, his hands going to her hips.

"Wait," she begged, and he froze again. "This way, please. I want…" she found herself unable to speak as piercing green eyes bore into hers questionably.

She spread her legs a bit wider to let him settle better between them as she licked her lips nervously.

"What?" His voice was highly strained and the sound alone caused a warmth to flood her body.

"I want to see your eyes."

"You can see them," he pointed out, his voice still strained.

She shook her head and captured his between her hands.

"I want to see you during," she breathed.

Dawning came to him and he frowned at her.

"Only mates take each other from the front," he stated, his voice mostly back to normal, even if his reiatsu still fluctuated wildly about.

"Oh," she looked to the side.

She could never return the Claim, so she would never be able to be considered…

Her thoughts broke off before she could go down that road as he spoke again.

"Do you love me?" he asked suddenly.

She stared at him in surprise and quickly analyzed her feelings. Did she?

"I don't know," she admitted and saw the flash of pain in his eyes as he looked aside, "but," his eyes snapped back to her own, "I think I am starting to."

His eyes widened and he caught her lips with his own once more.

"Enough to be considers mates?" he asked.

"I…" She thought about what he was asking of her.

She had unconsciously been holding out, waiting for a rescue she was sure was coming. Well, that rescue had arrived and when it did the only thing she had been thinking about was him. Not how happy she was to see her friends, to see Ichigo.

There had been no tearful reunion. No running into each others arms with hugs and tears. If ever there was a chance for her to escape it would have been at that moment. Yes the Claim would let him track her, but she had no doubt that there would have been ways to hide her until the Claim wore off.

No one would have helped him reclaim her so he would have had to come after her alone, so even if he had tracked her down she doubted even he could take on ALL of the escapees.

But she hadn't gone with them. Hadn't even considered it. She could not lie to herself any longer. She did not want to be rescued. When she looked into her future the one she saw by her side was him.

"When I see myself ten years from now, it is you I see at my side," she admitted softly.

She saw pleasure and delight flood through his eyes and he dipped his head down to capture her lips once more with his.

"It is enough," he declared.

Her own eyes widened in surprise as he settled more comfortably between her legs.

"You can not return a Claim, and to remove mine would leave you in danger from others."

"I understand. It's alright," she assured him. "I trust you to know you will not abuse the power."

He nodded and silenced all further communication by capturing her lips with his once more. It was as if neither one could get enough contact with the other as they grated their bodies together.

She let out a gasp when he finally lined up and entered her, sending a rush of his reiatsu into her body at the same time. She didn't even try to hold back her cries of pleasure and her nails raked across his back.

Through it all not once did his intense green gaze break from her grey orbs and the passion she saw in those eyes was more than she had ever dreamed to see in anyone, least of all him.

His face remained as expressionless as any white, marble statue, but his eyes spoke all the words his expression and voice could not. She cupped his face and pulled it in for a kiss before the pleasure of his invasion, both physical and spiritual, into her body became too much and her hands shot back to his fur covered limbs and dug in.

She felt that peak race towards her and with a scream of pure pleasure she fell over the other edge. Four thrust later and he was shuddering on top of her, his fangs pierced her neck and drank in her blood and a fair portion of the reiatsu he had pumped into her, reinstating his Claim over her.

Their breathe mingled as they both panted for several minutes before he slowly untangled their bodies. He pulled her against his chest, folded his wings around them and nuzzled her neck.

"Mate?" he asked softly with a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

"Mate," she agreed softly without hesitation.

He nuzzled her some more, gentling licking the piercing in her neck from his bite, and tightened his grip. She couldn't help it. She loved how soft his featherlike fur was against her bare skin and nestled closer to him.

"I still think we aren't ready for kids."

She felt his chest vibrate and it took her a second to realize he was chuckling. She simply smiled and permitted herself to drift off to sleep. Or tried to. She nearly bolted upright when she remembered that they had left Tatsuki defenceless in the park.

She quickly sought out her oldest friends reiatsu and sighed audibly when she found it at Ukitake's Estate not far from Nanao, Lilinette and Hana.

Reassured her friend was safe, she nestled back in against Ulquiorra and this time let sleep claim her, as it had apparently already claimed him.

* * *

Well, I hope you all enjoyed this triple post. I have to say that writing Ichigo's appearance and the aftermath was some of the hardest scenes to do. I am still not happy with them, but I hope I got all the emotional turmoil and realizations forward, as well as made the arguments make sense.

Anyhow, stay tuned for the next chapter: Where the baby is born.


	26. Very Pregnant

Very Pregnant

Karin sighed and rubbed the sides of her rather large stomach as she laid on her back in the lab. The baby would be coming soon, there was no doubt about that.

"Oh look, the tail is swishing," Lilinette exclaimed excitedly as they looked at the Ultrasound monitor.

"Ooo, I see it," Hana exclaimed happily, pointing at the coloured monitor.

"It definitely takes after you Grimmjow," Lilinette noted.

Grimmjow gave a bit of a grunt as his eyes looked at the screen displaying their child in 3D, a rather new invention of Szayel's and as far as Karin knew, this was the first time testing it.

Normally she would have pummelled him into the next century, and then let Grimmjow pummelled him two further, for testing anything out on her. But this was a device that was harmless and she did honestly want to see the baby with this much detail.

With this new machine they could even see the soft fur covering the baby's pointed ears and the lower half of the body. The legs, while more or less human shaped, tapered off into very obvious paws. The mask fragment covered it's chest in a thick, slightly V shape that would probably become more defined as it grew.

"Everything appears to be healthy and normal," Szayel reported. "Strong heart rate, responding to outside stimulus. The baby should be ready to come out soon," The pink haired Arrancar smiled at her, removing the probe from her stomach.

If Grimmjow's increased hovering was anything to go by, the baby had to be due to arrive soon. He practically refused to leave her side and it had been difficult to get him to agree to come for her weekly check up.

She had noticed Szayel seemed extra cautious around her and only touched her when it was absolutely necessary. Every time the Scientist touched her she could feel the displeasure coursing through the Claim. When the touch was extended Grimmjow would actually growl.

It was kind of funny because he seemed to have no problems with Unohana when the Taichou ran her own tests every two weeks. He also seemed to have no problems with Hana or Lilinette either, perhaps because both were too young, and female, to be considered a threat.

Unlike Szayel, who was making an entire case study out of her, Unohana was only concerned that her and the baby were healthy and that there were no complications from the strange mix of species.

"I would just like some more blood samples and then we can call it another day," Szayel smiled at her, setting the tray of vials and a needle down beside her.

Grimmjow helped her sit up on the examination table. Her large front load was definitely making moving about more difficult.

She held her arm out while Grimmjow tightened the strap before she inserted the needle into herself and drew the lots of required blood. If there was no reason for Szayel to touch her, Grimmjow would not permit it.

While it was kind of cute, it was becoming rather ridicules. Sure she could draw her own blood, but it wasn't comfortable to stick a needle in an arm at this angle. It would be much easier, and faster, if he would just let Szayel do his job.

"Being pregnant must have really fried my brain if I am thinking I would sooner let Szayel do something to me than suffer a little," She thought slightly amused.

"Alright, all done. I will see you both next week at the same time, assuming the baby doesn't arrive before then," Szayel smiled at them while removing his gloves.

Grimmjow just glared at the Arrancar but Karin offered him a slight nod of her head before she elbowed the glowering Espada standing behind her in the stomach to catch his attention.

"You going to help me down or am I going to sit on this table all day?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

He gave a bit of a start before grumbling something under his breath and walking around the table to help her down.

She couldn't wait to see her feet again.

"When is the baby coming?" Hana asked.

"Soon," Karin smiled at the little girl.

"How did it get in there?" Hana asked, pointing at Karin's stomach.

"Well, Grimmjow helped me put it there when it was really small so it would be safe while it grew up, and soon it will be ready to come out," Karin explained.

"Can I help next time?" she asked with childish innocence.

Lilinette laughed and Grimmjow nearly tripped over his own feet at the innocent question. Karin just widened her smile slightly.

"Sorry hun, but it's something only adults can do it. You will understand better when you are older."

"Oh," her head fell.

"Don't worry. I am sure one day you will have a baby all on your own."

"Really?"

"Of course. But you are too young now. Babies are a lot of work. You have to feed them and clean them and change their stinky diapers."

"Eww," Hana made a face.

Karin chuckled and tried to stretch her back, but it did little for the constant ache. There was a pain numbing Kido but Karin only used it to sleep at night if she was in a large amount of pain. Unohana had warned her about numbing her body too much since she could end up hurting herself and not knowing about it if she used the spell unnecessarily.

"Ready to head home?" Lilinette asked.

"Yep," Hana chirped and took the hand Lilinette offered her. "Fast, I want to go fast."

"Alright, but you got to hold on."

"Yay."

Lilinette crouched down and Hana jumped up onto the young woman's back. Karin straightened up and followed the two girls out of the lab, Grimmjow hovering practically on top of her and growling at anyone who even came near her.

"Can you stop that now? It's getting annoying," she grumbled.

His growls broke off suddenly.

"Thank you. I know it's instinct but there is no one here even interested in me, or our child, in any threatening way."

She heard him give a soft, exasperated sigh behind her and could practically feel him bristle with barely contained energy. The sooner they got back to the Estate the better. They made it outside just in time to see Lilinette disappeared with a screaming Hana on her back as the girl launched into a Sonido.

A smile once more lit her face. Starrk and Lillinette had been more than willing to watch Hana while Nanao was at work. In fact, Karin was pretty sure Starrk would let the girl get away with his own murder for how much he let the little girl do to him. The best though had to be when they had found him thoroughly soaked from a pre-emptive strike and run, water bombing attack.

He had been so drenched Karin had honestly thought he had gone swimming with his cloths on. Instead of getting upset though, he had simply chassed down the two culprits, one Lilinette Gingerback and Kyoraku Hana,

The first had been tossed in one of the Koi ponds while the second had gotten the tickling of a life time. Lilinette had groused for a week about how Hana had gotten off so easy.

The memory was definitely a fond one and Karin couldn't help but to let out a soft chuckle at the memory of it.

She felt a contraction and touched her stomach.

"You find it amusing too, little one?" she thought.

Another contraction.

Karin chuckled and took a step forward. They had decided to forgo Shunpo and Sonido for fear of the effects the G-forces would have on the baby. She made it six steps before she felt another contraction.

She froze, and started counting.

"What's wrong?" Grimmjow asked, coming up beside her and resting his hands on her stomach.

She ignored him, and after forty eight seconds she felt another contraction.

"I think we should go to the fourth," she said.

"Why?"

"Just get me there," she hissed.

Another contraction.

"Shit," she hissed and would have collapsed if Grimmjow hadn't caught her.

Her reiatsu flared in distress, and the monitor on her wrist started beeping. The static sound of Sonido came to her ears even as Szayel appeared beside them.

"What's going on?" he demanded.

"I think I am going into labour," Karin answered.

Szayel's eyes widened in glee.

"Don't move. Grimmjow, get her down to the ground. Nemu, get a stretcher quickly," Szayel ordered calmly, although delight was definitely in his voice.

Karin gripped onto Grimmjow's jacket as he helped her to the ground. Her grip tightened as another contraction came. When Grimmjow tried to pull away, Karin wouldn't let him, gripping his shirt harder.

Nemu arrived a moment later with a stretcher and the two Espada helped get Karin onto it.

"We need to get her inside."

"No," Karin snapped. "The fourth. Now."

They must have made quite the scene. Her laying on a stretcher being pushed by Nemu while Grimmjow and Szayel ran by her side down the centre of the streets in their rush to get to the fourth.

In the future they would probably look back at it and laugh, but right now her entire focus was on breathing and surviving the contractions.

Szayel was the one who made the first mistake when he grasped her wrist to check the reiatsu and blood pressure readings on the watch like device. Her hand snagged his and squeezed as another contraction hit.

He actually yelped in pain as her heightened reiatsu and labour induced strength crushed his hand in hers.

"Karin-san, please let go," he begged, trying to pry his wrist from her grasp, while they were still running no less, with no success.

Another contraction and she squeezed harder, earning another pained yelp from him and he almost tripped over his feet as they were still sprinting down the road. They made it to the fourth, the Shinigami on duty quickly scattering as they came bolting in.

"Get Unohana now," Grimmjow barked.

Szayel whimpered and tried to pry his hand from Karin's with no success. In fact her next contraction nearly sent him to his knees for the grip she had on him and several people winced as they swore they heard bones crunch.

Despite the situation, Grimmjow did send a 'you deserve it and are getting what was coming to you' smirk at the clearly in pain Scientist.

Unohana came onto the scene and despite the whimpering Espada and cursing Karin, a sense of peace just seemed to flow about them.

"How long has it been since she started her contractions?" Unohana asked calmly as she approached them.

"A few minutes," Grimmjow answered, hovering as close to Karin as he could get while staying out of her grabbing range.

He sure as hell didn't want to end up like Szayel, and unlike the Scientist, he knew just how strong Karin was.

Unohana approached them and came around to where Szayel was actually gasping for breath and simply pulled the side rail up from its current downward position. Karin gave one last shudder and got another yelp from Szayel before the contraction receded and she transferred her death grip to the railing.

Szayel pulled his hand away from her reach as quickly as he could and looked at the mangled joint before ordering Nemu to get pressure sensors quickly to measure the strength Karin was putting out.

"Let's get her to a delivery room," Unohana stepped back and Nemu pushed the stretcher down the halls until they came to a room.

They transferred her to the delivery bed and Unohana helped her out of her clothes and into a hospital gown. Szayel spent the time it took to transfer her beds to bind his poor, abused hand.

"What now?" Grimmjow asked nervously, pacing along the wall where he was out of the way.

"We wait," Unohana offered him a smile.

Nemu arrived shortly after and handed Karin what looked like hand grips with a wired sensor on them. Karin took them and squeezed them as another contraction hit. The slight give and gel grips were much easier on her wrist.

"You should advocate these things," she gasped between contractions. "Much easier on the joints."

There was a knock on the door and a moment later Starrk walked in, looking about the room before leaning against a wall in apparent boredom.

When Unohana had learned more about how 'emotional' the male tended to get when his mate went into Labour she had requested someone able to handle the sixth easily in a full blown panic attack be present in case something happened.

Aizen had agreed and had 'suggest' to Starrk that he be present in case their Kami's 'wife' needed protection from a hysterical Espada.

Starrk was the only one that was both powerful enough to contain Grimmjow should the blue haired Espada flip out and also be somewhat trusted by everyone. They all knew after the baby was born Grimmjow would definitely get his Mate and Child back to their 'Den' quickly.

There would only be a limited window after the child was born to transfer Karin and the Baby back to the Den before Grimmjow went on full defensive. Starrk was there to make sure the transference went as smoothly as possible.

Another contraction hit and suddenly something gave way. Fluid gushed from her as her water broke and full labour began. It was the most intense pain she had ever felt and she desperately wished they'd had time for drugs.

"Unohana," she gasped. "Is there a medical Kido that works like an epidural?" she begged between contractions.

"Yes, but it could also affect the child if cast wrong so it's only used during emergencies," Unohana smiled at her. "Just keep breathing, the baby will come when it's ready."

"I would consider this an emergency," she snapped.

It was painful and the baby showed no signs of coming. Her stomach was really starting to hurt and after another four hours of contractions and agony she could tell that Unohana and Szayel were both starting to get worried. Grimmjow was hissing in the background and pacing back and forth like a caged cat. Starrk was the only one who appeared non pulsed.

"Something is wrong," Szayel muttered, being the first to voice their concerns.

Unohana nodded in agreement and touched Karin's stomach with green, reiatsu infused hands.

"The baby appears to be facing the right way, but…"

"There is probably a cord stuck somewhere," Szayel finished.

Unohana nodded in agreement.

"What does that mean?" Grimmjow demanded with a bark, his pacing increasing.

"It means the baby can't be born like this. If there is a cord wrapped around it, it could harm the child, the mother, or both on it's way out," Szayel explained.

Karin let out another pained gasp and whimpered.

"What?" Grimmjow growled, and started to march towards them.

Starrk acted, gaining a hold of the 6th. Grimmjow responded by trying to elbow the other in the face in his mission to get to Karin, who let out another cry of pain, initiating the now frantic Espada to struggle to get to her.

"We should do a C-section for safety sake," Szayel commented.

"Agreed," Unohaan agreed.

"A what?" Grimmjow demanded, struggling against the now firm hold Starrk had on him.

"We will cut her open to get the baby out," Szayel explained.

Grimmjow froze for a moment, a moment Starrk used to make sure he had a firmer grip, before he went totally off the deep end and started struggling against Starrk with all of his strength, screaming at them that he would kill them if they started slicing his mate up.

"May I do the honours?" Szayel asked, his voice rather steady for the death threats and reiatsu lashes being sent his way.

"Of course, Szayel-san. Give me a second to get the pain numbing Kido off first please. You seem to have a poor choice of words," she nodded to the now frantic and thrashing Espada.

Unohana cast the Kido quickly before nodding to Szayel that he could begin.

"Please be calm, Grimmjow-san. This is a fairly normal procedure with very little risk to mother or baby," Unohana tried to placate the frothing Espada who was still struggling desperately against Starrk's grip on him.

For a moment Grimmjow seemed to calm down at her assurance.

Karin let out another scream of pain and began to thrash, thankfully before Szayel could start an incision. Her scream of pain was echoed by one of fury from Grimmjow, who not only started struggling again, but also managed to finally land a strong enough hit to get a grunt from the one holding him.

"Will you deliver the kid now?" Starrk asked tiredly.

"Unohana-san, can you hold her still please."

"Of course, Szayel-san."

Another quick Kido and restraints came about Karin, holding her still.

"Thank you."

Karin's screams died down to heavy pants as the pain numbing Kido finally took full affect. Grimmjow's howls of fury did not dissipate, in fact they rose when he saw the scalpel in Szayel's hand start to slice Karin's flesh open and the scent of her blood reached his nose.

His fury was strong enough he actually managed to pull a few centimetres forward and Starrk had to adjust his grip before he lost it.

"Hurry up," Starrk groaned.

"There we are," Szayel smirked in triumph shortly before the sounds of a very upset baby flooded the room. "And there is the cord, tangled up in the mask fragment, just as we summarised."

Grimmjow froze as the sound of the crying baby washed over the room.

"Nemu, quickly now while we seal Karin-san up. This will be our only chance to get our samples for the next several months," Szayel handed the crying baby to Nemu.

Nemu wrapped the baby in a blanket and took the child aside. She quickly pulled a small blood and reiatsu sample, gathered a small turf of hair, and some small scrapings from the baby's skin, fur and mask fragments.

Her length was measured and her weight recorded. Finger prints were gathered and recorded. Done with her task, Nemu bound the baby comfortably in a fresh blanket before walking up to the now still Grimmjow.

Unohana took Szayel's place at Karin's side and started to seal the wound with Kido while Szayel moved up to the head of the bed.

"Where's my baby?" Karin demanded weakly. "I want to see my baby."

"With her Otousan," Szayel answered with a grin. "Quickly now Karin-san, for we have limited time before your mate drags you back to the nest. The delivery didn't go as smooth as we had hoped, but I had planned for this, as well as other, scenario's.

"This is a four month supply of pain killers," he showed her the four bottles of pills before placing them in a bag. "Take two every four to six hours, preferably with food, as needed. This is a panic button. If you press it, it will send out an alarm to let us know something is wrong.

"Grimmjow is not going to want to let anyone near you or the child so only use it if it's a real emergency, like the baby not being able to eat or shows signs of getting weaker," he put it in the bag. "Any questions?"

"No," she answered weakly.

Szayel nodded and handed her the bag before stepping aside to be replaced by Grimmjow holding their daughter.

She held her arms out and accepted the baby as he handed their daughter over. She couldn't stop the silly smile that crossed her face as she held her baby for the first time.

"She's beautiful," she breathed.

The fur they had seen on the ultrasound was dyed pink with blood, but once it was washed out it would be snowy white. Her hair was black though, just like her mothers. The baby's eyes were closed but Karin didn't worry about it.

"We are leaving," Grimmjow said shortly with a clipped voice.

She nodded in understanding and simple adjusted her grip on their daughter and bag of supplies while he picked her up bridal style and stormed out, heading back for the Estate and the area he had Claimed as theirs over the last month.

(POV)

Nothing could have prepared him for the first sound of his baby's voice. His entire body froze as that sweet trumpet rang out over the room and he felt Starrk's death grip on him loosen.

He flexed his hands and just as he was getting over the shock of the sound of his baby's voice and about to enact some violence if he didn't get to see his child now, Szayel's pet bitch brought the baby over to him.

He stared at the small bundle in surprise before hesitantly reaching out to accept it, momentarily afraid his own strength would harm his baby.

From the very beginning he had never hoped to dream he would one day hold his offspring. Oh he had no doubt he would one day find a mate, at least while he had been an Adjucas, but to see his own young, that was a dream he had never dared reach for.

And yet here she was. In his arms. The moment he had taken her she had ceased crying, despite the fact her eyes were still closed she clearly recognized her sire, most likely from his reiatsu.

He could feel his mate's distress and moved towards her so she could be reunited with their baby. The look on her face was perhaps the softest he had ever seen as he reunited baby with mother.

"We are leaving," he declared.

They were further from the den than he would have liked and he was pleased they met no resistance. When he made it back to the nest he set Karin down gently and curled up behind her, gazing over her shoulder at their daughter.

The girl started to fuss and Karin present a nipple to the child, concern crossing her features and only easing after the baby girl started to nurse.

"She's feeding, and seems to be drawing a small amount of my own reiatsu along with the milk," Karin sighed in relief, her exhaustion showing in her voice.

He nuzzled her neck affectionately, his eyes never leaving their daughter.

"What's her name?" Karin asked sleepily. "You said you would know when she was born."

He did know. The moment he had held her he knew, just as he had known the name of his Zanpakuto the first time he had held it.

"Ajuga," he answered without hesitation. "Ajuga Jaegerjaquez."

Karin nodded.

"I like it," she said weakly.

A second later her even breathing reached him, letting him know she had fallen asleep. Ajuga finished feeding and he picked her up gently, making sure the blanket was wrapped around her firmly before he started to gently rub her back instinctively.

Once all air bubbles had been expelled, he placed her back beside her mother and curled up against her, just staring at the small creature he had helped create and bring into this world.

Ajuga yawned cutely and made a gurgling sound before following her mother into slumber. He couldn't help the soft smile that graced his lips as he gazed at his sleeping child.

His mate needed rest after the long and trying delivery, so it was his turn to watch and guard her and the young from any threats. When she awoke he would need to find her, and himself, substance.

* * *

/hug for those of you that took the time to review. Reviews make me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside and I tend to update faster because of it.

For those of you that read Crossbreeding the Future you may recall how easy all the women had given birth. This time I decided it was time for some complications.

Ajuga's name was decided long before her birth, so probably about a year ago now. It was actually Kazes who helped come up with the idea for her name. Ajuga is a type of blue flower with folklore properties I may decided to use, and probably well in the future. Please bear in mind I have 980 pages of this written already and this chapter ends on page 324, so there is **a lot** of prewritten material.

We wont see much of Ichigo and I did try and write a scene with him and Yuzu but I just couldn't get it to work so instead of posting a crappy scene I am just leaving it to your imagination. The story isn't about them anyway and it will be some time before Ichigo shows up again. There actually is a reason behind this but it wont be revealed for a very, very, very, very long time.

Next Chapter: we take a small time skip and Aizen pays the new family a visit.


	27. Quarantined

Quarantined

"I want to see the baby," Hana pouted.

"Later dear," Nanao sighed as she tried to wipe some food off of her daughters mouth.

"I want to see now," Hana argued.

"It is not safe right now," Lilinette commented as she finished piling a platter full of food.

"Lily-chan gets to go," Hana complained.

"No I don't. I just drop this stuff off at the door."

Starrk had informed the residents of the Estate, long before Karin had even gone into Labour and Grimmjow had started to get real territorial and blocking off entrances to the wing of the Estate he had claimed, to keep away from the couple unless invited.

The blue haired Arrancar would be getting very territorial and it was in everyone's best interest not to intrude upon it.

He has assured Nanao he didn't think Hana was in any danger should she somehow manage to sneak her way over there. Being a child, especially a female child, she was not a threat and may end up being 'adopted' by the nesting couple, in which case it would be hard to get her out.

Being female as well he had assured Nanao that as long as she didn't encroach on the staked area she should be perfectly fine. The fact Lilinette was a young female was why she had been chosen to deliver the food to their door.

Too young to be seen as a potential mate or threat, yet old enough to understand the threats and how to react to them.

Ukitake had stayed well clear of the area. Grimmjow had never seemed upset at him during even the worse of his territorial claiming, perhaps due to the fact he didn't perceive the man as a threat, but Ukitake wasn't going to push his luck.

So far none of them had seen either new parent or child since they had quarantined themselves off, but the reiatsu levels in the area had remained steady and strong, so they felt it safe to presume that all was going well.

It was approaching the end of the fourth month of quarantine and all of them wondered just how much longer it would be before the couple started to emerge. Or more accurately, when Grimmjow would let his family start to leave the safety of the den.

Pretty much everyone jumped, pulled out of their thoughts, as the sound of knocking from the front door reached their ears.

"I get it," Hana announced cheerfully as she ran to the front gates.

"I'll get her," Ukitake offered as Nanao was in the middle of dishing out the rest of supper.

Hana was a quick little thing and Ukitake caught up to the hyper girl just as she was stepping aside to let in their guests. Ukitake froze and quickly fell to one knee.

"Aizen-kami, Unohana-san. To what do we owe the honour of your visit?" he stammered in surprise.

Aizen smiled softly and gestured that he could rise. He did so, head bowed respectfully.

"It has been four months. Have they not emerged yet?"

"No, Aizen-kami," Ukitake answered.

"I want to see the baby, but no one will let me," Hana pouted.

"Hana-chan, can you go help your mother with the rest of dinner?" Ukitake asked.

"Hai!" She exclaimed and ran off happily.

"Children are such a marvel," Aizen smiled at the retreating girl as she skipped away. "And who's child is that? Surly you have not had any children and she is much too young to be one of your many siblings."

"Nanao-san's daughter," he answered reluctantly.

"I was unaware she found a husband, seeing as how she is owned by Starrk."

"He's dead," Ukitake couldn't help the small amount of pain that seeped into his voice.

"I see," Aizen smiled softly. "A pity. I rather liked Shunshui. Possibly the only casualty from the war I regretted. I wonder how much of his strength, and blood, Hana-chan inherited?" he mused, looking after the disappearing child.

Ukitake froze and felt fear painfully clench his chest. He shouldn't have been surprised Aizen had determined Hana's father's identity so easily, but all he was concerned about was Aizen suddenly gaining an interest in her. Surely Aizen would not take Hana away from them? That would utterly destroy Nanao.

"A charming child, but not the one I wish to see today," Aizen turned his attention towards him again. "Will you be so kind as to show us the way, Jushiro?"

Ukitake licked his lips nervously.

"Hai, Aizen-kami, but they haven't emerged yet so I can not say what kind of reaction our intrusion will initiate," he warned.

Aizen merely nodded his head and gestured for Ukitake to lead the way.

(break)

Karin sighed and stretched. Ajuga gurgled happily and yawned. Karin couldn't help but to smile softly down at her daughter. She frowned as her vision started to blur a bit before she realized what was going on as more white started to invade her sight.

Aizen was approaching. She growled and picked Ajuga up, retreating from the garden to find the glasses Szayel had giving her. She slid them on over her head and returned back to the garden.

She set Ajuga down and curled up next to her daughter, holding her tightly. Ajuga began to fuss and Karin couldn't help but to sigh, adjusting the Yukuta she was wearing to bear a breast for her daughter.

Ajuga still fed on her reiatsu, but the drain remained pretty small and hadn't increased as of yet. Her daughter gurgled contently as she fed. She felt a presence at her back as a shadow fell over them.

She smiled softly as Grimmjow sat down beside her, offering her the heaping plate of food. When he had offered her the first heaping plate four months ago she had looked at him in shock. Half an hour later she had been licking the plate looking for more food.

"Thanks."

She finished feeding Ajuga and handed their daughter to her father. Grimmjow accepted the baby, flung a blanket over his shoulder and began to rub Ajuga's back while Karin adjusted her Yukuta back into place.

"Aizen is coming," she said as she started to eat.

"I know," he growled.

Just as Starrk had warned, Grimmjow had hardly left her side other than to retrieve food and patrol the boarders of their staked area. She figured if this was a proper hollow family still in Hueco Mundo he would have been hunting while she guarded the young.

He didn't even flinch when it came to caring for Ajuga. Not even a dirty cloth diaper deterred him from caring for their daughter and the only time he disturbed her at night was if Ajuga was hungry.

He was more than willing to take up his share of the burden without even a whisper of discontent, and she was thankful for it. It had taken several weeks before she could move after giving birth and he had taken care of them both without a single complaint or snide comment.

He had slowly become less guarding, giving her full range of the area he had claimed, and she hoped he would finally ease up enough to let her out of the den and around the Estate. She knew the others wanted to see the baby and she wanted to share her daughter with them.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Fine," he answered as he looked up at her with a hint of confusion in his eyes.

"Are you calmed down enough to let Ajuga-chan and I out and about the Estate?" she asked as calmly as she could.

She could feel his shoulders stiffen slightly.

"You know there is no threat from the others. They would probably be willing to die for her," she pressed gently.

She saw him relax slightly and finally nod his head. Karin smiled and moved closer, capturing his lips with her own.

"Thank you," she smiled at him and kissed him again.

Ajuga fussed and she broke the kiss off, resting her forehead against his and chuckling.

"Awe, is someone jealous daddy is getting attention?" Karin accepted Ajuga back.

Ajuga gurgled.

Karin chuckled and scratched her daughter behind her ears. Ajuga gave another gurgle of content. Grimmjow growled.

"Awe, is Daddy now upset he's not getting attention?" She turned her attention to him.

His gaze was not at them though, but in the direction of the main entrance to their wing of the Estate. It would appear Aizen and, if she was reading the reiatsu right, Unohana had arrived.

"I will stay here and not move," she promised. "You should probably answer the door."

His jaw was clenched, but he nodded in agreement and rose to his feet to answer the door. Karin bit her lip and held Ajuga closer, praying Aizen would not try and take their baby away.

After several minutes Grimmjow returned, Aizen and Unohana by his side.

"Karin-san," Unohana greeted her warmly.

"Aizen-kami, Unohana-san," she returned carefully.

Grimmjow returned to her side, hovering protectively over her and glaring at them.

"How have you been feeling, Karin-san?" Unohana asked.

"The first few weeks were a little uncomfortable from the incision, but Grimmjow took good care of me," she smiled up at him. "Ajuga-chan seems to be feeding fine."

"Ajuga? So that is the name you decided upon. It is very pretty," Unohana smiled, settling down across from her, leaving about four feet between them.

Aizen remained by the entrance, apparently content to just observe.

Grimmjow's eyes remained fixed upon Aizen, and Unohana shuffled a little closer. He ignored her.

"With your permission, may I please see her? I would like to make sure all is well thus far," Unohana looked up to Grimmjow with her request.

He gave a small nod of his head in acquisition. Unohana moved even closer until she was sitting right beside Karin. Karin set Ajuga down on the blanket and Unohana smiled pleasantly down at the baby.

"I see she takes after her father in a lot of ways," Unohana commented.

"I think the only thing she got from me was her hair color," Karin chuckled.

Unohana kept one eye on Grimmjow as she slowly moved her hand towards the baby. Karin focused on calmness and brushed her reiatsu against her mates, stroking hers against his.

His body relaxed slightly and his eyes lowered to gaze at her. She smiled warmly up at him and let her body relax fully, or as fully as it could get with Aizen's gaze upon them.

Unohana picked Ajuga up and when no forthcoming growls or other negative responses came from either parent, checked the baby up with a full physical.

"Perfectly healthy," Unohana declared, handing Ajuga back to her mother.

Karin accepted her child back and smiled warmly.

"She seems to be feeding fine from my milk and she takes a small amount of my reiatsu with it. The drain isn't even noticeable and so far it hasn't increased," Karin reported.

"That is good to hear. And your incision?"

Karin handed Ajuga to Grimmjow before opening the front of her Yukuta so Unohana could see the faint line of the scar from the incision. Unohana placed glowing hands on her stomach and nodded in satisfaction.

"I detect no abnormalities from the caesarean and the incision is looking remarkably well," Unohana smiled happily at her.

"Szayel's care package came with a cream to help prevent the scarring," she explained.

"Do you have any of that cream left?" Unohana asked.

"I made sure of it," Karin assured her. "Would you mind watching Ajuga-chan for a minute?" she turned her attention to Grimmjow.

"Of course," he smirked at her.

"Thanks," she gave him a kiss before disappearing into the mansion to retrieve the cream.

When she returned Ajuga was fast asleep in her fathers' arms and Unohana stood by Aizen near the exit of the garden.

"I am pleased to see everything seems to be going alright. How long before you think you can come to the 4th for a full appointment and check up?" Unohana asked.

"I could probably come as early as a few weeks. I am not sure if Grimmjow will let me bring Ajuga-chan off the Estate anytime soon though, and truthfully, I don't want to bring her anywhere either," Karin answered, handing over the half empty bottle of cream.

"As much as I desire to get proper scans of her, I believe they can wait,"

"I am honestly surprised Szayel hasn't been spotted trying to sneak in to get his samples yet," Karin chuckled.

"In two months I do expect you both to report to Szayel for samples," Aizen spoke up.

Grimmjow glared

"That should be more than enough time to check your instinct, Grimmjow," Aizen commented.

She could practically see the displeasure radiating from him, but he gave a reluctant nod of his head.

"Good. Have a pleasant day," Aizen smiled at them and left, Unohana following behind her 'husband.'

Karin rejoined her family on the blanket and accepted Ajuga back, who didn't even stir as she was transferred parents. Grimmjow curled up around them, nuzzling her neck and surrounding them with his reiatsu.

She sighed and stroked back with her own, going so far as to fuse a bit of it into him. He let out a little whimper of pleasure and sighed contently.

"You know, I have kind of been wondering something," Karin broke the pleasant silence.

"What?"

"How much are you actually being affected by this instinct thing of yours, and how much are you putting on for show to get off of work, defy Aizen, and molest me?" she demanded.

His chest vibrated as he chuckled.

"Little of all," he admitted.

"Knew it. You didn't hesitate nearly long enough when I asked to get out of this quarantine you got me locked in. Truthfully, any longer and I might start going insane."

"I might like you insane," he whispered huskily.

"Well I like my sanity, what is left of it, thank you very much. Besides, I know Nanao-san and Hana-chan must be going bonkers wanting to see Ajuga-chan by now."

"Hana keeps trying to sneak over," he admitted.

"Well, shall we unlock the doors in the morning and grace the world, or at least the other members of the Estate, with our presence?" she asked.

"Promise me one thing first."

"What?" she asked.

"You and Ajuga will not leave the Estate without Starrk or I escorting you."

"What about Ukitake-san?" she added.

"Him too," he agreed.

"Consider it a promise, at least until Ajuga-chan is older or if there is an emergency."

He seemed satisfied with the answer and picked her up, baby and all.

"Grimmjow," she gasped.

"Shh, you will wake her. That will be one good thing about opening the den doors."

"Oh?" she asked as he carried her back to their room.

"We can have Nanao watch over Ajuga while…."

"Finish that sentence and I will castrate you in your sleep," she threatened.

He pouted at her.

"Knew there had to be an ulterior motive to letting us out," she grumbled. "Will there be any problems if Orihime and Tatsuki come over for visits. I know they will want to see Ajuga-chan as well and it is a human custom to have a Baby Shower celebrating the arrival of a baby."

"I trust them both," he answered.

His way of saying yes, and incidentally also silently admitting he trusted Ulquiorra. She doubted the green eyed Espada would have any interest in Ajuga short of maybe a small curiosity.

They set Ajuga down in her basket, cribs didn't exist in his world, and settled down together near by.

* * *

I am pleased you all liked Ajuga and that you are loving this fict. I love hearing form you all, it truly makes my day. Yes, the version on Adultfanfiction is posted way past this one (it's on chapter 57), but it also contains darker content, marked of course) and the site holds an 18+ requirement.

Next Chapter: The girls gather together to throw Ajuga a baby shower


	28. Baby Showers

Baby Showers

Orihime hummed happily as she walked down the street back to her house. She greeted the vendors warmly and they smiled back. At first there had been a bit of fear of her because everyone knew she had been Claimed by Ulquiorra, but with the sunny disposition she had no one could keep fearing her for long.

In fact, in a rather amusing twist of irony, the Arrancar feared her more than the conquered population of Soul Society. She found it exasperating while Tatsuki found it damn hilarious.

Tatasuki was still at the house. Being un-Claimed left her at a vulnerability where as Orihime was completely safe from the Arrancar that roamed the streets. It didn't mean Tatsuki was happy about being left behind while Orihime walked about, but this was important.

When Nanao had shown up at their door step with a wide smile and inviting them both to the Estate for a long over due Baby Shower, with Ulquiorra-san's permission of course, both girls could have squealed in joy. In fact, Orihime did.

Gaining Ulquiorra's permission had been easy enough. Orihime knew just how to manipulate him now that she had mapped out his not so emotionless body (or should she say eye?) language. She had asked him to take her in his second released form, which always broke the boundary of his control (truthfully she just loved the feel of his soft, feathered fur against her skin as she probably could have gotten him to agree in his first form), and asked him half way through.

It wasn't until the next morning he had realized what she had done, but he hadn't retracted his agreement. Instead he had punished her for pulling something like that off. Her insides still tingled as she recalled his so called 'punishment.'

So now here she was, shopping for baby stuff for Karin. In fact, the more she went through the shops, the more she found herself almost longing for a baby of her own.

The thought caused her to blink in surprise. Wasn't it just six months ago she had been trying to get it through to Ulquiorra that she wasn't ready for kids, that neither of them where? And now here she was contemplating wanting one, or three.

"Well, six months is half a year, and half a year is a long time," she defended herself. "And I did tell him we would try sooner if I fell in love with him,"

She had no doubt she loved him now. The gentle way he held her. The way he thought of only her and never even glanced at another woman, no matter how much prettier than she they were. The soft feathered fur of his release against her skin and the way he made her feel in bed.

Okay, that one brought a blush to her checks and she shook the thoughts out of her head and tried to get the tingling from her 'punishment' to subside. But oooo his feathered fur was so soft. And the way his tail lashed behind him with the beat of….

Orihime banged her head on a near by pole, causing several people to look at her as if she were mad. But at least the pain from her stupidity knocked the desired thoughts out of her head.

Her eyes fell upon the next baby shop and lit up while she headed towards it, once more a woman on a mission. It wouldn't hurt if she browsed for herself as well, right? Window shopping was fun too.

(POV)

When Orihime returned home, he knew it. Ever since Starrk's un-Claimed pet had come by to announce that Grimmjow's woman was permitted to leave the den, Orihime had been radiating pure excitement.

In fact, her delight, and the fact she had submitted and accepted to be his mate, made him wonder if he should brooch the subject of producing their own offspring with her once more.

As she had learned much of him, he had learned much of her. While he still felt it should have been unnecessary to conform to the social protocols she desired, he found things went a lot smoother with her when he did. It wasn't like it hurt him do so and he would only do so for her, and Aizen-kami of course.

Just as she had said. Love was a two way street and as he did things that irked him for her, he knew she did things she didn't particularly care to do for him without complaint. And somehow, even though it was his right, the fact she did them without needing to be ordered to left his chest feeling warm. A feeling he had learned meant love.

Perhaps when he dropped the girls off at Starrk's Estate he would request to speak to Grimmjow on the best ways to approach producing offspring with her. Grimmjow did have an uncanny ability to read a women's desires.

The only annoying part would be admitting he needed the inferior Espada's assistance with any issue. Hopefully, being a father had toned the hot headed idiot down. Being with Karin had definitely had a noticeable affect on him, although Ulquiorra was positive he would have labelled most of those particular affects as negative.

Grimmjow had become even more defiant of Aizen's will, at least where the woman and baby were concerned. He had also become more violent to those that had approached her. But, by the same coin, he had also calmed down, at least around her and those she accepted.

Ulquiorra had noticed a vast change in himself as well, more so after Orihime had agreed to accept his proposition at being considered his mate. He would still never defy Aizen-kami, for he was the lord of all.

Thinking of mate, perhaps he should permit her to know she was now entitled to his name.

"Orihime Cifer," he tried, and found the thought pleasing.

More so perhaps because Ichigo, and several other of her friends, use to call her Inoue. Taking that away would just be severing off another piece of their unwanted history. Yes, he would definitely let her know she was now entitled to his name.

A part of him suddenly desired for them to meet with the Hybrid again just so he could have the satisfaction of watching her correct the boy, in telling him she could no longer be referred to as Inoue.

He was broken out of his thoughts as he heard Orihime and Tatsuki exclaiming over whatever it was his Woman had returned with for this 'baby shower' they would be attending tomorrow.

Why a bunch of women needed to gather to bathe a child was very confusing, but she had assured him it was a human tradition. He had pointed out that Grimmjow and the baby were hardly human. She had countered that Karin was. He conceded she had a small, valid point. She had smirked in triumph.

Ulquiorra stretched as he got off the bed he had be laying on and dared to enter the living room. He almost wished he hadn't because before he knew it she was showing him all sorts of little outfits and bright coloured blankets and toys she had acquired.

If this was the kind of thing having kids entitled, perhaps they could hold off for a while. The agreement had been a year and it had only been six months. Besides, he really didn't want to have to admit to Grimmjow he needed help with anything. In six months he could simply announce the year of waiting was up and they could start really trying then.

Hopefully by then all this craziness would have been cured. Perhaps he should get Szayel to test the girls to make sure they were not being affected by some sort of strange, contagious disease.

(POV)

The men, and by men they meant Starrk and Grimmjow, had retreated quickly when the giggling had started that morning. Ukitake hardly seemed affected by the sudden strange behaviour that had overcome the female population of the Estate.

In fact, he was currently the one holding Ajuga while Karin greeted Orihime and Tatsuki as the two waltzed into the garden they had chosen to host the small party.

Karin's list of friends was pretty small. However, given the rare gift that Ajuga was, concessions had been made to permit this little gathering of the few people she did know. It had taken a bit of work, but between Ukitake and Nanao they had managed to get everyone who knew the girl to be gathered.

The hardest battle had been convincing Nnoitra to let Matsumoto come. Nnoitra still had a bone to pick with the rather humiliating pounding Karin had giving him. In the end is had been Tesra who had found the key to getting Matsumoto permission to come. What that key had been no one asked.

Toshiro and Unohana also stopped by, the first staying just long enough to congratulate Karin while the second stayed and took the opportunity to do a quick scan of baby and mother.

Hana had proclaimed herself 'keeper of gifts' and was guarding the small pile with steel determination. Lilinette was the only Arrancar, other than Ajuga, who attended. The girl didn't seem put out by this at all and alternated bringing 'the stalwart guard Hana-sama' food to 'keep up her strength in defending the gift pile,' and running to the kitchen to grab another platter of food when one ran low.

Karin apparently still had a voracious apatite, which Unohana assured her was fine and probably due to the fact Ajuga was consuming milk AND reiatsu. Everyone fussed over the little girl and the amount of cooing over her cute little ears and warm, fuzzy fur would put any flock of doves to shame.

"I still can't believe it," Orihime sighed, looking down and the baby girl in Ukitake's arms. "I never thought you would be the first one to have kids," she almost squealed.

Karin nodded in agreement, her mouth currently full of food.

"And she is so adorable," Matsumoto gushed.

Ajuga started to fuss, earning another wave of awes from the women present.

"I think Ajuga-chan is hungry," Ukitake offered the baby back to her mother.

Karin took the girl to the cushion designated as hers under one of the large trees while the other guests found spots around them. They shared some more small talk about how the pregnancy went and how Grimmjow had handled things before Ajuga was once more settled down.

This time Karin passed the baby to a beaming Lilinette, who sat down beside her and held Ajuga as if she were made of glass. At this point Hana pulled her wooden wagon, loaded with present, to where they were sitting.

"All pwesents here," Hana saluted. "I count to make sure," she beamed.

"Thank you Hana-chan," Karin smiled at her, patting the cushion to her other side.

Hana quickly settled on it next to her mother. Nanao brushed a stray lock of her child's hair aside and beamed proudly down at her daughter. Hana returned the smile before turning her attention back to the wagon of gifts.

Karin started going through them. Toys, blankets and various outfits slowly started to reveal themselves. Karin was happy to see the blankets. It was amazing how many they went through a day. One a feeding for sure and Ajuga had a rather large appetite.

They were at the end and Karin was about to thank everyone when she noticed someone was approaching. The reiatsu was rather off and she instantly recognized Nemu because of it.

The other women, and one man, noticed her distraction and they all turned to face the woman as she came into sight.

"Forgive my intrusion," Nemu bowed.

"What can we do for you?" Nanao asked politely.

"I am here to deliver this from Szayel-sama to Karin-san," Nemu held out a small box.

Hana was quick to retrieve it while the rest looked at Nemu, and the box, warily. Karin could detect no strange reiatsu from it and accepted the small box as Hana proudly presented it to her.

She opened it hesitantly and pulled out the beautifully crafted gold bracelet and what looked like a watch. Clearly they were a matching set. She detected nothing strange about either object and looked up to Nemu questionably, for on the bottom of the box was a rather thick manual.

"What are they?" Karin asked.

"A tracer. It has come to Szayel-sama's attention during his research that young children have a tendency to wander off. The bracelet will omit a signal the receiver will be able to track," Nemu explained. "The bracelet will adjust in size as she grows."

Karin frowned at the device. She didn't believe for a minute that Szayel didn't also have a receiver that would be able to trace Ajuga's whereabouts. He also knew that with her ability to physically see reiatsu the receiver was kind of pointless when she could visually look for her daughters reiatsu.

"The receiver is for Grimmjow-sama," Nemu seemed to notice her confusion.

"I see. Thank you, Nemu-san. Please convey my thanks to Szayel as well."

Nemu bowed her way out.

"Well," Karin set the box aside, "I would like to thank you all for your heartfelt gifts to my daughter and I. Will you convey my appreciation to Aizen-kami for his wonderful gift as well, Unohana-san?" Karin asked politely.

"Of course," Unohana agreed.

The small party wrapped up and everyone reluctantly went their separate ways until only Ukitake, Ajuga and herself remained in the garden. Nanao and Hana retreated to start on dinner while Lilinette went to find Starrk to let him know it was safe to return.

"There has been so little to celebrate since the war," Ukitake sighed wistfully.

Karin nodded in agreement as she settled back down on the cushion and picked up the box with Szayel's gift. She pulled out the instruction manual and started to glance through it.

It all seemed innocent enough and would probably fetch a fortune in the Living World, if it worked like Szayel said it did. That was the thing though. She didn't doubt for a second there was more to the two devices than met the eye.

But despite that it was still so tempting to use. Ajuga would not be a baby forever and sooner or later she would start to wander. There would no doubt be a time where Ajuga would even be able to out run her, and knowing where she was would ease a lot of anxiety.

"Karin-chan?" Ukitake asked.

"Well, she won't be going anywhere for a while," Karin sighed and put the lid back on the box, sealing the contents inside.

"True," Ukitake agreed.

Karin turned her attention to the other gift from someone she had never expected. Oh she knew Aizen was interest in Ajuga, but she had never figured he would have deliberately sent her a gift.

Much like the one from Szayel, Karin wasn't sure she trusted it. The only reason she even considered keeping it was because unlike Szayel, it would definitely not be a good idea to insult Kami by refusing his gift.

"What is this thing going to do anyway?" Karin asked nervously as she looked at the strange symbol drawn on the paper.

"It's a seal," Ukitake answered. "It will seal a portion of her power to keep it contained until she releases it. All seated officers wear one when we go to the living world so we don't affect it too adversely with our reiatsu.

"I think in this case though it is intended to make her less noticeable to others. I noticed Unohana-san handed a similar envelope to Nanao-san, no doubt for Hana-chan."

"So it wont hurt her?" Karin asked.

"No, and she should be able to release it at any time. Once used it will become a tattoo on the skin."

Karin put the seal back in it's envelope for now. Once again Ajuga was too young to need such a gift. Besides, she was going to clear both gifts with Grimmjow first. She feared the seal would be able to be activated by a certain outside source and she would not leave her daughter in such a vulnerable position.

So for now both gifts would be put away until Ajuga was older and after it was confirmed there was nothing malicious about either one. She started to gather the gifts up to put away.

"Once again, thank you for letting us stay here," Karin thanked.

"It is nothing," Ukitake smiled at her. "Truthfully, it felt so empty here with just the five of us. It will be nice for Hana-chan to have a playmate when Ajuga-chan is older," he turned his smile to the baby in his arms.

Karin wasn't so sure Grimmjow would keep them here for that long, but at the same time he hadn't really been house hunting as far as she knew. Honestly, she loved it here. The Estate was huge and the three small families that shared it hardly took up 20% of it.

Each wing was far larger than the house they had lived in and there were at least twelve wings. Apparently Ukitake's family had always been a large one and as such the Estate had sprawled out to accommodate it's ever growing size.

"Will we ever meet your siblings?" she asked. "I know Nanao-san said they were all well and just living elsewhere."

He sighed and adjusted Ajuga's blanket, gaze never leaving the baby.

"I do see them from time to time, but I moved them far out to the country where they would be safer from everything going on here. While none of them have my level of reiatsu, or even yours for that matter, I do have two sisters and I would never be able to live it down if they got hurt."

Karin could hear the sadness, and a fair bit of loneliness, in his voice.

"I fear for Hana-chan when she get's older. From what I can tell she inherited a fair amount of Shunsui's strength."

"What was he like? Hana-chan's father?" Karin asked, sitting beside him as she asked.

Ukitake let out a bit of a laugh.

"Lazy. Loyal. A great friend, although he did indulge in far too many naps and bottles of sake."

Karin remained silent as she listened to him reminisce about the man who had clearly been a dear friend. Tears touched the corner of his eyes, but they never fell, not until after Karin reached a hand out and rested it gently on his shoulder.

Ajuga remained silently sleeping in his arms as the tears started to flow. Karin just left her hand on his shoulder as they heaved and he cried silently for several minutes before regaining his composure.

"Look at me, snivelling like a youngling," he laughed weakly.

"You're welcome," Karin smiled at him. "It was the least I could do for letting me soak your clothes."

He laughed weakly.

"Indeed. Thank you, Karin-chan. I didn't realized how long I have been holding that in."

"Everyone needs a chance to let it out once in a while."

"Foods ready, foods ready, foods ready," Hana burst happily onto the scene, waking Ajuga up and sending the baby crying in anger at her interrupted nap.

Both adults laughed, and Ukitake handed Ajuga back to her mother while he assured a suddenly abashed Hana that it was alright and they should get washed up to eat. Karin joined them a moment later, Ajuga once more calmed down.

Grimmjow returned as well and took his place beside her at the table. Karin sometimes wondered where Ukitake got all the food from, for the appetite this strange family shared would have cost them thousands of Yen a week back in the Living World.

Maybe she would ask another day. Right now, that pile of ribs was looking rather tempting next to the bowl of sweat and sour pork and ginger beef. She would save the sea food fried rice for later.

* * *

Thank you krysten, sKyLeR KnIgHt and moon shinning wolf for taking the time to review. It means a lot to me.

Next chapter: Byakuya has a surprise visitor and a part of the overlaying plot get's a rolling.


	29. Pleasent Conversation

Warnings: Nothing really, just mentions of content I removed from this version of the story.

Pleasant Conversations

Once again Yammy was off on a mission, leaving him free to wander at will. That had been happening a lot lately and it was something Byakuya was actually starting to wonder about.

He did spot Orihime as he walked through the first district, but she seemed to be highly distracted looking at baby clothing, which was highly unusual, and never made any sign of noticing him.

Being nothing more than a pet to Yammy he was unfortunately not nearly into the loop of things as he would wish. Perhaps Yoruichi's informant might be able to fill him in on why the girl would be looking, and apparently also buying, baby supplies.

"Ah, Kuchiki-sama. The usual for you today?" The vendor asked as he approached the stall.

A soft nod was his answer, his eyes still on Orihime as she seemed to be deep in thought. He actually cringed a little when she slammed her head on a pole.

"Orihime-san has been busy today. She said her friend Karin-san just had a baby girl," Vendor clearly noticed where his attention was, and also looked at the girl.

His gaze shot to Vendor in shock.

"_Karin! As in Kurosaki Karin? Is that what project Aizen had been talking about at the Claim Meeting? She was pregnant? If so, than Grimmjow must be the father."_

A lot more about what was said during that meeting suddenly made some sense and things clicked into place. It had been difficult to concentrate when he was also spending the time praying Yammy wouldn't ask Szayel if he could borrow Renji again.

Ever since that one, horrid afternoon Yammy had started to threaten him less with Szayel's attention, and more with Szayel's pet. Byakuya was not sure he would be able to handle such torture a second time.

It wasn't the pain, for Yammy inflicted far more, it was the fact the one doing it stared at him with a dead gaze. No emotion reflected in those eyes. No soul. The only possible way it could have been worse was if Rukia had been the one in that position. He thanked whatever power was out there that she had been spared.

"I am afraid I don't know this Karin girl, but Orihime-san seemed pretty excited about it. She was saying it was a human, female custom now a days to have something called a Baby Shower," Vendor added, and Byakuya pulled his attention away from such dark thoughts and back to the present.

He gave a nod of his head to indicate he was listening as he watched Orihime skip further down the street without noticing his presence.

He shouldn't have been overly surprised one of the human girls had been knocked up first. Humans did have a higher fertility rate than any of the dead races. He idly wondered how much power such a hybrid could have.

Thinking of hybrids made him think of Ichigo, and he wondered if the boy knew his sister had given birth to an Arrancar brat.

"Well hello there, Neko-chan."

Byakuya's gaze whipped around to face the black cat purring and rubbing against Vendor's feet. He would recognize that creature anywhere and could not believe she would be so foolish as to approach him so openly.

Vendor bent down to pick her up and scratched behind her ears. The purring increased, but not once did her gaze shift his way and for a moment he thought he might have become so desperate to see a friend not broken and enslaved that he had deluded himself into believing it was her.

The familiar feeling of a Garganta opening and closing, followed by the oily, gross feeling of Yammy's reiatsu seeking his nearly set him into despair. The cat hissed and for a brief moment their eyes locked before it leaped from Vendor's arms and was gone.

It was her. He wanted to chase after her, to hear what news she might have on Rukia, but he didn't dare risk exposing her, and the informant. He trembled only slightly as he forced calm over himself, paid for his purchase, and headed back to the Kuchiki Estate.

Yammy's reiatsu was heading towards the First Division so he knew he had a bit of time before the brute would be done giving Aizen his report on the mission. He was greeted by the staff as he returned.

His clothing was changed out from the expensive Kimono, its entire purpose to display the wealth of the family when he went out, to a more comfortable Yukata. Yammy had apparently left orders to the staff on what he had better see when he returned from his mission before he left.

As much as it sickened him, Byakuya let the staff usher him about the Estate and get him ready for his Master's return. He kneeled on the cushion provided by one of the many Koi ponds and forced himself to clear his mind.

"Aren't you a pretty sight, Byakuya-byo."

His eyes snapped open in shock to stare at Yoruichi, who was sitting calmly in her cat form in front of him. He could not believe she could be so foolish.

"I can't wait to tell Rukia-chan her Nii-sama has been raiding her wardrobe in her absence," she laughed.

He almost reached out to strangle her. Of all the things she could have said to him, that was definitely not something to waste precious minutes with. The worse part was he was damn sure she was going to do exactly that, and probably in front of Kurosaki and that brute Kenpachi as well.

He let his glare speak the words he could not while subconsciously fiddling with the edge of the Yukata. The moment he noticed the action, he stopped, scolding himself for letting her get to him so easily even after all this time.

"I don't have much time," Yoruichi turned suddenly serious.

He could feel Yammy's reiatsu leaving the First Division and knew she was right.

"Something strange has been happening in the Living World. Is there any possible way for you to find out if anything strange has been going on here and than drop that information of to Vendor?

"I thought about asking Jushiro, but the Claim makes him, and the others in the know, a liability where as your 'handicap' makes it more difficult for Yammy to simply order you to tell him anything."

"_What kind of strange things?"_ he wondered at once, even while he quickly tried to think of ways to gain the information she was seeking simply because he also wanted to know what was going on.

She seemed to predict his question, for she answered it.

"There have been sightings of, well, they kind of look like some kind of giant, demonic locust. They aren't hollows, in fact they seem to have a particular dislike of the race. I watched a swarm tear one to shreds. But they are also eating the plus's. Human's don't seem to see them," she reported.

Now he was definitely interested to know what was going on.

He gave a short nod of his head to indicate he would accept the mission shortly before she bolted away. A few seconds after she had cleared his sight he felt his Master come up behind him and rest a hand on his head.

"Did you miss me, my Chicchai Hime?" Yammy asked.

He forced himself to give a small nod of agreement.

He could practically feel Yammy's smirk of pleasure at his response and the other settled in behind him.

"You have been rather obedient these last few months," Yammy noted.

He had been rather docile. It wasn't because he had accepted Yammy as his Master, but because he never wanted to go through being tortured by a lifeless Renji again.

"You know, I been thinking,"

"_I was unaware you were capable of such a feat," _Byakuya thought coldly.

"that pet bitch of Grimmjow's actually pumped out a kid. I wonder if that means that human females have better chances of getting knocked up."

Byakuya had a strong feeling he did not like where this was going.

"I know Szayel can change gender, but I wonder if he can change race too?" Yammy wondered softly into his ear.

He was right. He definitely didn't like where this was going. He really wished he could speak right now. He would point out that Humans were still alive and Shinigami and Hollows were dead. You could not turn a dead thing into something that was spiritually alive. He hoped. All bets were off where Szayel was concerned.

"Think I should look into it, Chicchai Hime?" Yammy asked with a chuckle.

He gave his head a firm shake. Yammy laughed.

"I guess you have been behaving, so I don't have cause to punish you. Of course, you are mine, Chicchai Hime, and I can do to you as I please."

Byakuya closed his eyes and willed his body to remain still and not tremble. He wouldn't put anything past the uncivilized brute. Hell, his family would probably be happy if he was turned into a woman and bore a child. At least than they would finally have their precious heir.

Servants started to arrive and set up dinner. Yammy settled comfortably onto the ground and pulled him into his massive lap, turning him around until they were facing each other.

The Espada smirked down at him, lifting a massive hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind Byakuya's ear. The other's breath was foul and Byakuya had to hold back a grimace as it washed over his face.

Yammy seemed to notice and laughed, which made the situation worse. To his surprise the Espada picked him up and set him aside while he stood up and disappeared somewhere into the mansion. Byakuya looked after him in surprise. The servants just continued to set up a table and lay out dinner as if nothing was going on.

Yammy returned just as the last dishes were being placed. His hair was still wet from a shower, his clothing was now clean and his breath smelt like toothpaste instead of decayed meat.

Byakuya was honestly surprised. Cleanliness wasn't something Yammy tended to notice much.

"_Perhaps the Elders had a talk to him about it," _

After six years he had no doubt the Elders now had a feel for how the Espada worked and had started to manipulate him into doing things their way. Now that he thought about it, Yammy's clothing had been in better condition lately and he didn't reek as often as he use to.

Yammy took his place at the now prepared table and patted his side. With an inward sigh, Byakuya made his way over and settled down next to him. He poured the Espada a cup of sake before starting to fill the plate provided.

There was only one plate, but he didn't think much of it. More often than not he ate alone sometime later after he regained his appetite from watching the shear amount of food Yammy could throw back.

Thus when a piece of beef was held to his lips he looked up at Yammy in surprise.

"You are far too thin, my Chicchai Hime. Eat," Yammy ordered.

Byakuya blinked in surprise, but opened his mouth and accepted the piece of food. He was hard pressed to think of another time he had felt so humiliated as Yammy fed him like this was some sort of lover's tryst.

Still, if he wanted to learn what was going on he had to play Yammy's game. Granted, if Yammy really wanted him to do this there was nothing Byakuya could do to stop him. The Claim would make sure he obeyed his Master's will.

They were mostly done dinner when he dared to broach one question to his Master, one that had been bothering him that Yoruichi had brought up and Yammy had confirmed. Byakuya liked to know what was going on around him and this sounded somewhat important.

Pulling out a pen and note pad he kept on his person for times he did need to communicate, he wrote out his question. Yammy looked down at him before turning his attention to the paper.

Byakuya was not a fool, he remembered Yammy had told him years ago he couldn't read, but he was still doubting the Arrancar's words and believed they were nothing more than childish taunting.

If Yammy was lying, he wasn't ready to give up his game yet as he waved one of the servants over to read what Byakuya had written. The servant read the question completely as it was written.

'Is it true that Kurosaki Karin and Grimmjow-sama had a child together?'

"So I been told," Yammy grunted. "A girl I believe. Why? Interested in having kids of our own, Chicchai Hime?" Yammy asked with a smirk.

Byakuya gave his head a definite shake. He had no interest in a gender or race change. There mere thought of it made his skin crawl and feel like he was covered in some sort of slick, grainy slime while being doused in a bucked of ice water.

'I am acquainted with the family and was curious.'

"A friend?" Yammy asked.

Byakuya thought briefly before answering with a nod of his head. He would not actually consider the Kurosaki family as 'friends,' but any excuse to get out of the estate and learn what he could would be worth it.

"I suppose you will want to congratulate her then," Yammy grunted.

He gave another nod of his head.

Yammy leaned forward until his mouth was next to Byakuya's ear.

"Convince me," Yammy breathed.

He felt his hands clench in anger momentarily before he gave another soft nod of his head and turned to face his Master so he could 'convince' him to let him have the freedom to see the Kurosaki girl and her child. But more importantly, freedom to leave the estate.

(TIME)

Three days later Byakuya walked down the street towards Ukitake's estate. It had come as a very pleasant surprise to learn the girl was staying there. Seeing his mentor outside of Enemy influence would be pleasant, assuming Ukitake was actually home from work at this time of day.

He had no idea what was wrapped in the gift he carried. He had left such a trivial thing to the servants who would no doubt be better suited to finding something appropriate for the new mother and baby.

It didn't take him long to arrive at the estate via Shunpo and knock on the door. An Arrancar girl answered, half her head covered in a horned Helmut. She frowned as she looked at him.

"Who the hell are you and what the hell you want?" she demanded.

He had already pre written his intent before leaving the estate and simply handed her the piece of paper. The girl took it and looked at it with clear confusion. It took him all of four seconds to realize she couldn't read.

"_Apparently a large population of the Arrancar are vastly under educated,"_ he couldn't help but to think in slight annoyance.

"One sec," the girl finally spoke and closed the door.

He tracked her reiatsu as it approached a small group and shortly after he felt her returning with one other. Fortunately this one didn't feel of Hollow energy. The door opened again to reveal the Arancar and a teenager that, despite her black hair, was clearly a Kurosaki.

It was her eyes that gave her away, and the set of her face. Even had he not known the boy had a sister he would have guessed these two were somehow related.

"I am Karin. Who are you?" she asked.

He handed her the second prepared letter. She accepted it and leaned against the door frame while she read it. He felt relief that she was at least educated. She got to the end and looked back up to him before sighing and steeping aside.

"Please come in, Byakuya-san."

"_At least she had slightly more respect than Kurosaki, though not by much,"_ he couldn't help but to think.

She led him through the Estate to a living room where a young girl was playing with a set of wooden blocks and a baby was asleep in a basket. The young girl looked up at him curiously as they entered the room.

"Hana-chan, this is Byakuya-san," Karin introduced.

The girl waved shyly at him.

"Lilinette, would you mind watching her for me for a bit."

A smirk that practically radiated evil lit up on the Arrancar's face.

"Oh, I can think of a few things to keep her busy with," Lilinette promised.

"Ones that won't bother Starrk-san?" Karin asked.

"Ummm," Lilinette looked abashed.

"I don't want to hear about it," Karin sighed.

"Hana-chan, want to come play with me and we can see if Starrk-ji wants to play too?" Lilinette asked sweetly.

The little girls face lit up with delight and she happily followed the Arrancar out of the room, leaving him alone with Karin and whom he presumed was the baby Yammy had been talking about.

The relationship in this household was far different than his own. Lilinette had acquiesced to Karin's request rather easily and without any signs of annoyance or discomfort.

Had he dared to give an order to Yammy he would probably be screaming in agony while the other violently reminded him who was boss. Of course this girl was not the one who had Karin Claimed so perhaps it was Karin's Master's will that the girl obey his pet.

"So, are you are related to Kuchiki Rukia than?" Karin asked, rooting through what he presumed was Hana's toy box while keeping one eye politely on him as she spoke.

He gave a nod of his head. His introduction letter had included the fact he was unable to speak due to damage done to his throat.

"Brother?" Karin guessed.

He gave another nod.

Karin seemed to find what she was looking for and pulled it out. He blinked in surprise, and instantly decided that when it came to the Kurosaki siblings, clearly Karin had gotten all the brains. In her hand was a chalk board and package of chalk.

"Here," she handed them to him. "I think this will work better than forty pounds of paper."

He accepted the items and wrote a polite thank you on the board. The sleeves of his rather expensive Kimono would probably be covered in chalk by the end, but a small, rebellious part of himself kind of liked the fact.

"So, what is it you would like to talk about, Byakuya-san?" she asked, settling down near the basket holding the still sleeping baby.

He had to stop himself from writing so formally, for it would take an eternity if he wrote full answers, so he forced himself to remain short and simple.

'I have heard of attacks on the Living Realm. Have you heard anything about it from your master?'

"No, but Grimmjow and I have been cooped up after Ajuga-chan was born for four months," Karin answered.

He blinked in surprise that she used no honorific's while referring to her Master. She was polite enough to him so he doubted she was being disrespectful.

The baby suddenly started to fuss and Karin excused herself politely while she tended to the baby. He got a good look at Ajuga as she was pulled out of her nest of blankets. He couldn't help but to stare.

Snowy white fur covered her from the waist down, appearing soft like fluffy down and covering what was clearly cat legs that even tapered off to paws with little black pads. White cat ears were perked up out of a small, growing sea of black hair and a small tail twitched slowly.

Karin flung a blanket over her shoulder before covering Ajuga with another and adjusting her clothing to feed her daughter.

He couldn't help but to stare. In all of his years of 'living' he had never witnessed a mother feed her child. His own mother hadn't fed him. That was what wet nurses were for and then he was weaned quickly.

"Where did you hear about this invasion?" Karin asked him.

He stared at her stupidly until the question registered and he gave himself a mental shake, scolding himself for becoming distracted.

'A friend told me.'

Karin frowned.

"A friend?" she asked.

He nodded.

"One of the two women that showed up with my brother a few months ago?" Karin asked.

He blinked at her in surprise. He knew there had been a disturbance because Yammy had been bitching about it and he had felt some of it, but that was all. He had no idea that Ichigo had been here, and if he had did that meant Rukia had been here as well?

Karin must have noticed his distress for she filled him in on what had happened. He let out a soft sigh of relief when he learned Rukia had escaped once more without complication. What more it was relieving to have secondary confirmation his sister was alive and well.

One of the women had been Yoruichi, but he didn't confirm nor deny his source. After all he had no idea if she could be trusted. Or more accurately, if her Master would force her to speak through the Claim.

Karin finished feeding her daughter and adjusted her clothing accordingly. After caring for her daughter, Karin put the girl back to bed in her basket before once more turning her attention to him.

"So is that all you wanted, Byakuya-san?" she asked. "To see if I had heard anything about these creatures invading the Living Realm?"

He gave a nod of his head again at her second question while writing a response to her first.

'I would like to know what occurs and was curious about your daughter as well.'

She nodded after reading his response, before looking up past him towards the entrance. He looked over his shoulder but saw no one.

"Ukitake-san is home," she frowned. "He usually isn't back from the Division until later in the evening."

Sure enough he could sense Ukitake's reiatsu, but what was more astonishing to him was that she was able to detect it before him. Clearly she wasn't only smarter than her brother, but more talented as well. Once more she seemed to notice his questioning look.

"I can physically see reiatsu," she answered.

Ukitake entered the room after several minutes and he greeted the Taichou politely the best he could without being able to speak.

"Byakuya, what a pleasant surprise," Ukitake greeted him warmly before taking a vacant seat. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

Byakuya considered how best to answer the question, and rather or not he should let Ukitake know of his mission to learn more about what was going on. In the end he turned to Karin and gave a small nod of his head.

Karin was definitely smarter than her brother and had he met her first his opinion of the Kurosaki family would not have been so low. She understood his nod immediately and turned to Ukitake.

"Byakuya-san was here to see if I had heard anything about attacks on the Living World," Karin offered.

Ukitake frowned and looked at him sharply.

"_So there has been,"_ Byakuya quickly concluded.

Karin seemed to get the same answer for a frown touched her mouth as well.

"How long has this been happening?" Karin asked.

"_Definitely smarter than her brother,"_

"Only a few months that we are aware off," Ukitake answered slowly. "Since they were attacking low level hollows at first no one really paid them much mind until they started eating the Pluses and attacking Shinigami."

Byakuya and Karin both had deep frowns on their face at Ukitake's answer.

"Is this why Aizen was determined to drag Grimmjow out of his Paternal Protective Phase?" Karin asked.

Once again Byakuya noticed she used no formalities with the two names while also wondering what she was talking about.

"No doubt it was one of the reasons," Ukitake reluctantly conceded.

"Is there any danger to us here?" she asked seriously.

"There has not been any of the creatures sighted here as of yet. I am not sure how much to reveal," Ukitake sighed.

Byakuya picked up the chalk board and started writing.

'Is it safe to presume a team has been sent to Hueco Mundo to see if these creatures have shown up there as well?'

Ukitake sighed, but admitted that a team was being sent.

Byakuya nodded to him in thanks and leaned back, working what he had learned through his head.

"I see Yammy-sama hasn't seen fit to get Orihime-chan to fix your throat yet," Ukitake sighed.

'Since Szayel-sama was the one who did the alteration, I doubt she could 'fix' it anyway.'

"Szayel did what?" Karin asked sharply.

He was actually taken aback by the bite in her voice. Apparently a strong sense of justice was something she shared with her brother. By now he wasn't surprised she didn't use the suffix.

Ukitake sighed and looked at him for permission to explain. After a moment he gave a nod of his head. It wasn't like it was a secret. Yammy had boasted about it for an entire year.

"Szayel-sama surgically modified Byakuya's throat at Yammy-sama's request." Ukitake explained.

Karin frowned. Deliberate surgery was different from a wound. Perhaps Orihime wouldn't be able to fix something like that; a deliberate alteration that had become part of his being.

There was little more he could learn here, and yet he was reluctant to leave. Karin was nothing like her loud, disrespectful brother and the only thing that awaited him at home was the cold shoulder of his family and Yammy.

This was probably the first time Yammy had ever given him permission to go somewhere and he planned on milking it for all it was worth.

Ajuga began to fuss again and Karin offered him a polite apology as she turned her attention to her daughter once more.

"I can take her if you would like to keep talking," Ukitake offered.

"Thank you, Ukitake-san, but I am still a little wary of Grimmjow's instinct. I am pretty sure he doesn't see you as a threat; actually I think his instinct almost sees you as a father figure to me, but I would like to give it a month or so just to be on the safe side.

"If something is going on and he's being pulled in, it could bring his instinct back up a bit and I don't want to antagonize it, or him, unnecessarily," Karin explained.

Ukitake nodded in understanding and Byakuya hated to admit he was lost on the conversation. Ukitake seemed to notice his confusion for the man took the time to explain what they were talking about while Karin bounced Ajuga in her arms to calm the baby girl down.

They spoke about various things for a while before Ukitake excused himself, requiring to go back to work. Ajuga was apparently wide awake but content to just gurgle and stare at him with such intense blue eyes that he would have known the child's father from those alone.

Staring at the baby he suddenly recalled the package he had brought with him, for both appearance and courtesy, and offered it to her. Karin stared at it in surprise before accepting and opening the package.

Of course he had no idea what the servant had gotten for her and she never removed the item, or items, from the box. She did offer him a smile and her thanks for the gift was genuine.

As much as he wished to remain, the conversation had turned sterile and it was starting to get later in the day. With a large amount of reluctance, he bid her good day while asking if she would be affronted if he visited again at a later date. He was pleased she agreed. She escorted him to the front gate and they bid each other good day.

* * *

Sigh, this was one of those annoying chapter that I had to edit because all of the dark stuff was cut out of the earlier chapters. Let's just say that Yammy is very brutal to Byakuya and leave it at that. If you really want to know, read the unedited version on Adultfan and heed the warnings.

Thank you so much to the few of you that took the time to review. It makes me want to actually update rather than just drop it and focus other places, although I kind of suspect some of the readers here jumped over to read the full version. At least that is what I hope happened.

Anyhow, Next Chapter: Ajuga meet's Szayel for a check up, something is up with her DNA, and to top it off, he decides to start researching fertility with a little help.


	30. Experiments

Warnings: Smex in the latter part.

Experiments

"Marvellous!" Szayel smiled at the little girl as she stared up at him curiously.

Karin couldn't help the little smile of pride from touching her lips, but her eyes remained fixated on the pink haired Espada and her daughter. She still didn't trust him completely.

He was damn lucky that Grimmjow was out on a mission with Starrk again, a mission Karin suspected had Aizen written all over it and had no doubt he would return home grumpy as all hell about it.

"Oh, who is the little experiment? Are you the experiment? My favourite test subject. Are you?" he asked in that sweet talk people used with babies.

Ajuga gurgled contently. Her daughter seemed to be born without fear; either that or she also inherited an unhealthy amount of her father's lack of survival instincts.

Although who had who enthralled was still up for debate. If anything, Karin would say Ajuga had Szayel wrapped around her little finger and if she was honest with herself, she had to admit that she doubted Szayel would ever try to harm her daughter, and not just because Aizen and Grimmjow would be displeased with him if he did.

"Are you ready for today's test? Are you?" Szayel asked sweetly.

Ajuga gurgled and giggled, little hands reaching for the glasses that made up Szayel's mask fragment. The light reflected off of them and Karin figured that it was the shininess of the reflecting light that caught her daughter's attention.

Ajuga behaved completely as Szayel ran her through the tests. She didn't even flinch when her blood work was done. Szayel made sure she was comfortable before performing each test.

At the end Karin accepted her daughter back, who she swore pouted now that she was no longer being held by the pink haired scientist and thus was further away from the shiny thing.

"I have never worked with children before. It is simply a divine experience. They are so co-operative."

"Well, she is too young to start back talking," Karin chuckled.

"Everything seems to be coming along simply superbly. I haven't acquired this much interesting new data in years!" He practically squealed. "It's like discovering an entirely new species!"

"I bet," Karin commented.

"I think her progress is coming along fairly steady. Let's give it two weeks before the next appointment."

"Alright. She is aging like a human though, right?" Karin asked nervously.

"It is too early to determine that yet. Has she increased her reiatsu intake?"

"No. I have thought about starting her on a bottle, but I am worried about what would happen if I removed that reiatsu intake from her."

"I will see if I can come up with something. If not you will just have to breast feed until she can start to consume solids. That is how things would normally work if you were both Adjucas.

"Granted now a days we have ways to blend the food down instead of needing to regurgitate it," he chuckled.

"Gross," Karin muttered, a look of disgust on her face.

"There isn't a lot of electricity in Hueco Mundo."

"I'll take your word for it. I'll see you in two weeks. Say good bye, Ajuga-chan."

Ajuga gurgled and let out a little squeal, arms flailing in Szayel's direction.

Szayel chuckled as he watched the two wander off.

"Make sure everything is cleaned up accordingly," he ordered.

"Hai, Szayel-sama," Nemu bowed and set to work cleaning up the lab.

Szayel retreat to his own personal lab, Ajuga's samples in hand. She was positively amazing. Everything from her amazing DNA composition to her budding reiryoku. It would be difficult to get a solid reading at such a young age, but as he had noticed when she was still in the womb, the reiatsu had a solid, strong, rotation rate.

It also appeared as if the fur was definitely going to remain. Her claws would be exceptionally sharp and so far her ears showed a full range of motion. How sharp her vision and hearing would be would be undetermined until she was older. Weather she would develop fangs was also something that would be determined when she was older and started to grow out her teeth.

What was of interest to him right now was her DNA. It was so intriguing. For the most part she had definitely inherited a very large portion of her father's DNA. Szayel had matched 80% of the strands so far to Grimmjow.

He didn't have much human DNA to compare to, but that odd strand of DNA he had noticed in Karin's DNA was definitely there in Ajuga. Weaker, but there. Part of her Shinigami heritage perhaps?

He had noticed while studying her DNA during her pregnancy that Karin's DNA was off. That was why he had demanded so much of it. He was convinced she was half human half something. He might have said Shinigami, but that odd strand was still there. Oh she definitely had Shinigami blood, but it was slightly off. Like the difference between an Arrancar and an Adjucas.

Szayel poured Ajuga's sample into his machine then sat down on his chair, fingers deftly flying over the keys as her DNA came up. There it was, that strange strand that seemed to defy his ability to break it; almost as if it was protected by a messed up Bakudo. A very powerful messed up Bakudo.

Diligently, he began to un-weave the strands of Ajuga's DNA. Getting past the 80% she inherited from her father was relatively quick as far as unravelling DNA went. He had Grimmjow's stats on file long before Aizen had moved permanently to Las Noches before the winter war.

The next part unravelled was the human and shinigami parts from her mother. They took a bit longer for he hadn't been able to unlock all of Karin's yet. Unravelling DNA took a very long time, more so because of the length of the code than the complexity of it.

Then there was also the fact Karin had that same, strange strand. It was definitely becoming trying on himself, and his systems, to unravel it. Sure enough, as soon as the human and shinigami strands were done, the moment his system touched that strange strand, everything froze and the equipment with the blood sample exploded violently.

He sighed in frustration as the shards from the destroyed machine slammed against the shield. He had one installed after the first explosion the first time he had tried to break Karin's DNA code.

He gave an inward wince as he remembered how the shards had shredded his uniform, diced up his hair, and even managed to imbed a few pieces of metal into his skin. It had been very inconvenient.

"Szayel-sama?" Nemu's voice came from the door.

"I am fine, Nemu. Please see the mess is cleaned up."

"Of course, Szayel-sama," she bowed.

Such a perfect assistant. He was loathed to admit anything good about the former Kurotsuchi, but there were three things he admitted the other did well; the lab had been exceptionally equipped, his staff was very well trained, and Nemu was the best assistant any scientist could ever desire.

She was both exceptional in the lab, and in bed. Although, a part of him really didn't like to wonder about her second skill. Not even he was sick enough to sleep with his creations.

"Is there anything else, Szayel-sama?" Nemu asked, breaking him from his thoughts.

"I think it may be time for dinner. The sample is destroyed anyway," he sighed in exasperation.

He would have to wait two weeks to get more. Ajuga was too small and young to draw much. He would need more samples from Karin soon as well. At least he could draw more from her than he could from little Ajuga.

"Nemu."

"Hai, Szayel-sama."

"You were built fully capable, yes?"

"Hai, Szayel-sama."

He frowned as he considered this. Clearly crossing humans with both Shinigami and Hollow were possible. So theoretically crossing Shinigami and Hollow should also be possible.

Or was it? Was Karin able to breed with Grimmjow because of that strange strand of DNA he had been unable to decode? Thus, she was also of mixed blood because the donor of that strand bred with a Shinigami, or a human.

For the amount of sexual intercourse that had occurred between the Arrancar and their Shinigami slaves, there should have been at least one pregnancy by now. Granted, neither Shinigami nor Hollow had high birth rates, and there was a lot of stress on the enslaved women.

"_Perhaps there have been success, but the stress on the female's bodies and souls have caused miscarriages,"_ he mused.

He knew stress was bad, and no doubt the female slaves were very stressed. The only female slaves he could think of with low levels of stress was Nemu and probably the girl Starrk had accepted, but not Claimed.

Perhaps he should partake of Nemu more frequently. He wished he could get his hands on more human specimens, but unless the human had a decent reiryoku being near any of the Arrancar would kill her before they could even touch her.

"I wonder if Ulquiorra-sama would let me borrow that other human girl of his for experimentation. She is still un-Claimed and thus should be untouched. Perhaps I should have thought of this sooner," he sighed. "I doubt Ulquiorra-sama will let her go now that his pet seems to have tamed him,"

Szayel sighed in frustration. The only other human here was Orihime and he knew that would never happen. Even suggesting it would get him flayed alive by Ulquiorra's reiatsu alone.

However, now that there was less stress on Orihime since her surrender, perhaps there was now a higher chance she would finally conceive. That would definitely be interesting. Would any child they have inherit her ability to reject? Or Ulquiorra's immense strength?

Well, perhaps it was time to put some more focus on Shinigami/Hollow offspring. This was something he could definitely work on. He would inform the lesser Arrancar to be more gentle with their pets.

"Nemu."

"Hai, Szayel-sama."

"Is there currently a pro-pregnancy program?"

"Hai, Szayel-sama. Unohana-taichou would be the best informed."

"Intriguing. Look into it for me please."

"As you wish, Szayel-sama. Is it accurate to predict you plan on trying to impregnate me?"

"Indeed."

"I see."

He turned to face her. There had been a hint of hesitation in her voice. It was rare she showed emotion, but it happened on occasion. He wasn't sure, but it sounded like sadness.

She wasn't looking at him, but rather off to the side, her hands clasped in front of her. Did she honestly find the thought of bedding him repulsive? He had never detected such a thing from her before. In fact, when he did bring her to bed it was the only time he could think of he felt something akin to joy coming through the Claim.

All he was getting from her right now was depression. He felt nothing from the other pet, hadn't since the day he had destroyed the other's Zanpakuto. A pity really. Had he known utterly obliterating a Shinigami's Zanpakuto would have that affect he would have chosen another for that particular experiment.

He had heard that a Zanpakuto was part of a Shinigami's soul, but he had never realized it was an actual fact and not just a saying. Utterly destroying Zabimaru had also destroyed a portion of Renji's soul. Since that day the other had been completely emotionless and doll like.

Perhaps with time the soul might heal itself. It was the only reason he kept the other alive. It was interesting to see how one reacted to having a portion of his soul destroyed.

He forced those thoughts aside for the moment. One experiment at a time. Right now he was more interested in getting Nemu pregnant. Her skills in bed would just make it that much more interesting of a project.

"Report to my bed chambers after you have acquired the necessary items and information from Unohana-sama."

Nemu looked up at him, a hint of pleasure in her eyes and a flood of relief washed through the link. He was honestly surprised by the emotion. He had never felt anything so strong from her before with the exception of the times he Claimed her.

She was honestly that pleased to sleep with him? She had never had that kind of emotion from the times he did partake of her. He mused about it, twirling back and forth absently in his chair while he tried to work everything out.

Just why was she suddenly excited over the thought of sleeping with him? And why had she been depressed before? Unless…

"_She actually wants to bear me a child,"_ he realized in surprise.

True he hadn't done much experimentation on her other than to see just how she was put together. She was too valuable as a lab assistant to waste on keeping in a specimen jar.

He hadn't even needed to train her and it was almost as though she could read his mind, having what he needed ready before he could even request it. It wasn't like he had force loyalty out of her through the Claim. In fact, he was pretty damn sure he had never had to use the Claim to get her to do anything, ever.

He actually didn't know a lot about her. What she liked or hated. What her favourite color was. It wasn't like they talked about anything outside of research. Only strong emotions came down the Claim link and since one of them was essentially an emotionless Zombie and the other rarely felt strong emotions, the fact that anything came through the link at all was surprising.

He checked the time, surprised he had spent an hour thinking about this. He sighed, stood up and stretched before heading towards his quarters at the back of the institute. He had a meeting with Kami tomorrow about these interesting, new, demonic locust that were showing up.

He couldn't wait to get his hands on them. A new race with no information. It almost made him want to squeal like a woman in a chocolate shop where everything was free. Fortunately, he doesn't squeal.

When he arrived at his chambers he was surprised to see a meal waiting for him on the table. He was less surprised when he felt traces of Nemu's reiatsu in the room. No matter how often he had taken her apart and studied her in the beginning, he was still unable to determine how she seemed to know what he needed before he did.

"_Perhaps there is a trace remain from when I used Gabriel,"_ he mused. _"She is the only one to have ever survived that technique after all and I did notice trace remains of my DNA inside of her."_

"_There could be something there giving her signals into my needs that she might not even be aware of. I should look into it at a later date when I have less work on my table."_

He ate dinner, took a long shower, and curled up on the couch with one of his research books wearing nothing more than a lose fitting Yukata. He was so absorbed in his reading he almost jumped when he felt hands suddenly burrow into his hair shortly before a brush grazed his scalp.

He glanced up to see Nemu standing behind him, brush in hand as she continued her task.

"How did your research go?" he asked once he was positive he had all of his faculties back under control and had settled back down comfortably.

"I have learned much, Szayel-sama," she answered.

He swore there was the slightest twitch of her lips in amusement at taking him by surprise, but he felt nothing through the Claim. It didn't mean she wasn't amused, just that she wasn't feeling any strong emotion.

"And the results?"

"There are several hormonal drugs to get the body ready for pregnancy that Unohana-taichou has assured me have a good track record. I have injected myself with the one Unohana-taichou recommended most and have undergone all the required test to confirm my body is as ready and able for conception as it could be.

"Unohana-taichou informed me that the expected success rate varies wildly but shows a very large peek between six and eight months after beginning the injections and sexual intercourse with a smaller peek at the first and second month. After twelve months if there is no sign of success I will switch to a different hormone that may have a better success rate with my genetic makeup.

"Unohana-taichou assured me that in most cases it takes two or three attempts to find the correct hormonal balance as hormones are consistently changing in an individuals body with marked larger changes in the Female body due to Ovulation Cycles."

He gave a 'hmm' as he digested her report. He did trust Unohana as a medical scientist. Her knowledge of the body was simply astonishing, but at the same time if it was this easy to get pregnant, then why had she failed to deliver Aizen his precious Heir.

"_Of course, Kami is no longer any species anyone had ever encountered. Perhaps Kami has become incapable of producing offspring, or his fertility rate has decreased dramatically,"_

He quickly tossed the thoughts aside before they could start to pester him to find out. Aizen would definitely not permit any experimentation on him.

One project at a time. Apparently his test subject was already ready to begin the experiment. They could engage in the act just as soon as she was done combing out the last tangles from his still shower damped hair.

It had grown in the last six years and was halfway down his back now, stopping just past his shoulder blades. The last tangle was undone and he felt Nemu step back away from the couch he was lounging on.

He stood up and stretched before turning to face her, blinking in surprise. She was wearing nothing more than a simple Yukata as well. There would be no time wasted in removing clothing.

"Is it time to proceed, Szayel-sama?" she asked.

"Indeed," he was pleased his voice was still steady.

She followed him to his elaborate bedroom without a word to stand before the large bed. Before he could even begin to initiate the process, she kneeled before him, brushed his Yukuta to the side, and latched her mouth around him.

He let out a bit of a gasp as she took him all the way down her throat without the slightest sign of discomfort. He felt his legs give way and he landed on the edge of the bed. She pressed forward and he crab walked back until they were both fully on the bed.

One hand snaked under his leg to massage his sacks while another snaked up his body to tease his nipples. Her tongue lashed the base of his shaft while she vibrated her throat, sending shock waves of pleasure though his body as the vibrations assaulted his tip.

He had forgotten how talented she was with her mouth, and once more he forced himself not to think about why that might be. Why Kurotsuchi would make sure his daughter was so skilled in the act of 'love making.'

Thought quickly went out the window as she swallowed around his shaft while vibrating her throat. He let out a cry and tangled his hands in her hair, trying to push her away before he embarrassed himself by losing it already when they had barely started.

She was deceptively strong and didn't budge an inch as she swallowed around him again and this time his back arched off the bed when he let out a cry. He was so close, so damn, embarrassingly close.

Suddenly she let him free with a soft plop and crawled up his body, kissing a trail to the nipple that wasn't getting attention from her hand. She sucked it in and assaulted it with her tongue while teasing the other with her fingers and continued to message his sacks with her other hand.

He moved his hands from her hair to her shoulders and rolled them over so he was now on top of her. She spread her legs for him and he all but tore her Yukuta aside before positioning himself at her entrance.

She looked up at him docile while she awaited for him to finish the act. The lack of emotion from her was bothering him for the first time. Normally a silent, obedient partner was what he wanted, but he hated being lied to.

"Do you want this?" he demanded with a shaky breath while in acting the Claim to make her answer truthfully.

"Hai, Szayel-sama," she answered without any hesitation.

"How long have you wanted this?"

"Four years, seven hours, forty-eight minutes and nineteen seconds," she answered.

He was honestly surprised it had been that long.

"Do not hide behind those walls your maker created upon you," he ordered. "Not tonight. Tonight, I want to see you bared to me."

There was shock in her eyes as the Claim forced her to obey. To give up the walls and barriers her 'Father' had forced upon her for an unknown number of years. The lust that sprang forth and rushed down the Claim nearly blind sided him and before he knew it he was once more pinned beneath her as her mouth assaulted his.

A hundred years of pent up frustration and four years of contained lust all smashed into him and left him breathless as she impaled herself upon him and rode him for all she was worth. She clenched her inner walls around him with each downward thrust of her body onto his.

He was left shocked beneath her as the amount of emotion smashing into him through the Claim and the intense pleasure of her body overloaded all of his mental and physical defences.

When he exploded into her, she didn't stop. She simple crawled down his body and wrapped her mouth around him once more, working him up to another erection before climbing up his body and mounting him again.

Szayel was so lost in the pleasure and shock of lust smashing into him that when he woke up the next morning, he didn't even knowing how many times Nemu had rode him or how many orgasms she had milked from him. Hell, he didn't even remember when they had finally stopped or when he had passed out.

Blurry gold eyes stared at his ceiling in a daze as his brain failed four times to reboot.

"I have your uniform ready and breakfast is on the table, Szayel-sama," Nemu's voice finally broke through his mental barrier and he look up at her in surprise. "Your meeting with Aizen-kami is in half an hour."

That jerked his body, if not his brain, into action. Being late for a meeting with Kami was a fast ticket to pain or oblivion. He devoured the food presented to him without even tasting it or noticing what it was while Nemu helped him into his uniform and handed him the file folders with the information he required.

She brushed out his hair while he pulled his shoes on. He raced out the door and launched into a Sonido the moment he was free of the building. He was halfway to the Board Room when he realized Nemu had had a small smile on her face this morning and was wearing one of his sleeping Yukuta's.

He actually tripped and barely caught himself from going into a nose dive.

"What's got you in a tiff this morning?"

Szayel glared at Nnoitra as the 5th's voice finally seemed to give his brain the kick start it needed. He straightened himself up, tucked the folders under his arm more properly, and adjusted his glasses.

"Nothing that you would understand, Nnoitra," Szayel assured him before continuing on his way at a more proper pace befitting a perfect being.

* * *

Thank you all so much for the reviews and positive feedback, they make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Hope those of you who had to go back to that evil institution known as 'School' had a good first day, or second week depending on where you live and when school starts or started.

Next Chapter: We see what Matsumoto and Nnoitra are up to.


	31. How To Convince Your Master To

Warnings: Sex

How To Convince Your Master To Let You Out Of The House

"I wonder if I could get Tesra to write a book on 'The Many Ways of Nnoitra-sama.'" Matsumoto wondered absently as she sliced the beef she was working on into cubes.

When Nanao had told her about Karin's baby shower she had been ecstatic she had been invited. It was followed quickly by depression because she knew Nnoitra would never permit her to go.

Still, she had begged on her knees to go, but as she had predicted, had been denied. Tesra had apparently heard of the situation and had given her some advice on how to get Nnoitra to agree.

She had followed his advice word for word. When Nnoitra had come home the next day, she had greeted him at the door wearing nothing more than an apron and had even gone so far as giving him a kiss and ask cheerfully how his day had been.

He had stared at her in shock for a good minute before his brain rebooted and he had stammered out a 'fine' before putting Santa Teresa in it's place by the door and launching into how his day had gone.

She actually forced herself to listen for once; she even made comments and asked questions to prove she was. She could practically see the pleasure radiating off of him that he had her attention without having to force it.

She had cooked an elaborate meal for dinner, made a dessert Tesra had suggested, and after cleaning up dinner, curled up next to him on the couch without any prompting while he polished Santa Teresa. He stared at her in surprise for a moment before he started to ramble on about one of his older battles.

She started to doze and was actually jerked awake when he moved. It was dark outside and she realized he had long since finished caring for Santa Teresa. She stretched and offered him an embarrassed smile.

He smirked back and informed her it was time for bed. She agreed and they both rose from the couch.

He disappeared into the bathroom and she heard the shower turn on. Biting her lip in nervousness, she launched the next part of her plan. Letting her Yukuta slid from her shoulders to pool onto the floor, she stepped into the shower behind him.

He turned to face her in surprise and the light blush that spread across her checks wasn't entirely for show. She had never done anything like this before and she prayed Tesra was right, that this would convince her Master to let her leave the house to see her friends.

She took a step towards him to close the distance before hesitantly reaching a hand out to brush a stray lock of his soaked hair out of his face. He remained silent, weather out of curiosity or because he was stunned, she didn't know.

She let her hand fall from the strand of hair and ran it down his chest, brushing past a nipple that stiffened as she grazed it. Glancing down she could see him beginning to stir. Licking her lips nervously, she kneeled before him and took his growing manhood into her hands, stroking it and playing with the tip with her thumb.

His hands shot out to brace himself against the wall and he let out a hiss of pleasure.

"What are you doing?" he demanded.

She didn't answer, simply steeled her will and replaced her hands with her mouth. He let out a gasp and leaned back against the wall as she started to suck softly. She tasted nothing but the water that was running down their bodies from the shower head.

She had never done this sort of thing before. For all of his male domineering ways, the only thing Nnoitra had ever really expected of her was to spread her legs so he could fuck her when he wanted it.

She grew bolder as whimpers of pleasure escaped his lips and one hand came down to brush her own damp hair out of her face. She hummed a thanks for the wet strands had been getting annoying. That hum nearly sent him to his rear and he gave out a gasp.

Curious, she did it again, earning another gasp from him and the walls cracked as his hands slammed into them to support himself. She assaulted the tip with her tongue alternating between lashing it and circling it.

His hips started to shake and she had to stop herself from gagging when one tremble caused him to go a little too far down her throat. One of his hands left the wall to tangle into her hair and start to stroke it.

Suddenly, he pulled her head away, taking her by surprise. White liquid streamed out of him to splash across her chest and land on her face and hair. He shuddered violently and a few more spurts came out before he collapsed against the wall once more, panting heavily.

She wiped her mouth before standing up to face him once more. She was honestly surprised he had pulled her head away. He took a few shuddering breaths before regaining control.

"Damn it woman," he cursed. "What the hell you trying to do to me?" he demanded.

She didn't answer. She couldn't think of a good enough response. It seemed like he wasn't looking for an answer anyway as he moved forward and caught her mouth with his, thrusting his tongue into her mouth.

She stiffened in shock before relaxing and leaning against the wall herself. Nnoitra pulled away from her and eyes she hadn't even realized she had closed snapped open in surprise when a soap soaked sponge rubbed against her skin.

"You need a shower more than I do now," he smirked.

She stared at him in disbelief; then had to cover her mouth to stop the laugh that wanted to come forth. Suddenly, the entire situation seemed so absurd. He looked at her affronted for a moment before the absurdity seemed to catch him as well and they both broke into a laugh.

"You really want to see that Bitch and her Brat that badly?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered. "Nanao said it's a human tradition for the woman to gather to congratulate the new mother."

"A woman's party?"

"Yes."

"No men?"

"I think Ukitake-taichou will be there, but other than that, no men," she affirmed.

"Fine," he snapped.

She looked at him in surprise.

"You can go," he grumbled.

She threw herself into his arms and kissed him.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," she exclaimed excitedly.

He looked at her surprised before shaking his head and silencing her by covering her mouth with his own. She didn't recall much of the rest of the night and for the first time she let herself completely enjoy the feeling of intense pleasure as he reinstated his Claim to remind her who she belonged to.

Matsumoto sighed and set the knife down. It had been worth it to see such a cute baby and be able to speak with some female companionship. The only person she ever got to visit with was Tesra, and while he was more then willing to talk to her, he was a he, which made him male, which made girl talk not exactly something you talk to him about.

She sighed again and scraped the now cut meat into the bubbling wok. It had been a month since then and she desperately wished she could speak with the girls again. She was honestly nervous about asking for permission to go.

One part was because she wasn't sure if it was too soon to seem like she was interested in something other than him. She had no doubt he would be pissed if he felt that she believed she could manipulate him into doing things.

The other part was he had been coming home lately in a bit of a tiff. He hadn't taken any frustration out on her as of yet, but there was definite stress he was undergoing and she was honestly too scared that stress would turn towards her if she asked.

He had been gentle with her over the last month, but six years of on and off abuse was not something so easily overcome.

The front door opened and she quickly scanned to see who it was. She wasn't surprised it was Tesra. She had been expecting him to pick up this week grocery list.

"Matsumoto-san?"

"In the Kitchen, Tesra. Why do you even bother asking?" she called back.

"The one time I don't you will most likely be elsewhere."

"True," she admitted.

If there was anyone who would both know why Nnoitra had been stressed lately and be willing to tell her without any fall out, it was him.

"Tesra, what has been going on? Nnoitra seems to be under some sort of pressure."

Tesra sighed and nodded his head.

"There have been attacks on the Living Realm. Some strange creatures have been showing up and tearing Hollow and Pluses to shreds," he answered.

That took her by surprise.

"Despite the stress, Nnoitra-sama seems much happier than he was before."

"Well, that's thanks to you," she offered him a weak smile. "I honestly don't know what I would do without your help."

"You shouldn't say such things," he blushed and fiddled with his hands nervously. "It is you who are the reason behind Nnoitra-sama's happiness."

That almost earned a blush out of her.

"There is one piece of advice I do need."

"What is it?"

"I really want to see Karin-chan and Nanao again. But I am unsure on how to go about asking to do so. I am afraid he might see my request as too bold so soon."

Tesra nodded his head in understanding, clearly seeing her dilemma.

"You are correct about right out asking, but you could always hint."

"Hint? You mean like commenting on how cute Ajuga-chan was and how it would be nice to see her again?"

"Something like that. Nnoitra-sama is pretty intelligent."

She mused over it, and found the idea to her liking. In fact, several hinted questions definitely came to mind already.

"Thank you, Tesra."

"I will be back later."

He headed back out while she turned her attention back to dinner. The next time the door opened it was accompanied by the sound of Santa Teresa clattering against the stand by the door.

She wiped her hands on her apron as she walked towards the front door. He seemed stressed as usual, but not angry.

"Welcome home," she greeted as warmly as she could. "Dinner should be ready in an hour."

"That's good," he grunted as he made his way to the living room and collapsed on the couch as if exhausted.

She frowned and followed him. There were stains on his white uniform of a kind of greenish yellow. It looked like there was goo in his hair too.

"How was your day?" she asked.

"Buggy," he grunted.

Well that was one hell of a weird response.

"Would you like a cup of Sake?" she offered.

"That sounds swell," he dragged his ass up from the couch. "I am going to take a shower and change."

She nodded and stepped aside so he could go up the stairs. She returned to the kitchen and started to warm a bottle of sake while checking on dinner's progress. She didn't leave the kitchen until she heard him come back down and collapse on the couch once more.

He was wearing nothing but a pair of his white hakama and his hair was pulled back into a tail. She set the bottle and saucer down on the coffee table and poured his first glass for him.

He accepted it and took a long sip before sighing and leaning back against the couch, stress seeming to just flow out of his body.

"What's for dinner?" he asked.

"Beef and broccoli with chicken stir-fry," she answered.

He gave a nod of his head.

"I wish I knew Nanao's Ginger Beef recipe. She makes the best. I didn't think to ask her during the Baby Shower," she pouted.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. She use to make it for our Shinigami Women Association Meetings."

"What did you do there?"

"Whatever Yachiru-chan wanted us to do," Matsumoto actually laughed softly at the memories.

"The little pink haired brat?" he questioned curiously.

"Yes. That was her. She use to blow our budget on candy all the time," she chuckled. "I wonder how he knows Yachiru-chan," she wondered curiously.

"So this recipe is good?"

"Very good," she affirmed. "I wonder if Karin-chan has any new recipes I can try from the Living World," she mused.

He sighed and took another sip of Sake, emptying the cup. She refilled it.

"This has Tesra written all over it," he grumbled. "Fine. You can go visit them again."

Her eyes lit up.

"Seriously?" She asked.

"Yeah yeah. But this Ginger Beef better be worth it."

"Thank you," she hugged him.

"Getting soft in my old age," he grunted.

She smiled and kissed him on the forehead.

"I need to check on dinner," she excused herself.

He waved her off.

"Definitely softer," he groused.

* * *

Thank you all so much for the reviews. Well, here be the next update. I am glad you all like Nemu. I honestly am not a large fan of hers but when I came up with the concept for this story who got who had to make sense, so it was largely influenced by who fought who and what kind of interest the Espada would truly have.

Next Chapter: A trip to a nearby lake ends in a viscous and terrifying battle. The plot thickens.


	32. Locust

Locust

"Wow, this place is amazing!" Karin exclaimed as they crested over the rise to stare down at the lake.

"I know. I like to come here some times when Starrk is being a jerk," Lilinette exclaimed, looking down at the calm waters of the lake.

"Wow. The water looks great!" Orihime laughed in delight.

"It looks wet," Grimmjow growled.

If Karin hadn't begged him to come (and by beg she meant looked him dead in the eye and said firmly without any room for argument that they were going) he would have said no. He didn't see what was so great about a big body of water. It had also taken a lot of wheedling to get Aizen to let him have this day off.

"You don't seem to mind showers that much," Karin pointed out.

"Yeah, but they are warm and you are in them," he pointed out, nuzzling her neck.

He set aside thoughts of giant, demonic grasshoppers. He hadn't gotten this day off just so he could think about giant bugs.

"I still can't believe you got Ulquiorra to agree to let us come," Tatsuki commented.

"Oh, that was easy," Orihime laughed easily with only the barest hint of a blush. "I mean, it's not like there is any danger here."

Karin smiled. The old Orihime was slowly starting to resurface as each day went by. There was light to her eyes and a spring to her step. Even Tatsuki looked less stressed, probably because Orihime was less stressed.

"That water does look great," Tatsuki smiled at the cliff.

"It looks wet," Grimmjow grumbled.

Karin gave his cheek a kiss, soothing his figurative ruffled fur slightly.

"Hana-chan, don't get too far ahead," Nanao called after her daughter.

"Hai," Hana called back, but the little girl continued to run down the grassy incline and didn't stop until she hit the edge of the lake.

Karin chuckled and Ajuga gurgled happily in his arms, squirming as if she wanted to be set free to run as well.

"Hay, how deep is the water at the base of that cliff?" Tatsuki asked.

"It is very deep, maybe twenty to twenty-five feet. Why?" Nanao asked curiously.

Tatsuki grinned, as did Karin. Grimmjow felt the hair on his arms rise at the mad look in the eyes of both women. This did not bode well.

"Perfect," Both girls said at the same time.

"Why, good fishing or something?" Grimmjow asked interestedly.

Fish he could go along with. The only thing he regretted about letting Yuzu leave was that he missed her amazing cooking. Not that Karin was bad at cooking, but damn her sister had talent.

Both girls just widened their grins. He felt his hair rise again until Ajuga gurgled, drawing his attention from them to his daughter. The beautiful creature in his arms that was from him.

He planned on enjoying every minute of this day with his daughter. Ever since Aizen had dragged him out of the Estate he barely had time to see her or his mate. His mate he knew would be able to handle his absence, but he would be damned if his daughter was raised without him.

They made it to the shore and began to set up their blanket while Hana played at the water's edge, chasing minnows. Ajuga was placed in the center of the blanket and continued to gurgle contently.

He curled up beside her, the sun warm against his back and the fresh scent of grass in his lunges. Ajuga rolled closer to him and he let one of his rare, content smiles touch his face.

"Hana-chan, if you are going to get wet change into your swimsuit," Nanao called.

Hana pouted, but obediently ran back to the picnic site and discarded her yukuta before rushing back to the water in her bathing suite to splash in the shallows and once more chase minnows about.

"Shall we, Karin-chan?" Tatsuki asked with a wide grin.

"Oh definitely. It has been ages since we did this. Can you watch Ajuga-chan for a moment?" Karin asked.

"Of course," he didn't plan on letting his daughter out of sight once today. "But what are you planning on doing?" Grimmjow demanded.

Karin just smiled at him and followed Tatsuki up the cliff after dropping their yukuta's at the blanket so they were in nothing but their bikinis. A very sexy look for her he had to admit. If he wasn't distracted by his daughter he might have dragged her off behind the bushes for a quickie.

Both girls stopped at the edge of the cliff, looking down. He frowned, wondering what could possible be interesting up there. Although he supposed the view must be great. Chicks dug that sort of thing, but he still felt a stirring of fear.

"Looks like a clean entrance. No rocks, logs or anything else I can spot," Tatsuki noted.

"Yeah, and deep. Easily the twenty plus feet we were assured," Karin noted.

"What are you doing?" Grimmjow yelled up to them.

What did the depth have to do with anything? Both girls took several feet back…

Surely they wouldn't!

… before racing forward.

"Karin!" Grimmjow roared as both girls flew off the edge of the cliff head first and disappeared beneath the water. "Karin," he cried again as he raced to the waters edge.

"What's wrong?" Orihime demanded, panic in her voice at his.

"She just dove in," he answered in near hysteria as he reached the waters edge and froze. How the hell was he suppose to get to her? What the hell was she thinking?

"Of course she did. That's the whole point of diving," Orihime pointed out, calming down considerably.

"What?" he snapped, turning his gaze towards her.

A second later Karin and Tatsuki both came floating back to the surface, Tatsuki laughing happily while Karin was looking his way with a hint of distress. His panic had slammed through the Claim so hard she had almost messed up her dive.

"What's wrong?" she shouted over worried. "Is there something wrong with Ajuga-chan?"

Everyone stared at Grimmjow in shock. His reiatsu was lashing wildly and he stared at her with such disbelief and relief it was hard to tell which emotion was more predominant.

"What…. What the fuck do you think you are doing?" he roared.

"Language," Karin snapped at him. "And it looks like I am swimming. Last I checked I didn't need anyone's permission to swim."

"Swimming?"

What kind of nonsense was this? He couldn't think straight. And how the hell was she doing that, floating in the water with ease?

Understanding dawned on Karin's face as she swam to the shore, Tatsuki right behind her.

"You don't know how to swim, do you?" Karin asked softly as she approached him.

"What kind of fu…" she glared at him "..uh.. messed up kind of question is that?" he demanded.

"That's about as much of a yes as I could get," she sighed.

She closed the distance between them and nestled against him.

"There….. really isn't much water in Hueco Mundo," he admitted. "It's basically a wasteland."

"I didn't know. Come on," she took several steps back, leading him into the water.

He froze the moment he came in contact with the cold liquid. This was far different from a shower or even a bath, not that he had ever taken a bath. Way too much water. And this was cold water, a hell of a lot of frigidly cold water.

It was dark, it was wet and there was a very large amount of it.

"Come on," she pulled on his arm. "If you can teach me to throw a proper punch, I can teach you to swim."

He dug his heals in as she dragged him slightly further into the water.

"Maybe later," he grumbled.

She paused and looked at him. He couldn't meet her eyes anymore than he could admit to either of them he was terrified of the water. One could even say petrified. Karin rested her hands on his chest and sighed, sending waves of calming emotion through the Claim.

"Maybe another day, huh," she asked.

"Yeah. The waters a little cold today, I don't have a change of clothes if I do get wet and someone needs to keep an eye on Ajuga," he pointed out.

"Not that cold," she chuckled. "No more panicking when I jump off the cliff?"

"Well, next time warn me," he grunted.

"I am going to jump off that cliff there," she indicated the cliff with a nod of her head. "And your daughter apparently wants some attention."

He turned to face the blanket. Ajuga was staring their way on her stomach, looking almost ready to cry. He turned back to Karin.

"Go," she gave him a push. "I can be awake whenever to see you. Spend this time with her, while she is awake and still interested in her dad."

He nodded and retreated out of the water. Ajuga gurgled and squirmed his way. He couldn't help the smirk that touched his face as he laid down to face his daughter. Another gurgle came from her and she squirmed his way.

"Hay. Look at you go," he chuckled. "Going to be crawling before long."

She squealed at him and reached a hand out. He held his own out and her fingers grasped one of his with a tight grip that made him grin with swelling pride. He did his best to ignore the loud splashes of water behind him as Karin continued to recklessly throw herself off of a cliff into freezing *shudder* water.

Right now all he was interested in was the blue eyes that were as intense as his own that stared at him with innocence as ears flickered. He played with his daughter for a while, ticking her tummy and encouraging her to drag her body towards him.

She wasn't crawling yet, but he had a feeling it would be soon. Then he could start to teach her to prowl and hunt. He felt a strange sensation run over him at the thought of teaching his daughter how to hunt.

He wasn't sure when it happened, but at some point the heat of the sun upon his back had him curling around Ajuga for a cat nap. He woke to the annoying noise of distant buzzing in his ear.

With a growl he stretched and looked about for the fly to swat. His irritation tuned to something else though as the buzzing increased and for the first time the others seemed to notice it as well.

Karin had pulled her training uniform on over her bathing suit and Tatsuki was also wearing a training gi. He had insisted Karin bring her uniform as he did plan on catching up on some of her neglected training. It actually looked like the two girls had been sparring before the buzzing woke him up.

Buzzing. His gaze shot to the North expecting to see a few bees or something. He felt a growl touch his throat as his eyes focused on a black mass in the sky.

"What is that?" Tatsuki was the first to speak.

"Take Ajuga. Now," he ordered firmly.

"What's going on?" Karin demanded.

He could feel the uncertainly in her voice, reiatsu and through the Claim. She picked Ajuga up.

"Mommy?" Hana said uncertainly, moving closer to her own mother.

"Get back to the Estate. Now," Grimmjow ordered with a bark.

Hana and Ajuga both screamed as the creatures were suddenly among them.

"Tatasuki. Take them and go," Karin ordered as she handed Ajuga over to the woman.

"Right. Orihime."

"Coming."

Orihime picked up Hana before both woman bolted away from the growing conflict.

Lightning lit the sky as both Nanao and Karin fired off bolts of Kido from their hands. He paid only scant attention to them as he drew Pantera and flung himself into the swarm. Their Kido, while powerful, was a far ways away from doing any serious harm to him if they accidentally hit him with it.

"Are these the things Aizen dragged you out to fight?" Karin demanded as her fist crushed in the head of one of the demonic locusts.

"Yes," Nanao answered.

He watched Karin out of the corner of his eye, pleased as her fist caved in another head before she spun about and her heel crushed the back of another. Their thick carapaces seemed to be no match for her reiatsu infused joints.

Nanao was also holding her own, holding them back with bolts of Kido. He could feel reiatsu from the city start to pulse as an alarm was raised.

Pantera sliced another one in half before he spun and lopped the head off of another. With a roar of challenge he spun about and launched a Cero into the swarm, grinning as dozens of the damn things disintegrated in the blue blast.

Chain lightning raced across the clearing as Nanao and Karin both fired off simultaneous spells. The bugs screamed as they were zapped and many fell from the sky as smoking carcasses.

"Like bloody bug zappers," he laughed.

"Somehow I find that insulting," Nanao commented, even as she fired a blast of fire, filling the clearing with something smelling akin to burnt chicken.

This was the first time Karin had ever been involved in a real battle situation, and he felt his loins tighten and pride swell as he watched her fist crush through another carapace as if it was nothing more than tinfoil.

There was no fear in her reiatsu or emotions, only a strong determination that briefly reminded him of her brother. She was different than Ichigo though. Unlike her brother, she didn't throw her reiatsu and strength about like an untrained barbarian.

Karin ducked and weaved amongst her opponents, using their own strength and movements against them exactly as he had trained her to and took them out with precise strikes that tore through their natural armour.

The problem with the creatures were not in their strength per say, but rather in their sheer numbers. They blotted out the sun in the sky as they continued to swarm, some stopping to go after them while the rest headed towards the city.

Lights flashed in the distance as the defenders meet the oncoming swarm and he felt the rise of reiatsu as those on duty met the threat.

"We need to get back to the city," Karin shouted.

"This way, quickly," Nanao ordered before launching into a Shunpo.

"Nanao-san, wait!" Karin shouted.

Nanao reappeared a fair distance away.

"Do that one more time slower," Karin shouted even as her fist shattered the carapace of another opponent.

Nanao did as requested. A second later Karin launched into an unsteady Shunpo of her own. It was hardly refined, but it worked. He covered the girls retreat and in no time they caught up to Tatsuki and Orihime with the kids.

Neither woman had any fast pace skills and the Swarm had overtaken them. They were still running with Tatsuki carrying both girls while Orihime defended them with both her Santen Kesshun and Koten Zanshun.

"Tsubaki!" Orihime shouted as one of the creatures came at them from the front.

"I got it. About time you started doing this right," The streak of light responded as it cleanly tore through the creature.

"Wow, Orihime. I never knew you could do that," Karin commented as Tsubaki came to hover beside them.

"Move," Grimmjow snapped.

He wanted Ajuga out of harms way as quickly as possible. He had no fear for himself or Karin, both he and his mate could deal with these creature with ease, but Ajuga had no way to defend herself.

The only warning they received was a wave of powerful reiatsu rising up before them before a green cero tore across the sky shortly before Ulquiorra arrived on the scene.

"Ulquiorra-san," Orihime called.

The fourth turned his gaze her way.

"Go to Szayel's Science Building. It is the most secure place," he ordered monotonously.

"Hai. Tatsuki-chan," Orihime turned to her friend.

"Let's go," Tatsuki agreed, adjusting her grip on Hana.

The two women ran off once more with the children.

"What the fuck took you so long?" Grimmjow growled at him.

"Language," Karin snapped.

"Kid ain't here," he protested.

She glared at him, a look that promised he would go sexless for a month if he didn't drop it. It was not a pleasant thought in any way, especially with how sexy she was looking all battle worn right now, although he could do without the foul smelling insect guts covering her and replace it with blood.

He felt that twinge in his Hakama again and quickly turned his gaze back to the attacking swarm. Fighting with an erection was a royal pain and since he couldn't swear out loud, he did so in his mind and took out his frustrations on the creatures.

They reached the battle lines; flashes of Kido, Ceros and Balas marked the lines. Civilians screamed and ran from the fighting while more Shinigami and a few Arrancar arrived to hold off the wave.

"Go to the kids," he ordered.

"But," Karin started to protest.

"If anything slips by the lines it might reach Ajuga and you are the only one I trust to guard her," he snapped.

Karin's head reeled back as if slapped, but she gave a sharp nod of understanding and disappeared in a Shunpo. It was still a bit sloppy, but he had faith she would nail the technique down in no time once she had a moment to practice it and maybe watch Nanao do it a few more times.

With both of his girls safely out of the way, he turned his attention back to the swarm. The buzzing in his ears was starting to become very annoying and he fully planned on silencing it.

"Fucking bastards. Time to make you pay for fucking up my time with my daughter," he snarled.

He almost tripped when he felt a flash of irritation through the Claim, almost as if he had been physically slapped.

"_Damn woman has the ears of a fox," he_ groused before charging back into the fray. _"Either that or a scary sense of intuition."_

* * *

Thank you to the few who took the time to review. There actually was a chapter with Harribel/Toshiro, but it was omitted from this version of the story, as was the chapter with Barragen, Soi Fon, Yumichika and Ggio.

I would chat longer but I got six updates to do and it's going to be a busy day. Ciao.

Next Chapter: Sex, ressurrection. Need more be said?


	33. Pulled In

Pulled In

Karin sighed as she shifted in the bed. Ajuga was sleeping peacefully in her own bed just out of reach. Her reiatsu was steady, indicating the baby girl was asleep and none the worse for wear after the excitement the day had caused.

Grimmjow hadn't returned yet, but she knew the fighting had ended hours ago. In fact the only ones at the Estate right now were Hana, Ajuga and herself. It just brought home how big the estate was and how lonely it could be.

Karin sighed and sat up before making her way to the kitchenette and set the kettle going to make some tea. She knew everyone was fine, she could see and feel their reiatsu, but not knowing when or if those Things would return made the silent and dark Estate somewhat eerie.

"_Well, at least the next time I see Byakuya-san I can tell him a bit about the damn things," _she sighed to herself.

Her voice sounded rather loud in her ears and for the fourteenth time in the last hour she sought out Grimmjow's reiatsu. It was right where it had been the last hundred times, somewhere in the 1st division next to all the other Espada and still active Taichou.

The kettle whistled and Karin pulled it from the stove before settling back into her bed with a steaming cup of tea. There was a faint knock on her door just before she could pull the blankets up.

"Come in, Hana-chan," she called softly, not even needing to scan to see who it was.

She had seen the girl approaching ages ago and was honestly wondering how much longer Hana was going to hover at her door before knocking.

The door slid open to reveal the little girl dressed in her pyjamas and clutching one of her teddies .

"What is it?" Karin asked softly.

"I can't sleep. When is mommy going to be home?" Hana asked shyly.

"I don't know," Karin admitted. "Do you want to sleep here with Ajuga-chan and me?" Karin offered.

Hana nodded her head before crawling into the bed next to her. After about fifteen minutes the girl's reiatsu and breath evened out. Karin sighed and envied her for being able to find slumber so easily.

Once more she sought out Grimmjow's reiatsu. He pulsed warmly back at her touch and she sighed before settling in more comfortably. It was looking like it was going to be a long, lonely night.

(TIME)

Karin stirred as she felt the covers move. She didn't recall drifting off but by how light it was getting she guessed it had to be very early morning.

"I didn't mean to wake you," Grimmjow commented softly as he snuggled up behind her. "Strange, I don't recall having two kids," he grunted.

"Hana-chan couldn't sleep, and I don't blame her," Karin explained sleepily. "The place is pretty empty when it's just the three of us. I can wake her up if you want and send her off."

"Let the brat sleep. I got to admit I was impressed she didn't panic much during the attack," he admitted reluctantly.

Karin nodded her head in agreement. Hana had been rather calm during the whole ordeal. She hadn't struggled against the people holding her nor had she screamed or cried a lot.

"Are you going to tell me what the hell is going on and what those things were?" Karin questioned.

"Mmm, in the morning," he answered sleepily.

"It is the morning," she pointed out dryly.

"Make it afternoon then. Bloody Aizen had us locked up all night so we could listen to his moaning about how the damn things dared to attack his city."

"Afternoon then." Karin agreed, yawning and nestling back into his warmth.

An arm slipped around her and pulled her into a hug as she felt her back warm from his body heat. She slipped back into slumber almost at once and didn't stir until sometime in the late afternoon as Ajuga began to fuss.

Hana was gone but Grimmjow was still curled up against her and muttering something about five more minutes. Karin sighed and untangled herself to tend to Ajuga's needs. This was something only she could do after all.

By the time the girl was settled Grimmjow appeared to be semi coherent and staring at her with a hint of desire. Battles and training always roused his blood. She sighed and picked Ajuga up with a promise to be right back.

Hana and Lilinette were both drawing pictures in the main Dinning room. Lilinette didn't seem to find her request to watch Ajuga either surprising or bothersome. Karin wasn't at all surprised to return to her room to see her mate fully awake and looking at her with a lustful, expectant expression.

"Insatiable, I swear," she grumbled lightly.

"You have any idea how sexy you look all war torn while your fist caves in your opponents head?" he asked with a lustfully growl.

"I think you are about to show me," she groused as she stripped out of her Yukata and crawled into the bed with him. "But if you get to imagine me all 'war torn' than I want something in return."

"Oh? And what would that be?" he asked, nuzzling her neck.

"Your resurreccion," she whispered into his ear.

Ever since the first time she had seen it she had wondered what it would be like to be taken by him in that form. Okay, maybe all she really enjoyed were the ears and how soft they were, but still.

It would also be kind of nice not to have his mask fragments scraping against her skin as he nuzzled her. If she recalled right they reformed as a sort of crown on his head that would be out of the way. And did she mention the ears yet?

"Our resurreccion forms are intended for battle," he commented.

"All is fair in love and war right?" she countered quickly.

"Fair enough," he conceded, reaching out to grasp the hilt of Pantera from it's place by the futon.

Karin braced herself as his power suddenly rose and washed over her, leaving her tingling in pleasure. With a smirk, she curled up against his changed form and started stroking his ears.

"A pity you can't purr," she lamented.

"Why the fu…" she pulled harshly on his ear, earning a yowl of pain from him, "…in the blazes," he amended, "would I purr?" he questioned.

"Cat," she pointed out.

"Only house cats purr. And I am sure as hell no house cat!" He snarled in agitation.

"Maybe," she conceded. "But you are certainly spoiled like one."

"Right now it seems like all I am getting is kicked in the tail," he grumbled.

She chuckled and captured his lips with her own.

"I think I like this form better," she sighed wistfully.

"Why?" he question curiously.

"Well, aside from the extra Kawaii Cat ears…"

"I am not cute," he interjected with a grumble.

"…your mask fragments don't scrape against my skin," she finished.

He frowned.

"Never thought of that. I forget you still have human skin and no Hierro like we do."

"It's more of an annoyance than anything," she shrugged.

He looked like he was going to protest some more, so she silenced him with her lips on his again before moving along the side of his lips to his left cheek and down to the base of his neck, leaving a wet trail of kissed.

She could feel his body stiffen slightly and the leg nestled between his let her know it wasn't taking much to get him hard.

"No more talking," she sat up to match his intense, blue gaze with her own. "You did all the fighting yesterday, now it's my turn to do the work," she smirked evilly down at him.

She swore he let out a little mew as her mouth latched back onto his neck before kissing and nipping her way to a nipple. It was amusing to see his lengthen hair though the hole in his chest.

In fact, his hair gave her an idea and she burrowed her hands beneath him to gather a good lock full of it before wrapping it around the blades on his elbows like a make shift rope, leaving his arms effectively tied to his sides if he didn't want to rip his own hair out (or she guessed he could just drop his resurrection).

"Oi," he protested at her action.

She silenced him with a finger on his lips while kissing her way further down his body. He shifted his legs so she could settle between them more easily. The next sound he made was a whimper as her lips brushed past his fully fledged erection.

She ignored it, planting kisses on his inner thighs and marvelling at the new, strange shape of his legs and the blades attached to them. His tail was twitching wildly and when she glanced back up to meet his gaze it was part lustful part insane.

She had forgotten how empowering it was to have a creature of this strength weak beneath her. He who could crush her with his reiatsu alone whimpered beneath her in a desperate bid for attention.

As empowering as it was, she didn't leave him waiting for long. After all he was a creature heavily influenced by instinct and if she didn't stop playing with him he might decide to take matters into his own claws.

She quite teasing his thighs and making sure their eyes were locked, opened her mouth and slowly sucked him in. His eyes slid closed in pleasure and she felt his entire body vibrate beneath her.

His tail started to twitch a fair amount more until it was almost lashing. She didn't offer him oral very often, and he never demanded it of her; although he always seemed quite pleased to give it to her.

She figured it was a mating instinct to make sure the female was ready and receptive before instigation. After all, an unprepared passage could tear and the female could bleed to death if the damage was severe enough.

She could feel that pull of his reiatsu, that tightening of his muscles that indicated to her he was getting close and she released him with a soft plop just before he could warn her. Half lidded eyes gazed down at her in pure lust and she paused to lick her lips before stalking up his body.

"Is there something you want?" she asked in a husky whisper.

He growled at her. She always found it amusing how he had a hard time talking when he was this aroused. She snaked a hand between their bodies and gave him a soft squeeze that earned a mew out of him.

She sat on his chest and started to tease herself while reaching for one of the many hidden bottles of oil. He looked ready to go and she wasn't going to make him wait too long as she prepared herself.

Oil applied, she shifted and grasped him once more before guiding him into her body. His back arched slightly as her heat wrapped around him and he growled when he was unable to bring his arms up to help support her.

Fully impaled, she shifted about until she found a position to her liking and started to ride him, making sure to let her breast bounce a bit in her movements. She set herself into a rhythm and angle to her liking, sighing in pleasure at the friction between them.

She couldn't help but to stroke those soft ears and watched as his eyes were almost fully lidded. She could almost hear the purring she was imaging he would be giving off if he could.

Suddenly, he yowled and convulse beneath her as the familiar feeling of his seed shot into her. She didn't stop riding him until her own peek hit a moment after. Sighing, she rested against him.

She felt his power decline and shortly after arms wrapped around her to pull her to his side as he panted lightly in her ear.

"Bloody woman," he panted.

"You were the one that decided being topped was one of your favourite positions," she pointed out mercilessly.

"Yeah yeah," he grunted, once more nuzzling her neck. "I can't resist the view. We should get cleaned up and something to eat," he grumbled.

"Yeah," she agreed, but neither one of them made any motion to move.

(TIME)

Karin listen grimly as Grimmjow explained to her what had been going on with the strange bug like creatures. How they had first showed up in the living world and only now here.

No one knew what they wanted for they seemed to lack intelligence. Indeed, they seemed to be simple locust that ate and moved on, only instead of crops they ate souls, mostly hollow ones by the sound of it.

However, they have been spotted eating plus souls as well. As far as anyone could tell, there was no record of these things anywhere.

"So now that they showed up here, what's going to happen?" she asked at the end of the explanation.

"There will be more patrols stationed. Aizen is putting Nanao in charge of defences here for now," Grimmjow answered. "I don't want you off the estate without an escort."

She shot a glare at him. Not that she made a habit of leaving the large estate in the first place, but she hated being ordered to do anything. He knew it and his gaze met hers firmly.

"At least while Ajuga is here," he added. "I know you can take care of yourself, but she is still vulnerable."

She felt her hackles drop. So it was Ajuga he was worried about, not her. She should have guessed as much and didn't blame him. Hell, she was surprised he wasn't fortifying the den already.

"I won't let her out of my sight unless I have no choice," she assured him.

He looked about to argue, but stopped himself and nodded in acceptance. If it was one weak point he had, it was his daughter. There was nothing he wouldn't do for her.

"I need to report back in," he grumbled.

"Right. Any idea on when you will be home?" she asked.

"It's one of Aizen's meetings," he groused.

"Right. I won't bother trying to stay up then."

After he left she was once again alone in the mansion with just her daughter and Hana. Apparently Lilinette was also required for this meeting.

Karin sighed, trying not to imagine the sound of it echoing in the large, empty estate. Regrettable, it wasn't her imagination.

"Karin-san," Hana called.

"Yes, Hana-chan?" Karin turned her attention to the young girl.

"Nothing," she suddenly said with a hint of embarrassment.

"_It would seem facing down frightening creatures is far less scary than admitting you__'__re afraid of a dark, lonely mansion," _Karin chuckled to herself, understand how Hana felt. "You know, there is an old game my sister and I use to play at night when the power went out and it was kind of scary," Karin offered.

"What kind of game?" Hana asked with all the interest of a young child.

"Come on, I will show you," Karin offered with a warm smile and led the little girl back to her room, Ajuga cradled in one arm.

It was well past midnight by the time Grimmjow and the others returned. Karin hadn't been able to sleep at all and gathered the two sleeping children in her arms to meet the returning party at the door.

"How was she?" Nanao asked, exhaustion clear in her voice as she accepted her daughter.

"A little unnerved by the large, silent estate, but otherwise well behaved. We played some games until she fell asleep," Karin answered.

"Thank you for watching her for me," Nanao smiled in appreciation.

"No problem. How did the meeting go?" she asked.

"Long, boring. Let's go to bed," Grimmjow snorted as they all cleared the entrance way and headed to their respective rooms.

It was a sign of how exhausted they all were as even Lilinette trudged off without a word of complaint with her body looking rather limp.

Ajuga stirred in her arms and without a word she passed the little girl to her father.

"Are you hungry?" she asked.

"A little," he admitted reluctantly.

"For real food? And I don't count," she questioned.

He gave off a tired chuckle but confirmed he actually was hungry. He sat down at the table in their suite, cradling a gurgling Ajuga while she quickly reheated some left over rice and beef strips.

They remained in silence and she could feel the displeasure radiating in his reiatsu. Something about the meeting was bugging him, and if it bugged him than it bugged her.

"We are all expected to be on daily patrols and a few search teams have been formed to see if we can determine where the creatures got in," he finally broke the silence.

"Oh?"

"I will be gone for a few days in the least," he announced in a voice she couldn't quite place, having never heard that tone from him before.

"I am sure we will be fine," she quickly assured him. "But if you think it would be best, we could always see if Orihime and Tatsuki wouldn't mind staying over. Extra arms, extra eyes," she pointed out.

He grimaced. Oh he had nothing against Orihime or Tatsuki, other then possibly them being human. It was the thought of having to ask Ulquiorra that caused the grimace of loathing to cross his body.

"I could ask," she offered with a smile as she set the plate of reheated food down before him. "It would make me feel better as well," she suddenly frowned as a thought occurred to her. "Are Ukitake-san, Starrk-san and Lilinette-chan leaving on missions as well?" she suddenly asked.

He gave a nod, his mouth full of food.

"And Nanao-san as well?"

Another nod.

Karin frowned.

"I think I will definitely ask then. It get's really lonely here with just me and the kids."

For a brief moment she regretted loosing Yuzu, but it was only briefly. This was definitely no place for her sister, more so with the strange creatures now showing up. Yuzu was much safer in the living realm where she belonged.

"Do what you want," he shrugged having swallowed his food.

Despite his uninterested attitude, she could tell the thought of more protection for her and her daughter, protection he didn't have to go and ask Ulquiorra himself for, put him slightly more at ease.

Not that Tatsuki and Orihime constituted for a large amount of protection, but they had already shown they could handle these creatures. After all the creatures weren't that strong, there just tended to be a lot of them.

It was a clear sign as to how exhausted even her mate was when they crawled into bed and he was sleeping almost at once with hardly enough energy to kiss her good night. Karin couldn't help but to feel a forbidden sense of boding shiver over her skin.

* * *

Thank you moon shining wolf, sKyLeR KnIgHt and Reflected Moon for taking the time to review. Stay tuned for the next chapter, where Karin and Byakuya meet again.


	34. Tea With Karin

Another heavily edited chapter where all of the darker stuff was cut out. As such, I am posting it with the previous chapter, so you may need to jump back a chapter.

Warnings: mentions and innuendos of darker content.

Tea With Karin

As usual, Yammy told him nothing about what was going on, but something had definitely been going on. He had felt the battle and watched the flashes of kido and cero's from the main walls of his estate.

He had wanted to go personally, even without Senbonzakura he still had all his other natural abilities to fight, but Yammy's orders to remain here had been direct and Claim enforced.

The battle had lasted for quite some time and despite his hardest wishes he didn't feel Yammy's reiatsu waiver in the least to indicate the Espada might be close to being defeated.

Granted Yammy's death would only insure he would not have to face that particular Arrancar again. If he wanted to live he would have to be Claimed, so said Aizen-kami's law. There was no guarantee a new Master would be better, but Byakuya couldn't see how it could possibly be worse.

To his surprise when the battle had ended Yammy had not returned home right away. He had braced himself, mentally prepared himself, for being forced to serve his Master, but the demand had not come. In fact it was late afternoon two days later when he had finally seen the Espada.

Lunch was a surprisingly silent affair and Yammy seemed rather distracted about something, grumbling consistently under his breath. For the first time in years Yammy more or less ignored his presence.

A page arrived near the end of lunch to announce it was almost time for the meeting. Yammy grunted and stood up, only now seeming to pay attention to him.

Yammy grasped his chin between two massive fingers and forced him to look into his eyes.

"When I get home you will be in my bed," Yammy ordered and then leaned in to force his tongue down Byakuya's throat.

As unnerving as a silent Yammy was, Byakuya definitely preferred it to this. The kiss, if it could be called that, didn't last for long before Yammy let him go.

He traced Yammy's reiatsu to the 1st division and noticed that every Espada and the Taichou permitted to keep working were also either already there or soon to arrive. It would also seem a fair number of the fraccion and those acting as Fuku-taichou were also in attendance.

Clearly they were having another meeting and if the meeting was anything like the other meetings Aizen seemed to favour, they would last for several hours.

He would have plenty of time to return to Yammy's chambers to fulfill his order. During the battle a few days ago he had caught traces of Karin's reiatsu lashing out. This would probably be the only time he would get a chance to meet her and find out what she knew about the situation.

He headed to his chambers and changed into clothing more suitable for walking the streets before heading out to the Estate. He still kept one 'eye' on Yammy's reiatsu, for it would be just his luck that the meeting would be a surprisingly short one.

He made it to the estate and knocked on the door, waiting patiently for it to open. The young woman who answered it was not one he recognized.

"Who are you?" she asked gruffly, crossing her arms and eyeing him up and down.

He pulled out a pen and paper and wrote out his answer.

'Kuchiki Byakuya. I have come to see Kurosaki Karin.'

The woman frowned as she read the paper, looking at him out of the corner of her eye oddly.

"One moment."

The door closed and he heard the sound of it locking. He traced the unknown woman's reiatsu to where he knew Karin was, and in moments he felt her coming his way. The door opened and she invited him in politely.

"Byakuya-san, I was honestly expecting a visit from you. We just put on a pot of tea, can I interest you in a cup?" she offered politely.

He nodded his head and followed her to the dinning room of her suite.

"If only her brother could have even half of her politeness," He couldn't help thinking.

Orihime and the unknown woman were both there, as was Hana; who appeared to be concentrating on learning her numbers on a piece of paper. Ajuga was laying on her stomach on a blanket not far from Hana, watching the older girl's pen move across the paper in apparent interest.

"Byakuya-san," Orihime greeted him warmly with a smile.

He gave her a nod of his head in greeting. She was looking well since the last time he had seen her. Which, when he thought about it, wasn't actually that long ago.

He took a seat and nodded a thanks to Karin as she handed him the chalk board and chalk he had used last time, as well as a cup of piping hot tea, just the way he liked it.

"Byakuya-san, you already know Orihime. This is Tatsuki, a close friend of ours," Karin introduced.

He gave her the slightest nod of his head in greeting while she said she was pleased to meet him. They enjoyed a moment of silence before Karin broke it.

"Hana-chan, why don't you go play in the garden?" Karin suggested.

"Can I pick flowers for Okasan?" she asked innocently.

"Of course. Just don't trample them and be careful not to damage the main plant. You know how hard Ukitake-san works to keep the gardens in shape."

"Hai. Can 'juga-chan come too?" she begged.

"Maybe when she is older and can walk on her own," Karin answered.

" 'kay."

Hana put down her pen and skipped out the dinning room door to the garden on the other side. Tatsuki picked up Ajuga while Karin turned her attention to him.

"It would seem the Locust things that Ukitake-san mentioned have penetrated here as well. They seemed pretty mindless, like a normal Locust just a million times larger. Their carapace was pretty strong, but not impenetrable.

"Grimmjow's Hierro was easily as strong as that armour. In fact, I had an easier time getting through their carapace than I do getting through Grimmjow's Hierro. They didn't seem to have any special abilities outside of sheer numbers."

He took in the information. As expected he had never heard of these creatures and there was no record of them that he could find in the Kuchiki records. Of course, now that he had more data he could set the staff to assist in his research.

If there was anywhere in Soul Society information on these things might exist it would be in the science division. Somehow he doubted he would be able to get information out of them.

However, if he recalled correctly, Karin was frequently there with Ajuga. Perhaps she could get some information from the scientist. He wrote his question out and passed her the board.

'Is there a chance Szayel might be able to find something in the former 12th divisions archives?'

"I have no doubt he's been looking. I can ask tomorrow when I see him. Ajuga-chan is overdue for a check up," she smiled warmly at her daughter.

He nodded his head in thanks and took a sip of his tea. It was more than he could hope for. They spent the rest of the afternoon in surprisingly pleasant conversation. It was somewhat relieving to be away from the estate and his so called family.

What few fond memories he had of the place had been tainted over the last six years by Yammy's influence. Thinking of the Espada reminded him that he had his orders, and he had already tempted fate long enough with his extended visit.

Byakuya didn't want to think about what Yammy would do to him if he wasn't waiting for his master as directed. With great reluctance, he excused himself. Karin escorted him to the front door with a promise to see what information Szayel had learned of the creatures, if any at all.

After hesitating for a brief moment, he wrote out two letters, handing them both to her. She read them both over, looking up at him in surprise. One invited her to bring any information she might learn to him at the Kuchiki Estate, the other was orders to his staff to permit her to see him.

They wished each other farewell and he headed home, even though the estate hadn't really felt like home in years.

"Kuchiki-sama, a bath is ready for you," One of the servants bowed as he walked through the main gates of the compound.

He hadn't been expecting that, but made no protest as he followed the servant to the large bathing chambers attached to his Master's suite. On the way he passed one of his uncles that seemed relieved to see him.

"No doubt Yammy has left orders for his return," he thought sourly.

He was thoroughly cleaned and dressed in a simple yukata to keep warm in while awaiting Yammy's return. He had no desire to wait in his Masters room like a trained dog, and instead retreated to one of the many gardens.

The sun was long since set when he noticed Yammy's reiatsu heading back to the estate. His movements showed none of his reluctance as he returned to his Master's suite. He kneeled on the edge of the large futon and waited.

He didn't have long to wait. Yammy stormed into the room, and while he didn't necessarily seem furious, he was clearly displeased about something.

"Bloody Aizen-kami. Ulquiorra is his better bitch. He should send that flying rat to deal with the problem," Yammy sneered in frustration while stripping and disappearing into the near by bathroom. "When I get back out I expect you to be wearing a lot less than that, Hime," Yammy's voice barked from out of sight.

The sound of running water reached his ears as he undressed and set the yukuta and his scarf neatly aside.

"At least the brute should be clean," he thought with forced optimism.

It didn't make him feel any better as he returned to kneeling on the edge of the large futon. He could still hear Yammy cursing, even though he couldn't quite make out the words.

When the Espada returned to the room his hair was down from its usual ponytail and soaking wet. He was completely naked and his body glistened slightly in the candle light.

"Aizen-kami has assigned me a mission," Yammy grunted as the larger male approached him. "I should be gone for a week or so. You know what that means, my Chicchai Hime?" Yammy asked.

"Somehow I doubt I am going to enjoy the answer," Byakuya thought coldly.

"It means we have to get a weeks worth of pleasure in one night," Yammy smirked at him.

Byakuya was right. This was most definitely not going to be a pleasant night.


	35. More and More Experiments

So, I found a faster way to update these chapters, as such, here is a third for good measure. Enjoy the triple update :)

More and More Experiments

Once again Szayel was amazed at Nemu's skills in bed. She instigated herself into his bed almost nightly. Most of the time he never really thought about this little side project in trying to get her pregnant, the far more interesting experiments and research on the demonic locusts were far more intriguing. But like any good assistant Nemu never seemed to forget any of his side projects and reminded him as each came up due for his attention.

In fact, he was surprise to note she seemed particularly interested in this one. So much so that she actually made sure he got the rest he needed, often reminding him it was time for a break to eat.

Eating would lead to other things somehow and before he knew it he would be groaning in pleasure while her mouth prepared him before turning about to offer herself to him while reminding him of the project.

He never recalled just how they were both devised of their clothing, but somehow when the steam finally cleared from his mask they were both naked. She never seemed exhausted afterwards while he had to desperately search for breath.

He hardly expected any success right off the bat, but she continuously gave him weekly reports on how her condition was coming along. In fact, she seemed pretty into this side experiment.

"Kurosaki Karin-san is here with Ajuga Jaegerjaquez and Kyoraku Hana, Szayel-sama," Nemu reported, breaking him out of his brooding.

"Excellent," he purred in pleasure.

He could gather more blood from Ajuga and Karin and continue to work on that unbreakable code that had been taunting him. As interesting as the locust were, there really wasn't much to them, much to his disappointment.

They were clearly drones and not really that different from regular locust other than size, DNA and diet. He was exceptionally disappointed in what he had learned from the creatures.

Karin was waiting for them in the main lobby with Ajuga cradled in one arm and Hana by her side, looking around curiously. Ajuga let out a squeal the moment her blue eyes fell upon him while Hana just turned her curious gaze his way.

"Who's my favourite test subject?" Szayel asked sweetly as he closed the distance between them.

Ajuga let out another squeal of delight and reached for him. He held his arms out and Karin passed the infant over to him. He had learned quickly not to let her near his face for she had an unhealthy interest in his Mask. The last thing he wanted was for her to accidentally get a hold of it.

"Any new information on what ever those things are?" Karin asked as they walked to the examination room.

"Nothing yet," he confirmed.

"What about in the archives?" she asked.

"No records of such creatures exist in the archives," Nemu answered monotonously.

"Are you sure?" Karin asked.

"I have perused the records myself. There is no mention of anything remotely similar to these creatures," Nemu assured her.

Karin frowned, but let the subject drop.

"Now then, who is ready for some tests? Are you ready for some tests? Are you?" Szayel asked Ajuga.

Ajuga's responding squeal nearly hurt his ears.

"I will need some blood samples from you as well, Karin-san,"

"What for?" she asked with a hint of distrust.

He held back a frown at the sudden wall he had hit in his experimentation. He hadn't expected her to start asking questions and if she didn't want to give him her blood he very much doubted he could force her too.

Even if he did use force she would report it to her Mate and an irate Grimmjow tearing up his lab was definitely not something Szayel wanted. Her mate. Szayel felt a contemplative frown come on as he considered Karin and how she managed to return the Claim.

"You can have some of mine," Hana piped up helpfully, breaking his budding thoughts.

"Thank you dear," he offered her a smile. "But I am afraid I need Karin-san's. You see, I just need to decode her DNA so I can compare it to Ajuga-chan's. Blood samples only last so long and mapping DNA takes a long time."

It was pretty much the truth. He was trying to map their DNA.

"Than why aren't you interested in getting some blood from her father?" Karin questioned, crossing her arms and he could see the suspicion in her eyes deepen.

"Oh I have had Grimmjow's DNA mapped for years. He leaves enough of it laying around any half wit scientist with a basic chemistry set could complete it," And that was the truth.

She still looked at him sceptically, but gave a sigh and relented. Nemu took her aside to gather the samples while he set Ajuga down on the examination table.

"You don't want mine?" Hana asked disappointed.

He really had no interest in the girl's blood. She was just another Shinigami after all, granted with a noble lineage and a formally powerful father, but really there would be no difference from her DNA than any other normal Shinigami's just as there was little difference between Grimmjow's and Nnoitra's DNA.

"You are not required to give blood," Nemu responded for him.

"Oh," she looked crestfallen.

Szayel ignored the little girl for the far more interesting child sitting on the table before him.

"Has she started crawling yet?" he asked.

"No, but she looks like she's getting ready to," Karin answered. "Grimmjow said something about teaching her to prowl soon."

"Heaven forbid," he muttered under his breath. "Well, I would say she is progressing at a much faster than human rate then. She will probably be crawling by the end of the month and running about not long after that. Hollow's do tend to age far more quickly than Shinigami and humans. They have to."

"Just so long as her sexual drive doesn't kick in until well after she is 16, all will be fine," Karin groused.

"I am afraid I can not promise you that. Her auditory responses seem rather sharp," he noticed as he played various sounds to either side of her head at different volumes and frequencies, watching in satisfaction as her ears swivelled in that direction as she refused to take her eyes from him.

"What about vision?" she asked.

"Hard to say until she is older and can read back a chart for me, but so far her vision seems at least normal. Is she still feeding from your reiatsu?" he asked.

"Yes, but it seems slightly less now."

"No doubt she is adapting to feeding from the air. Have you tried feeding her solids yet?"

"Not yet."

"I would try, something easy. Perhaps a puréed banana or prune to start with."

"I'll look into it. Ukitake's Estate isn't exactly loaded with electrical sockets and kitchen appliances."

"Oh I think I can whip up some sort of blender for you."

"I am sure I can manage," That distrustful tone was in her voice again.

Seriously, why were people so edgy around him? Okay, perhaps his track record might have something to do with it, but seriously. What kind of malicious device could he put into a simple blender other than basic surveillance devices?

The rest of the check up went well, minus Hana's badgering and questions, all of which Nemu handled with far more patience than he had. He seriously hoped any child he might produce would not be that excitable.

"Oi, Szayel. I need that stupid device," Nnoitra's voice echoed through the complex.

Ajuga grunted in displeasure and looked ready to cry. Szayel sighed and handed the girl back to her mother before the two adults cast a disapproving glare at Nnoitra as he waltzed in with his Zanpakuto casually thrown over one shoulder and Tesra following him like a shadow.

"I am busy here at the moment, Nnoitra," Szayel sighed in exasperation.

"Whatever. I got a mission to get going on. Just get me the stupid thing."

Szayel let out another sigh before assigning Nemu to get the requested recording equipment. He turned his back on Nnoitra

"There is one other experiment I was hoping you could assist me with," he looked at Karin hopefully, trying to ignore the impatient Nnoitra.

"What would that be?" Karin asked coldly, her eyes never leaving Nnoitra.

"Well, I was thinking that with the way you returned the Claim that perhaps, just maybe, you would be able to cast Partial Claims of your own," Szayel commented offhandedly.

Karin's eyes finally darted from Nnoitra to stare at him in shock.

"No," she said firmly.

"But…"

"No," she said firmly. "I am not sleeping with someone just to test your theory," she growled.

"You wouldn't need to sleep with anyone," he quickly interjected. "My theory is that you could do it by touch by fusing your reiatsu with a person and than pulling most of it back, leaving just enough to chain your target's."

"Right. And who in the seven hells would let me do that?" she pointed out.

The room was silent. Szayel frowned as he considered it. He couldn't spare any of his minions and his two pets were already Claimed. Hana was too young and there was no chance in any form of hell he would ever let her Claim him. He would sooner die than suffer such humiliation. His eyes fell upon the only viable candidate near by.

"Perfect," Szayel smiled.

"What is?" Nnoitra growled.

"Can I borrow Tesra for a moment?" Szayel asked politely.

Tesra actually had a look of panic on his face.

Nnoitra looked at Szayel like he was insane, but eventually shrugged his shoulders.

"Whatever. Honestly, I am a bit interested to see this."

"Nnoitra-sama?" Tesra protested weakly.

Karin handed Ajuga over to Szayel.

"Stop being a pussy Tesra." Nnoitra snapped.

Tesra looked ready to whimper, but did step forward.

"If this mess's up, I apologise now," Karin sighed as she reached out a hand and gently rested it on his shoulder.

(POV)

Karin couldn't believe Szayel's request, and as much as she wanted to tell him to fuck off, her own morbid curiosity wanted to find out as well. It would be one hell of a defence if she could Claim an Arrancar by touch.

She concentrated and began to wrap her reiatsu around Tesra's before merging it into his body. Once she saw her reiatsu wrapped firmly around his she pulled back out, leaving a trace amount behind.

Tesra let out a gasp as she pulled out. Karin looked at her handy work and what appeared to be a very embarrassed Tesra.

"Did that hurt?" she asked concerned.

"No," he stuttered and blushed.

"Excellent. Now to test it. Quick, give him an order that he would definitely defy."

Karin smirked as an evil thought crossed her mind.

"Slap Nnoitra up the side of the head," she ordered.

"What kind of…."

SLAP

Tesra stared at his hand in horror while Nnoitra stared at his fraccion in shock.

"Amazing," Szayel grinned in pleasure. "Of course the Claim should wear off with time, probably in about a year or so. But still, what an amazing weapon."

Karin frowned as she looked at Tesra before resting a hand on his shoulder and pulling the rest of her reiatsu back into her body.

"Slap him again," Karin ordered.

Tesra looked at her in shock, a shock that increased when he realized he hadn't obeyed.

"Absolutely astonishing. Nemu, get out the reiatsu sensing equipment. I must catch all of this on record," Szayel squealed in delight.

Ajuga copied Szayel squeal with one of her own as his excitement bounced the little girl in his arms around.

"Hai, Szayel-sama," Nemu bowed before gathering and setting up the requested equipment.

Karin sighed in exasperation, but after the equipment was set up she cast the Claim on Tesra again, this time faster since she knew what she was doing. Tesra shifted uncomfortable and let out another little whimper.

"Oh, take it like a man," Nnoitra snorted.

Karin frowned at him. She was pretty sure she wasn't hurting him. If it was pain she seriously doubted he would be blushing so hard.

"Excellent. Now remove it slowly," Szayel ordered.

Karin reclaimed the rest of her reiatsu.

"Absolutely brilliant. One more time please, as slow as you can go."

"Can we not, please, Szayel-sama," Tesra practically begged in a weak voice.

"It's for science. Why ever would we stop now?" Szayel asked. "Be thankful you are useful for such a great experiment."

"For sure I am not hurting you?" Karin asked concerned, for Tesra really didn't look like he wanted another round.

The light hint of red on his checks brightened to a full on blush as he muttered that it didn't hurt.

"Than what are you complaining about baby," Nnoitra grunted.

"It's rather….. uncomfortable," Tesra settle for after clearly searching for a word and his blush deepened even more.

Karin frowned at him before dawning suddenly reached her. She recalled all to well how much Grimmjow had enjoyed the feel of her reiatsu stroking his, and how much pleasure she had gotten when he had Claimed her. According to Orihime and Ukitake being Claimed was always pleasurable.

A blush suddenly lit her checks as well, followed quickly by mortification, as she realized that this experiment was far from painful for Tesra, it was down right pleasurable.

"Oh, explain this feeling of discomfort," Szayel was instantly interested.

"It's….. Well…," If it was at all even possible, his blush deepened. "I think it's like having sex without actually having sex," he murmured in an embarrassed stutter.

Karin felt her mortification rise. Only now everyone seemed to notice that there was an obvious bulge in Tesra's pants and he was sweating rather strongly.

"I think that is enough for today," Karin stammered.

"But…"

Karin shot Szayel a pointed look that promised pain if he pushed the issue.

"Very well," he sighed. "You people have no appreciation of science," he groused.

Karin felt like she just wanted to get home and try and wash her reiatsu in piping hot bleach water. She did settle on another date for Ajuga's check up before gathering both girls and making a hasty retreat.

(POV)

Nemu already had the samples in his main lab ready to go by the time Szayel arrived after seeing Karin and the kids off. He set the latest machine deciphering Karin and Ajuga's DNA while going through all the other sample first.

He was long done with them and impatiently staring at the main monitor as the machine went through the DNA sequences, only 65% done.

"Szayel-sama," Nemu called softly.

He reluctantly turned his attention to her, noting that she held a tray of food in her hand. He glanced back at the screen and sighed before waving her over. She stopped beside him, tray still in her hand.

He grabbed one of the rolls off of the tray and began to eat absently while still staring at the screen, as if glaring at it could make it work faster while contemplating what he had learned about Karin's rather unique ability to Claim others at a touch.

"A bit of training and she might even be able to do so from a distance," He mused.

He toyed with reporting the discovery to Aizen verses keeping it to himself. If Aizen were to discover Karin's unique ability he might have her disposed of as a threat. It wouldn't last long, but she would be able to Claim the Espada and set them against Aizen.

"No. If Kami found out and did order her death I would lose access to a reliable source of her DNA. Karin-san is not the kind of person to throw Claims about. She was clearly uncomfortable just practicing on Tesra,"

"Have you considered asking Unohana-taichou if she might know something about the odd DNA strand?" Nemu asked, breaking him out of his musings.

He blinked in surprise, more because she had dared to speak up and make a suggestion without being asked first than what the actual suggestion was. Once he got over his surprise at her boldness to speak and actually registered the question, he frowned in thought.

If the strange DNA strand was from a Shingiami blood line, Unohana would probably be the one to know about it. The fact he hadn't thought to ask the woman before was disheartening, but not nearly as disheartening as the fact he was admitting he was unable to figure it out himself.

"An intriguing idea," he conceded.

He had never thought to check the 4th records to see if this strange DNA strand had ever come up before.

"Shall I look into it, Szayel-sama?" Nemu asked.

"Yes. You have an appointment with Unohana-sama tomorrow anyhow, do you not?"

"I do," she confirmed.

"Very well. Please look into the matter while you are there."

"Hai, Szayel-sama," she bowed slightly.

The sounds of alarms started seconds before the piece of equipment studying Karin's blood sample exploded brilliantly. Szayel gave out a frustrate sigh and pulled up the plans used to build said piece of equipment.

Apparently adjustments still needed to be made. Behind him, Nemu summoned Renji and his two servants set about silently cleaning up the mess. Fortunately, Ajuga's DNA had been spared the explosion.


	36. Ginger Beef

Ginger Beef

Karin made it back to the estate in a flash, coming out of her now perfected Shunpo with ease. Nanao and her had taken a few hours to practice it and once Karin got the pattern down she found she could just outpace her instructor. Hana and Ajuga were both squealing in delight, one cradled in her arms and the other hanging on her back.

"Again, Again." Hana cheered.

"What is Ukitake-san's rule?" Karin asked patiently.

"No running in the Estate." Hana sighed dejectedly. "Shunpo isn't running though." She quickly pointed out.

"No, it's faster and more dangerous. What do you want for lunch?" Karin asked.

As with any child the mention of food still instantly distracted them.

"Steam pork buns." Hana piped up quickly.

"Steamed." Karin corrected absentmindedly. "Pork buns it is then. Go get cleaned up and I will meet you at the dinning room in my quarters."

" 'kay." Hana darted off.

"And no running in the halls." Karin shouted after her.

Hana slowed down for all of three corners before she was once again running, believing herself to be out of Karin's sight. Karin just sighed and did her best to try and remember what it was like being her age.

It was hard, despite the fact it was only ten years ago. Sometimes she envied Hana for not knowing her father before his passing. There couldn't be pain for the lose of one she never knew and both Ukitake and Starrk filled in the father role with her rather well. In fact, Karin was slightly jealous.

Jealous, and maybe a bit nervous about her own family. Oh she knew Grimmjow was strong and having fought those locusts she knew just how weak they really were, but even the strongest could be brought down by sheer numbers or a moment of inattentiveness. She worried daily, hourly, that she would get a letter telling her he had fallen.

She reached her suite and set a small amount of water to boil to steam the pre made buns in after making sure Ajuga was settled in her play pen. Hana arrived several minutes later and plopped herself down next to the play pen.

"How much longer till 'juga-chan can play?" Hana asked.

"A few years yet I am afraid." Karin answered, setting the frozen buns into the suspended basked over the now boiling water.

The sound of the door knocker took her by surprise. She wasn't expecting any company. As far as she knew Ulquiorra was back from his mission and not slated to head out again until later in the week, so it wouldn't be Orihime and Tatsuki.

"I'll be right back, can you watch Ajuga-chan for me Hana-chan?" She asked.

"Yep." The girl piped up.

Karin walked around the corner and launched into a Shunpo to get to the gate quickly. She didn't want to leave either child unattended for long. She recognized both reiatsu and was honestly surprised by who it was.

"Matsumoto-san." Karin greeted the woman warmly.

"Karin-chan." She returned warmly. "I am sorry for just stopping by like this."

"It's quite alright. Please, come in." Karin stepped aside.

"Thank you." Matsumoto stepped in, as did her escort.

"Oh, my apologies. How forgetful of me. Karin-chan, this is Tesra-kun. Nnoitra-sama's fraccion."

"We met earlier today at Szayel's Lab." Karin comment, feeling a little awkward. "This way. I don't want to leave the rug-rats unattended for long and I got food on the stove. What brings you by?"

"Food actually. And companionship. It's just me at the house."

"I am honestly surprised Nnoitra let you come over considering he doesn't exactly like me or Grimmjow much."

"Well, like most men he has a soft spot when it comes to his stomach, and I told him Nanao-chan had some great recipes."

"Nanao-san is at work right now. What kind of recipes did you have in mind?"

"Ginger beef. I never could get it right." She sighed.

"Oh, I can help with that. When are you supposed to be back?"

"Anytime. Nnoitra-sama is out on a mission and not expected back until late tomorrow afternoon. Something about setting up a perimeter sensor array around the city."

"Grimmjow might have mentioned something about that. So you've got all day then?" Karin asked.

"Yep." Matsumoto chirped.

Karin looked back at Tesra, who was following behind them silently like a shadow. His eyes seemed to be staring at the floor and she swore there was still a hint of his earlier blush.

"Pot's boiling, pot's boiling." Hana's voice echoed down the hallways.

"Oh shoot." Karin groused as she jogged the last bit and turned the temperature down, checking on the buns.

"Matsumoto-san, Tesra-san, would you like some as well?" Karin offered.

"Absolutely!" Matsumoto agreed quickly and happily.

"Tesra-san?"

"Oh, yes, thank you."

"Hello there." Matsumoto smiled down at a slightly nervous looking Hana.

"Hi." The girl responded shyly.

"Do you remember me? I was here when we had Ajuga-chan's party?"

Hana shook her head in the negative. There had been a lot of excitement that day and Karin wasn't surprised that Hana didn't recall meeting the woman.

"I am Rangiku, but you can call me Neesan if you want." Matsumoto offered warmly.

" 'kay, Neesan." Hana chuckled before looking shyly at Tesra.

"That is Tesra." Matsumoto introduced. "It's okay, he's nice."

"Like Starrk-jii and Lily-chan?" Hana asked innocently.

"Like them." Karin agreed.

"O'kay. Want to paint?" She asked him with an innocent smile.

Matsumoto laughed while Tesra looked at the little girl in shock.

"Please?" She begged.

"I…uh." Tesra looked helplessly at the two women.

"Go ahead. She doesn't bite… often." Karin prompted him while keeping an eye on the buns.

"Very well." He relented.

"I want to paint too. How come you didn't ask Neesan?" Matsumoto pouted.

"You can paint too." Hana was quick to chirp up.

"But what if I don't want to now?"

"Then you can help Karin-san cook." Hana was quick to offer.

"I think I will paint."

"Yay. I'll go get the paint." Hana trotted out of the room.

"She sure has a lot of energy." Matsumoto smiled.

"You have no idea." Karin chuckled. "Sometimes I wish Yuzu was still here. But she is better off in the living world where she belongs." Karin sighed.

Ajuga began to fuss and Matsumoto wasted no time picking the baby girl up.

"Oh, are we jealous we aren't getting any attention? Are we?" Matsumoto crowed.

Ajuga gave off a squeal of delight.

"She's probably hungry as well." Karin chuckled. "Lunch is almost ready. I would like Hana-chan to eat before she gets completely covered in paint. She is a very messy eater."

"I still can't believe she is Shunsui's daughter." Matsumoto sighed.

"Did you know him well?" Karin couldn't help but to ask curiously.

"Pretty well." Matsumoto admitted. "We were drinking buddies and well, Shunsui was known as quite the womanizer. Powerful, but very lazy and laid back. He use to wear a bright pink kimono over his uniform."

"The one Nanao wears." Karin commented.

"The one." Matsumoto agreed.

"Got the paint." Hana cried, returning with several jars of paint and sheets of paper.

"Lunch is ready. Once you eat you can paint." Karin explained patiently.

"But I want to paint now." Hana pouted.

"Food first. No food, no painting."

Hana pouted some more, but did sit in her spot as Karin finished slicing up the pork bun into smaller pieces before offering them to Hana on her special flower print plate. The rest were piled in a large bowl and placed in the center of the table.

"This looks amazing, Karin. Did you make these?" Matsumoto exclaimed happily as she picked up a bun with her chopsticks.

"Yes." Karin answered. "What recipes did you want to try tonight?" Karin asked around bites of her own bun.

"Well, Ginger Beef for sure. Nnoitra-sama really likes beef."

"I am sure we can cook some of that up. I do believe Starrk-san and Lilinette-chan should be back sometime tonight, and Nanao-san should be back in a few hours. Will you be staying as well, Tesra?" Karin asked, turning her gaze to the silent Arrancar.

"I would not want to intrude."

"It is no intrusion. Honestly, it gets pretty lonely around here with just myself and the rug rats. Tatsuki and Orihime do pop by when Ulquiorra is off on missions, but otherwise it's pretty quite around here."

"Have you learned anything about these creatures?" Matsumoto asked curiously.

"I've fought them. They are not that strong, there is just a hell of a lot of them. I think I have seen less bees from a swatted hive. The sky was literally black with them."

"I haven't even touched a blade since the Winter War, let alone Haineko." Matsumoto sighed.

Karin still couldn't quit understand the significance of the relationship between a Shinigami and their Zanpakuto, but she did recall Ukitake practically breaking down into tears when talking about his own almost a year ago.

They finished eating lunch and Karin finally let Hana set up the paints. They spent most of the afternoon painting until Nanao got home. The woman was more than pleased to teach them her famous Ginger Beef recipe.

The kitchen was getting rather crowded so Karin opted to learn another time, stating the other two didn't have access to Nanao like she did. She was surprised Tesra seemed interested in cooking as well.

"Tesra is the one who taught me how to cook." Matsumoto exclaimed.

"No wonder Nnoitra-san didn't die of food poisoning within the first month." Nanao laughed lightly. "I remember your so called cooking, and what it did to poor Hitsuguya-taichou."

"That wasn't my fault. Oil was oil. How was I suppose to know the difference?" She huffed.

"Oil?" Karin asked intrigued.

"She used Sesame Oil to fry dumplings in." Nanao explained.

"Ouch." Karin winched. "How many bottles of that did you use to fill the pan?"

"Three." Matsumoto admitted. "I thought it a bit strange the bottles were so small."

"You also poured in half a bottle of sake in the soup." Nanao added.

"Wine is wine." She protested.

"Well, I am going to take Ajuga out back. Call me when the chaos dies down." Karin laughed.

"Will do." Matsumoto smiled at her.

Karin took Ajuga outside to one of the gardens that didn't feature a koi pond. Ajuga was starting to roll around and she didn't want to turn her back one moment only to find her daughter rolling into the pond the next.

"Come on Ajuga-chan. Come on." Karin encouraged.

Ajuga gurgled and wiggled towards her mother.

"That's it. Keep it up."

It took a while, but eventually Ajuga did reach her.

"Good girl." Karin crowed as she picked her daughter up and swung her about, earning a squeal of delight.

"Karin, supper is ready." Nanao called out two hours later.

"Coming." Karin called back.

By the time she made it to the main dinning room everyone but her mate was there. Starrk looked exhausted and even Lilinette seemed a little grouchier than normal.

"Bad mission?" Karin asked as she took her seat.

"Long." Lilinette complained exhaustedly. "You should have seen what it took to even get Starrk to the table."

"The futon was comfortable. Why couldn't I eat there?" Starrk grouched.

"Because it would be lonely." Lilinette snapped back with half her usual vigour.

_"They are definitely exhausted if Lilinette-chan is this tired."_ Karin couldn't help but to think.

Nanao and Matsumoto held up most of the conversation, primarily with each other. Hana listened intently as Lilinette recounted their bug hunt. That was exactly what it was, literally and figuratively. Starrk looked ready to pass out in his plate and Tesra seemed rather nervous as he ate silently.

After dinner and clean up they sat in the main Living room for a while just talking while watching Hana try and play with Ajuga. Ajuga just looked at her sleepily and rolled onto her side before promptly falling asleep.

Hana pouted, but pulled out some paper at her mother's order and started working on her numbers. Eventually it started to get late and Nanao excused herself, needing to put a sleepily protesting Hana to bed and get some sleep herself.

Karin escorted their guest to the door, bidding them goodnight before retreating to her own quarters to put Ajuga to bed. It had been a long day for the girl and she was starting to get fussy. Settling into bed herself she calmed her mind and slipped into Jinzen.

While there was still no hint or sign of a voice, she found the meditative state let her amplify her ability to sense and see reiatsu. Centered, she reached out and followed the fading trail of her mate until she was just on the very edge of her abilities range.

There was no distress in Grimmjow's reiatsu at all, in fact it seemed rather steady. Either he was sleeping, or he was at least at rest. She made out a few other reiatsu nearby, but none that she recognized. No doubt the unit Aizen had ordered him to take with him.

It was enough just to feel that he was alright. Not that she doubted he wouldn't be, but it was so hard not knowing. She sighed and rolled over. Sleepless, lonely nights were becoming common.

_"Sad thing is, if we didn't have Ajuga-chan I would probably be with him now weather I wanted to be or not."_ She couldn't help but to think half amused and half depressed.

(POV)

He hated bug hunts, more so when you couldn't find a trace of the bugs you were supposedly hunting for and your unit comprised of a squad of Shinigami that looked ready to piss themselves the moment he even twitched. There had been no trace of the creatures since the freak attack on the city.

_"At this point Living realm mission are actually looking attractive. At least there are still bugs there and you run the chance of running across Kurosaki."_ Grimmjow grunted to himself.

The thought of running across Ichigo was a pleasant one, and not just because it would ensue into a battle, but because he could let the bastard know his little sister was now the mother to his child.

Oh the fight the Shingiami would give him made his blood pulse and his hair stand on end. If Kurosaki had been pissed that Grimmjow had held his sisters as hostages, just how pissed was he going to be when he learned he had taken the remaining one as a mate?

Granted, by now Yuzu must have told her Niisan that Karin and he had been sleeping together for months before Kurosaki showed up. In fact, it was more surprising that Kurosaki hadn't busted back in already to give him a pounding.

_ "Granted, Karin certainly told him off."_ He smirked, remembering how she had ran to HIM over Kurosaki and the look of devastation on Kurosaki's face had been priceless.

He frowned suddenly as he faintly felt Karin's reiatsu brush against his. There was no panic or distress though so the quick spike of apprehension he had felt quickly diminished into a wide smirk as he realized she missed him and was seeking comfort.

The Shinigami assigned to his unit shuffled nervously about at the smirk, which just made him widen it and watch satisfied as they all flinched and instantly tried to pretend they were doing something useful.

"Nothing to report, Grimmjow-sama." One of the Shinigami reported nervously.

"Course not. We wiped those bugs out." He snorted. "Pack it up. We are heading back. Those stupid sensors of Szayel's are in place right?"

"Hai, Grimmjow-sama." The representative from the Science Division reported with a lot less fear.

Unlike the rest of the Shinimgami, the members of the Science Division dealt with Arrancar on a daily bases. Grimmjow would reluctantly admit that Szayel was far scarier than he was. If Szayel didn't send a chill down your spine, nobody would.

"Then we are heading back."

The rest of the group fell into line around him as they headed back to the city. If all went well he would be holding Ajuga by noon the next day. It would be sooner but Aizen would skin him alive for abandoning the unit assigned to him.


	37. Freedom Once Again, or is it?

Freedom Once Again, or is it?

After three months with no sign of the creatures anywhere in Soul Society, Karin was finally permitted off the Estate to do as she pleased. Not that she left the Estate often, but she did pay the odd visit to the 4th for a real physical and to keep in touch with Unohana on Ajuga's progress. She also paid the odd visit to Orihime and Tatsuki as well, although those she timed when Ulquiorra wasn't around. Being able to see reiatsu definitely had it's advantages.

Ukitake or Nanao were more than willing to be her escort when Grimmjow wasn't around and even Starrk escorted her to one appointment with Szayel when all the others were busy with work.

But today was a different occasion. The itch to go swimming, especially with such beautiful weather with colder weather on the horizon, was getting to become too strong to ignore.

So after much arguing, and they had argued about it, she got Grimmjow to relent and let them return to the lake, hopefully this time being bug free. From what she had heard Orihime had about as much luck getting Ulquiorra to agree to let them go a second time. In fact, Karin was sure the only reason Ulquiorra agreed in the end was because Lilinette of all people had assured them Starrk would be going as well (while of course failing to mention to her other half that he would be going in the first place).

Somehow the subject of going to the lake had come up during her check up with Szayel and before she knew it he planned on coming along as well, apparently having been unaware such a large body of water existed nearby and wanting to study it.

Suddenly the idea of swimming didn't seem so swell with the thought of Szayel doing experiments nearby.

Fortunately, the weather did hold out and it was a bright, beautiful morning as they all walked down to the large lake. Nanao had managed to book the day off, but unfortunately Ukitake had to work, as did Ulquiorra. Somehow Lilinette was able to pry Starrk away from his sunbeam and the Espada brought up the rear of the party looking like he was a zombie sleepwalking while Lilinette and Hana prodded him to hurry up.

"Come on Starrk-ji, you are slowing us down," Hana huffed. "I want to get to the lake. Hurry, Hurry."

Karin and Nanao chuckled while they watched the little girl try and push the man to make him go faster.

"What was wrong with the water back home?" he asked sleepily.

"It's not the same," Hana answered. "Come on."

"You know I agree with Starrk on this one," Grimmjow grouched. "What's wrong with a bath? Or the ponds?"

"You can't swim in those," Karin answered. "And look on the bright side, there should be more wildlife around the lake to teach Ajuga-chan how to stalk," she pointed out.

"True that," he agreed, shifting his daughter in his arms.

Ajuga had been crawling pretty good for the last month, and Grimmjow had been taking the time to teach her how to stalk her prey, aka the grasshoppers and other insects that lived in the gardens.

Karin had almost died, both in mortification and laughter, when her daughter had crawled up to her with a grasshopper caught in her mouth with the thing still struggling to get away.

Grimmjow had been all pride though and had praised her for a job well done. They actually cooked the damn thing up and Karin winced a little as her daughter happily ate it. On the other side, she supposed it was better then eating people and it seemed that her daughter was able to get the reiatsu she required, being a hollow and all, from such food.

"There it is," Hana cheered as they crested the hill to look down at the large lake and cliff.

Grimmjow's scowl deepened as he looked at the large body of water.

"Do you want to learn how to swim today?" Karin asked him innocently.

He sent her a death glare and she could feel the mortification rush through their link. She chuckled and patted his shoulder.

"Alright. Remember, no panicking while I throw myself off the cliff with Tatsuki, right?"

"Whatever," he groused as they started down the hill.

"That is an impressive amount of water," Szayel exclaimed happily.

"Too much water," Starrk grunted.

"Nonsense. I can only imagine what kind of organisms must reside around and in such a large pool. Quickly Nemu, we must start gathering data at once."

"Hai, Szayel-sama," Nemu answered, setting down the bulging sack she had been carrying and pulling out pieces of equipment and stacks upon stacks of jars for gathering samples.

"Right, do what you want but if you do it near us I'll kill you," Karin threatened.

"And I'll help," Tatsuki added.

"Tatsuki-chan," Orihime sighed.

Szayel looked at them affronted, but did stalk off a ways from their diving cliff to start his experiments.

"Are you coming swimming too, Orihime?" Karin asked.

"In a bit," she assured them. "You two go ahead. I think I want to help Hana-chan and Lilinette-chan build a sand castle," she pointed to where Nanao was crouched by the water with the other two and pulling out buckets and shovels from her bag.

"Alright. We might join you after a few dives," Tatsuki promised.

"Okay. Have fun."

"Oh we will," Karin assured her with a smirk.

They dropped their yukuta's off at the picnic site before climbing up the cliff. Karin did a quick check on Grimmjow and Ajuga's position and noticed her mate was doing a very good job not looking in her direction while seeming to try and show Ajuga the finer points of stalking butterflies.

She couldn't help but to laugh, seeing him crouched down on all fours and stalking, if that was what you could call it, across the grass towards the prey. Ajuga definitely looked far more graceful than her father.

"_Well, her body is actually designed for walking about on all fours while his isn__'__t," _Karin admitted.

She had briefly feared that Ajuga would be unable to walk on two feet, but Szayel assured her she would be very capable based on her bone structure. When Karin thought about it, Ajuga's leg structure was similar to Grimmjow's in his resurreccion and he had no problems walking or otherwise.

In fact, her mate would probably have a much easier time teaching their daughter if he was in his resurreccion as his leg structure would make stalking close to the ground much easier than the more 'human' structure.

"Oi, Earth to Karin, we jumping or what?" Tatsuki demanded.

"Yeah, sorry, just thinking," Karin turned her attention back to her friend. "On San?"

"Count em."

"Ichi, Ni, San," Karin called.

On San both girls leaped off the cliff. There was a horrified cry that almost distracted her, if she hadn't been expecting one, shortly before the water engulfed her. Both girls looked at each other underwater and snickered as they waited below the surface.

After about forty five second, which would be an eternity to one watching, they finally broke the surface. Grimmjow wasn't paying them any attention and had been expecting the dive, and Starrk looked like he was already asleep on the blankets. The gasp had come from Szayel, who was staring at them in shock while Nemu appeared to be informing him on the finer points of diving and swimming.

"You know, I wonder how much Yen we could make on bets that a mere human can startle an Arrancar?" Tatsuki mused as they lazily swam back to shore.

"Not too much before word would start to spread," Karin answered.

"Still, I wonder how Nnoitra would act if he watched Matsumoto-san jump off a cliff."

"That I would love to see," Karin chuckled as their feet finally found the edge of the drop off.

"Simply astonishing. I must see that again," Szayel greeted them as they finished wadding ashore.

"Oh, you will see much more, I assure you," Tatsuki laughed.

"In a minute. I'll be right back Tatsuki. Something occurred to me."

"Alright."

Karin jogged up to where Ajuga and Grimmjow were apparently attempting to stalk a moth. She swore her daughter actually glared at her as the moth flew off when her jogging to them startled it.

"You done swimming already?" Grimmjow demanded.

She swore he was actually pouting as well that she had 'startled their prey.'

"No, but I thought of something. Wouldn't it be easier to teach Ajuga-chan in your resurreccion? The change to your legs would definitely make it easier."

He blinked at her in surprise before a feral grin crossed his face.

"That would be easier on the joints," he agreed, pulling his blade.

Karin shot a hand out to grasp his wrist before he could transform. He looked at her confused.

"It might be a good idea to warn the others first before your reiatsu spikes to the heavens and everyone panics that something is going on," she pointed out.

"Oi, I am going into my resurreccion," he shouted.

Karin winced and glared at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Never mind," she sighed, walking back to the cliff and Tatsuki.

She felt and saw the rush of power as Grimmjow transformed behind her. When she got back to the top of the cliff and looked back she couldn't help but to nod in satisfaction. He definitely looked a lot less foolish now and more like the actual predator he was teaching his cub how to hunt.

"Hay Szayel," Karin called down to the scientist who now seemed more intrigued in watching them jump than collecting samples.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Do you have a camera I can borrow?"

"I do have a camera, but what could you possibly want with it?"

"Memories," Karin answered as she looked back to where Grimmjow was once again patiently stalking a moth with their daughter.

(POV)

It was late afternoon. Lunch had been eaten, sandcastles had been made, science samples had been gathered, Ajuga had successfully hunted three separate insects, and four buckets of water had been ceremoniously emptied on Starrk's head (compliments of Lilinette and Hana), leaving him soaking wet with sand stuck in his hair as the girls hadn't rinsed them out first.

Lilinette got tossed into the lake for that one and Hana got a stern lecture from her mother about how it was rude to do something like that while doing her best to try and keep a stern look on her face.

Now they were all just kind of dozing on the blankets and delaying going back to the crowded city. Well, everyone but Szayel and Nemu who were placing their samples into cases to be carried back to the lab and cleaning up their work area.

Karin just relaxed against Grimmjow's side, their daughter blissfully asleep on the other side of their makeshift pillow.

"Your hair is still wet," he grouched.

"A little water won't kill you," she pointed out.

"I hate cold water."

"Of course you do. You aren't a tiger."

"What does a tiger have to do with anything?"

"They are the only cat I know of that actually likes to swim."

"No wonder Ggio is so messed up."

"Hmm?" she asked confused.

"Nothing. One of Baragan's fraccion, which is probably the other reason knowing that guy's taste."

Karin was just settling down again when she saw it. A large pool of power coming from the lake.

"What the?" she questioned.

Her question grabbed everyone else's attention.

"Szayel, I think you should see this," Karin called, taking off the shades she had been wearing, more for protection from the sun than anything else, and offering them to Szayel.

"What is it?" he asked curiously.

Karin pointed out to the lake while he pulled the shades on and tapped the buttons to adjust the settings.

"Nemu quickly. Get out the reiatsu recoding devices," he ordered excitedly.

"What is it?" Nanao asked concerned.

Everyone was on their feet now and looking out over the lake, but other than Karin and Szayel they could see nor detect nothing amiss.

The loud sound of buzzing reached their ears shortly after Nanao's question.

"Lilinette, take the kids back to the estate," Starrk ordered calmly.

"But…," she began to protest.

Starrk just looked at her and the girl relented.

"Come on Hana-chan, it's time to go home."

"But I don't want to," The girl protested.

"No arguing, let's go," Lilinette pulled the child onto her back and Hana reluctantly held on.

Grimmjow handed Ajuga over and without another word Lilinette disappeared in a bang of Sonido just as the swarm descended upon them. Karin quickly fell into a defensive stance and met the first Locust head on while at the same time wondering if the lake wasn't cursed or something.

Once more Kido lightning lit the skies as she and Nanao fried the Locusts. When they got too close they meet a reiatsu infused fist or foot, depending on her stance at the time.

"Damn it," Tatsuki cursed, nursing a bruised hand while Orihime got Tsubaki to slice another Locust clean in half. "Their armour is too thick to get through. If only I had a weapon of some kind."

"You are trained to use a weapon?" Nanao asked surprised.

"Yeah. Karate champion here, I just don't got the reiatsu you guys do," Tatsuki groused.

"Can you use a Katana?" It was Starrk that asked that one.

"Easily," Tatsuki answered.

"Here," Starrk handed her his blade while effortlessly punching another Locust in half with what appeared to be a casual and lazy swing.

Tatsuki looked at him surprised before hesitantly accepting the blade.

"Won't you need you Zanpakuto?" she asked.

"It's just an ordinary sword. My Zanpakuto is elsewhere," he answered before disappearing in a bang of Sonido.

"Oh. Well in that case."

The next locust that got near the woman was sliced cleanly in half.

"Sharp blade, well balanced, I like it," Tatsuki smirked before spinning into the fray.

Karin spared a moment to chuckle while keeping an 'eye' on the kids. Lilinette seemed to be racing towards the city steadily with no sign of interference. The landscape grew dark as more and more of the creatures blotted out the sky. In fact, the sky was dark enough to emulate twilight for how many there were.

"This is ridicules," she groused. "Where are they all coming from?"

"The reiatsu in the lake. It's a portal," Szayel's voice suddenly cut through the very loud buzzing noise.

It was hardly noticeable at first, in fact Orihime was the first to become aware that the ground was shaking on account that she was the only one stationary and not up in the air fighting like the Arrancar were or leaping and jumping about as she fought like Karin and Tatsuki were.

"Why is the ground shaking?" Orihime called out.

Karin paused and noticed that Orihime was right. The sound of wood splintering reached their ears and a large shadow rose up.

"Oh Kami," Karin gasped.

"What the hell is that thing?" Tatsuki demanded.

The creature appeared to be a some sort of Rhino Beetle. The problem was it was so large it's legs were crushing the trees as it waddled forward. Off in the distance Karin spotted at least four more slowly making their way towards the city.

"Astonishing, a new species," Szayel exclaimed happily.

"It's all yours," Karin offered, not at all feeling ready to take something that big on.

The barbs on the things legs looked to be sharp and long enough to impale many, many people. Karin had no desire to see them up close.

Suddenly, the creature stumbled, shaking the ground hard enough that those still standing on it were nearly tossed off their feet.

"Bloody thing's armour is thicker than Nnoitra's Hierro," Grimmjow cursed, drawing Karin's attention to her mate.

She wasn't surprised to see him in his resurreccion.

"Try this than," Grimmjow snarled, leaping back to put a bit of distance between himself and the gargantuan beetle creature. "Desgarron!"

Karin could only watch in awe as the blue slashes bore down on the creature, as if Grimmjow's claws had somehow managed to rip the very fabric of the air. The attack slammed into the creature, a stream of ichor flying into the air.

The creature stumbled and was clearly injured, but it lumbered to it's feet again and reared it's head back shortly before shooting a stream of liquid at Grimmjow. Out of principle everyone dodged, and were glad they did as the liquid melted everything it touched instantly and left a large slice in the ground.

"Astonishing!" Szayel exclaimed from somewhere nearby. "Quick Nemu, we need a sample of that liquid."

If Nemu responded, Karin didn't hear it. Watching her mate make another go at the large creature, Karin realized she had permitted herself to get distracted from the battle at hand too late. One of the locust came at her from behind and she sensed it at the last minute, turning a bite that should have taken her head off into a very large, but fortunately shallow, slice down her arm instead.

She cried out in pain and quickly bound the wound up in Kido. She crushed the creatures head in with a kick and barely had time to dodge another. Like blood in shark infested water a large portion of the swarm suddenly seemed very, very interested in her.

She dodged, kicked, punched and shunpo'd her way away from the swarm who's entire purpose now seemed to be her. She lost sight of the others quickly under the mass of creatures and could hear nothing but the buzzing of their wings as they surrounded her.

(POV)

"My lord, one haz been found. The dronez have found another!"

"Impossible."

"It iz true my lord. Unlike the other thiz one is still pure. Her blood untainted."

"Order the drones to secure her. I will head out at once."

"Yez, my Lord,"

(POV)

The flow of battle led her far from the lake. Karin tried to keep an eye on the others but with the never ending stream of Locust coming at her she couldn't focus on more than the opponent within her range.

The obnoxiously loud buzzing from the creatures blotted out most of the sounds of battle and right now she couldn't even tell where her mate was, only that he was no where near by.

"Karin!" A voice cried out.

Karin almost froze, for she had never expected to hear that voice again. Not after the words they had exchanged during their last meeting.

There was a wash of power, the flutter of a black cloak, and he was standing before her, black katana drawn and soaked in blood.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded in shock.

"Rescuing you," Ichigo responded, his voice raspy behind the horned mask.

"I don't need to be rescued," she snapped. "How is Yuzu?" Despite herself, she couldn't help but to ask.

"Fine," he answered. "Karin, listen."

The swarm closed in on them and her fist crushed in another carapace as his Zanpakuto cleaved another in half.

"These things are after you, that's why we came back."

"Why the hell would they be after me?" she demanded.

"Because of Goat face," Ichigo answered.

"What about him?"

"He was more than just a Shinigami."

Karin frowned as her foot broke the back of another target. There was more to their father? Hell she never even knew he was a Shinigami until this moment. Just what other secrets had Isshin been hiding from his children?

"I didn't even know he was a Shinigami," She snapped back.. "Just like I supposedly wasn't supposed to know you were one either," she growled.

He winced.

"I was trying to protect you."

"Fat lot of good that did. Look, whatever the old man's secret was I don't care. I have a life and family here and I would be happy if you would kindly step out of it," she shouted in frustration.

Ichigo winced and almost didn't block the next attack coming his way.

"Karin," Another voice called.

Karin turned her attention to Rukia as the woman raced onto the scene with a strange, goat-like centaur Arrancar on her heels.

"Thank the stars they haven't gotten to you yet," Rukia pulled up in front of her.

"Rukia," Karin acknowledged. "I can handle myself just fine, but what are you doing here?" she asked. "Do you want to be captured?"

"With all the fighting our presence well hardly be noticed," Rukia answered. "Even with Ichigo flashing his reiatsu all over the place."

Ichigo actually cringed a bit. Karin had to admit Rukia was right. She hadn't noticed they were there until he showed up in front of her and she could bloody well see them. And despite everything, she was happy to see they were alright.

"But it was still foolish of them to come here again," she couldn't help but o think.

"Look, we need to talk. You need to come with us, it's important," Rukia said.

"I have two ears. Talk," Karin ordered as she continued to 'swat' the bugs coming at her.

She had no plans on going anywhere, now more than ever. She could never abandon her child.

"Your Otousan, Isshin-sama. He was special. These creatures seem to be looking for members of his line. They almost got Ichigo once, but they said his blood was tainted. We got Yuzu into hiding and she should be safe but we heard of the attacks here," Rukia explained.

The ground trembled as one of the large beetles lumbered towards them, interrupting the conversation. Karin cursed but her brother and Rukia leaped towards it, black energy collecting on Ichigo's blade while swirls of snow surrounded Rukia's.

"Karin, please listen," Karin turned her attention to the strange looking Arrancar.

"And you are?"

"Nel. Please listen. If these things get a hold of you…" She never finished, instead jumping up and away while a dart landed where she had just been.

"A pity, I missed."

"Szayel Aporro Granz," Nel acknowledged.

"Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck. It has been a long time," Szayel nodded at her with a smile.

"Why couldn't Grimmjow have been the one to catch up with me," Karin muttered.

This was turning into a real head bender. Clearly these two knew each other, which shouldn't be that big of a surprise considering they were both Arrancar and all Arrancar were made by Aizen. At least as far as she knew.

The ground shook tremendously as the large beetle Ichigo and Rukia were fighting stumbled, breaking Karin out of her thoughts and back to the situation at hand.

"What was in that dart?" Nel demanded, ignoring the fight behind them.

"Oh, I call it Berserker. It sends the target into a fearless and stupid stupor, making them an easy target. Sort of like how you anger a boar to charge you so you can kill it. If it can't think, it can't plan," Szayel explained.

Szayel pulled out another dart filled with a red liquid.

"Please, stand still this time. I have wanted to see how it affects an Arrancar. Aizen-kami hasn't let me have any to experiment on," he complained with a pout.

Szayel made to throw the dart. The ground trembled as the beetle went into its death throws and they all lost their footing just as Szayel tossed the projectile. Karin gasped as the dart went flying her way, almost moving in slow motion as she struggled to regain her balance.

The sound of the dart hitting flesh reached her ears just before her eyes registered her brother had Shunpo'd in front of her. For the moment the area seemed to be cleared of bugs.

"Ichigo," Nel cried.

"Way to watch where you are going, baka," Rukia snorted in disbelief.

Karin couldn't help but to agree. Granted, she was just glad the dart hadn't gotten her, but you would have though he could have at least blocked the damn thing with his Zanpakuto.

"I am fine," he grunted, looking at the dart in confusion before pulling it out and dropping it to the ground.

Karin didn't think so. She could see his reiatsu warp and change as the drug he had inadvertently intercepted worked its way into his body. She backed away slowly as his reiatsu went from a mishmash of conflicting Shinigami/Hollow to pure black as the drug quickly assaulted his system.

"Ichigo?" she said softly.

Ichigo was suddenly gone in a blur without any warning, moving far too fast for Karin's eyes to follow as he pinned the scientist against a nearby tree and snarled like a beast.

"Which of my friends have you harmed?" Ichigo's voice came out almost high pitched and white liquid began to gush over his body. "Which have you raped?" The last sentence came out in a bestial howl.

Karin could only watch in horror and shock as her brother punched Szayel in the side of the head, sending him flying before letting loose a roar and completely changing before her.

"Ichigo, fight it," Rukia shouted, but kept her distance.

Karin felt her entire body freeze as she gazed at the creature her brother had turned into. What the hell had been in that drug? And that was suppose to be a weapon **against** an opponent? It was more like handing them the key to victory.

"Szayel, how long does this drug last?" she demanded in pure panic.

"An hour," Szayel stammered in a daze, blood flowing freely from the side of his face.

"Ichigo," Rukia called again.

Ichigo, if it was even him anymore, roared and charged at Szayel.

"Ichigo STOP," Karin shouted. "STOP IT. Niisan, Stop it please," Karin begged as she watched the beast her brother had become pound Szayel into a near bloody pulp, regardless of anything the scientist tried to defend himself with.

"He wont stop until the threat has been eliminated," Nel called.

"The threat?" Karin looked at Nel briefly before turning her attention back to the clearly one sided fight.

The creature tossed Szayel to the ground from the air and let loose another inhumane roar before charging in, clawed hand raised and this time clearly going for the killing blow. Szayel's eyes widened in horror as his abused body prevented him from doing anything more then being able to twitch in terror as death descended upon him.

Karin didn't think, she simply reacted. She raced towards the two, ignoring Nel and Rukia's scream of terror. She leaped and slid the last little distance throwing her hand out to land on Szayel's shoulder.

Szayel stared wide eyed up at the clawed hand a mere centimetre, if even that, from his face, the sharp claws imbedded in the centre of his glasses.

"The threat is over there," Karin said as calmly as her racing heart could.

The creature looked at her as if confused before the loud buzzing of the swarm reached their ears. With another deafening roar, the creature ripped his hand back from Szayel's face and disappeared into a Sonido towards the real threat.

The moment the claws were ripped out of Szayel's glasses, he screamed and reiatsu came pouring out of the cracks left by the creatures claws in a howling wave.

"What's going on?" Karin demanded in a panic as she quickly forced her own reiatsu to create a sort of net around the stream, preventing more from streaming out.

"When a hollow's mask is damaged, it leaks reiatsu, forcing them to regress," Nel answered.

"I see," Karin looked down at the now unconscious Espada.

The flow was being sealed by her own reiatsu, at least for now, but he was looking exceptionally weak and she noticed he seemed frightfully younger. Almost like a twelve year old now.

"What did you do?" Rukia asked in a stammer.

"I removed the threat," Karin answered coldly.

She picked the now much smaller scientist up bridal style before tossing a glare at the two women.

"I suggest you collect my brother when that drug wears off and leave before more people notice you are here and come to rectify the situation. Unless asked, I won't say anything."

"Karin wait," Rukia called. "The reason we came,"

"I don't have time," Karin interrupted, launching into a Shunpo and racing as fast as she could towards the fourth Division.

If she didn't move quickly she feared Szayel would die. She had no doubt that Aizen would launch a investigation if one of his Espade died and any investigation risked exposing the fact Ichigo had been here.

Granted Szayel could always say something, but somehow Karin doubted he would for she had a feeling Aizen would be very displeased about that drug being implemented, not to mention how embarrassing it had to be being defeated by your own weapon.

There was also the little part of her that would actually be upset of the eccentric scientist died. He had become a rather large part of her life and had done no few things to earn her friendship; such as monitoring her pregnancy and crafting the shades she was currently wearing.

Ichigo was providing one hell of a distraction to the creatures and she met no resistance during her race to the hospital. Karin swore she could hear Ichigo's roars all the way to the fourth division's gates.

* * *

Huge thanks for the reviews, love em, next chapter will be posted in a few minutes


	38. Regression

Regression

The fourth was in chaos as Karin raced in with her cargo. Szayel's reiatsu was exceptionally weak, but at least it seemed to have stabilized. No one seemed to pay attention to her and she was able to find a free bed to set him upon.

Looking about the sea of chaos, Karin focused her 'sight' and sought the reiatsu she knew had to belong to Unohana. It was the only calm one in the fluctuating mass. Karin quickly weaved her way over to it.

"Unohana-san," Karin called.

"Karin-san. Are you harmed?" Unohana asked calmly.

Unohana seemed as serene as every, as if it was just another day in the office and they weren't being swamped by the wounded.

"No, I am fine. It's Szayel."

Unohana followed her back to the bed she had left Szayel in. He was sweating and whimpering a little, but still appeared to be unconscious.

"What happened?" Unohana asked softly as she rested a hand on Szayel's shoulder and began to scan him for injuries.

Karin quickly recounted what had happened, although she failed to mention the creature that had pounded Szayel into a near bloody pulp had been her brother.

Unohana looked at her startled near the end.

"How did you manage to escape?" she asked.

Karin looked to the side, unwilling to answer. She was saved from being forced to answer by Szayel whimpering as he blinked swollen, blood shot eyes up at them.

"Wha? Where?" he croaked.

Karin blinked at the sound of his voice. It was young and lacked the arrogance she had become accustomed to. His own eyes widened more at the sound of his voice and he shot upright, clutching his throat and looking around in panic.

"Szayel-san, please lay back down, you have lost a lot of reiatsu and you are heavily injured," Unohana ordered firmly.

Karin had to admit Unohana did a great job hiding her shock at Szayel's appearance. In place of the six foot man was a barely four foot tall youth.

"What happened? What's going on?" he demanded in pure panic.

"Szayel lay down," Karin ordered calmly and firmly.

Szayel did lie back down, but his panic increased ten fold and his eyes darted to her in pure horror.

"What have you done to me?" he cried.

"I saved your life," Karin snapped.

Szayel was still looking at himself in horror before his hands shot to his glasses, probing the damage.

"You should rest, Szaeyl-san," Unohana stated. "You have been very gravely injured, granted nothing that won't heal with a few weeks of bed rest."

"You might as well let me die," he whimpered softly.

"Rest. I promise you will feel better in the morning," Unohana assured him.

Szayel actually had tears streaming down his face as Unohana moved to someone far more critically injured and in need of her attention. Not that Szayel wasn't a mess himself, but his innate regeneration would fix most of the damage in no time.

"You might as well just kill me now," he whimpered again. "End my misery. Do it before anyone finds out about this."

"It's not that bad," Karin commented, crossing her arms and staring at him.

Despite how horrified she was at how much of a pulp her brother had beaten him into, his little hissy fit was becoming highly amusing. In fact, he was starting to act like the pouting child he appeared to be.

He continued to whimper and beg for her to kill him until she no longer found it amusing at her temper frayed too far.

"Stop it," she ordered.

He stopped snivelling but tears were still streaming down his face.

"For pity sake I can take it off, so stop acting so childish," she snapped irritably. "I only did it to save your life, it's not the end of the world."

"You don't understand. I know that. That isn't the problem, as troublesome as that is. The problem is my max power would be lucky to equate to even the lowest Arrancar now."

"What are you talking about?" Karin asked, genuinely confused.

"My mask has been shattered. It will continue to leak reiatsu and I will never regain enough strength to remain an Espada," he sobbed.

He actually looked ready to have a full blown mental breakdown while she stared at him in surprise. She never thought the loss would be permanent. A simple healing spell should fix the mask right? She asked as much.

He shook his head vigorously at the question before whimpering in pain. His body was starting to look like one giant bruise as the pummel damage he took started to reveal itself.

"_He__'__s lucky none of his bones were broken," she_ couldn't help but to think.

"No. It's a part of our very souls. You can't just fix something like this anymore than you can fix burnt toast," he sniffed. "Once you burn toast it is now what it is. This is now what it is. I don't even think Orihime-san's power of rejection could fix this," he sobbed.

"Well, at least let me take the Claim off then. Would that make you feel better?" Karin asked with a sighed.

His sniffling paused, but he did eventually nod his head.

She touched his shoulder and recalled her reiatsu to herself, effectively removing the Claim she had cast earlier; the very thing that had removed him as a threat to her brother as it had enslaved him to her, and thus family.

The moment her reiatsu was removed from his he screamed and his reiatsu flashed about them as it exploded from the cracks in his glasses. Shocked, Karin quickly snapped her reiatsu back upon him, watching as the reiatsu from her Claim enveloped his and blocked the flow gushing out of his cracked glasses, acting like a sort of reiatsu plug.

Where as before he had looked 12, now he looked more 7 or 8. They stared at each other in horror. In fact she could feel the panic and grief he was feeling rushing through the Claim. She felt another hint of panic from her mate, but she quickly forced calm through the link to him, silently assuring him she was fine.

"I am sorry Szayel, but I think the Claim should remain for now. At least until we can fix your mask. It seems like my own reiatsu is acting like a sort of barrier between yours and the cracks."

She didn't have the heart to tell him the cracks had actually spread slightly as his reiatsu had started gushing out. Until further notice, it would appear that she was going to have to keep her Claim up on him if he wished to live.

"There is no fix," he said in a panic, looking at his new appearance in even greater horror. "There is no way to fix this," he cried again, sobs racking his body.

Despite any other feelings Karin had felt for him over the year she had known him, she felt for his grief. Right now all she saw before her was a terrified child sobbing his little heart out in grief and anguish.

"Szayel, take a deep breath," Karin ordered as calmly as she could, resisting the urge to pull him into her lap and rock him like she would have had this been Hana or her own child in such distress.

He did so.

"And another."

He complied.

"That's it. Calm down. Another deep breath."

She walked him through until his breathing was back to normal, even though she could see the turmoil and despair in his golden eyes and feel it rushing through her Claim. She rubbed his back soothingly.

"I can't lose this again," he whispered. "Not after all the work I put into it."

"You need to rest. Things will make more sense in the morning, I promise."

"I need to think," he muttered. "There has to be a way to fix this. Nel was clearly in her adult form so…."

"Szayel, rest," Karin ordered.

His eyes slid closed and he drifted into slumber. Karin sighed and finally took a moment to look around the crowded hospital. Pulling a cart of supplies closer to the bed, she slowly started to peal his uniform, now exceptionally large on him, off and winced at the damage done to his body by her brother.

She cleaned out the few cuts there were. Most of it was pummel damage and the result was bruised flesh and bones. There was hardly a patch of his skin left that wasn't a nasty bruise and even in his slumber he whimpered pitifully as she tended to him.

There was really nothing she could do for him that time wouldn't have to fix. She pulled the blankets back up and tucked his much smaller frame in. All it did was make him look even more like a child.

Karin forced herself to wrench her eyes away from his battered body before moving over to the next patient. The man had large gashes in his right leg and he moaned and whimpered in pain.

"Hello, my name is Karin and I am here to help you," she introduced herself to gain his attention. "I am going to see to the wound in you leg."

Remembering the pain numbing kido Unohana had taught her when she was still pregnant, Karin dulled the pain in the mans leg before she started to clean the gash out and sow it up before wrapping it in bandages. She ordered him to rest before moving onto the next patient. And then the next.

The line of wounded never seemed to end and all of them suffered either large gashes, severed limbs, or melted flesh. The later no doubt came from the liquid the giant beetles had been spewing.

She did catch sight of a golden glow and briefly caught a glimpse of a grim faced Orihime as she healed the worse wounded. Karin felt a moment of relief that Orihime had clearly managed to make it off the battle field unharmed.

With the number of injured the 4th division didn't have enough reiatsu to heal all of the wounded. That was fine. Karin was use to working where there was no 'magical healing.' Antiseptic and sutra's was all she needed to work with. The pain numbing kido was exceptionally useful though, and she was damn glad she had learned the spell.

Arrancar or Shinigami, it didn't matter what race the patient was. She sowed them up, cleaned their wounds, numbed their pain, and did anything else she could to make them comfortable.

Most of the fourth tended to avoid the Arrancar, and the number of their wounded were pretty few thanks to their innate hierro. Most of their wounds seemed to be burns from the beetles. A few had some severe gashes she learned also came from the beetles.

Apparently those barbs on their legs she had noted earlier that looked exceptionally sharp and long _were_ exceptionally sharp. Sharp enough to slice through an Arrancar's hierro like it was normal skin.

It was late at night, perhaps even early morning, before she finally ran out of patients to treat. She caught another glimpse of Orihime leaning exhaustedly against Ulquiorra's side as he collected her.

Karin returned to Szayel's bedside, noting he was still sleeping, if somewhat restlessly. A shadow fell over her and she looked up to see Unohana offering her a mug of tea.

"Thank you," she mumbled.

"No, thank you for your assistance, Karin-san. Your thread work is wonderful and your indifference to the race of your patients is commendable and greatly appreciated. You saved a lot of us our reiatsu, and as a result saved several lives," Unohana smiled warmly, if not tiredly, at her.

"It was nothing. It might take longer than your healing Kido, but they should still heal. I noticed Ulquiorra picked up Orihime."

"Yes, the poor girl exhausted herself saving as many as she could. Apparently Aizen-kami just dismiss them from a meeting and has apparently been looking for Szayel-san."

"Did you send someone to let him know he was here?" Karin asked.

"I did, although I failed to mention his condition as anything but; badly wounded and will heal with a great amount of time."

"Thank you."

"He seems even younger," Unohana noted with a frown.

"Yeah, I tried to remove the reiatsu block but more of his own raced out, regressing him further and adding further cracks to his mask. I fear I will have to keep the block up," Karin sighed as she turned her attention back to the pink haired scientist.

"It is a good thing you can see and manipulate reiatsu then. No one else would be able to do such a thing," Unohana noted.

"Yeah," Karin sighed.

Things were definitely going to be complicated now, that was for sure. She wondered what her mate was going to think when he found out about this little conundrum. Or Aizen for that matter.

She quickly checked the Claiming laws and sighed a bit in relief when she realized she hadn't broken any. Hopefully Szayel would find a way to fix this mess when he regained both his consciousness and his wits. She did not want to have to explain to Aizen why she had not only done so, but been capable of Claiming someone in the first place.

Thinking of her Claims made her think of her mate. She was surprised he wasn't already here seeing as how the meeting had to have been adjourned since Ulquiorra had just been here. Worried, she sought his reiatsu and found it heading towards the Estate, and their daughter.

Karin felt mortified that in all the confusion and chaos she had forgotten about her own daughter. She sought Ajuga's reiatsu out and found it safe and sound next to Hana and Lilinette.

She let out a soft sigh of relief and brushed her reiatsu up against her mate's. He brushed back, conveying as much exhaustion as she felt. It had been a long day for everyone. Another shadow fell over them and she looked up to see Nemu. She appeared to be complete unharmed from the battle that had taken place.

"Good evening, Nemu-san," Unohana greeted her warmly.

"Unohana-taichou," Nemu returned the greeting. "Szayel-sama?" she questioned.

Karin detected no emotion in the question, but there was something in the woman's posture that conveyed a sense of worry.

"He just needs a lot of rest," Karin found herself assuring the woman. "I need to get home to my own family. Would you mind watching him for the rest of the night?"

Nemu nodded and sat demeanour in the nearby chair, eyes locked on his prone and rather childish form.

"I must retire as well. There is nothing more that can be done here tonight. Good night, Nemu-san, Karin-san."

"Good night, Unohana-san," Karin bid.

The Taichou left, leaving the three of them alone.

"Before I go, Nemu-san."

Nemu turned her head to look at her.

"Can you get someone to let me know the moment he wakes up. Right now my reiatsu is the only thing keeping his trapped. I fear if anymore of his reiatsu escapes he might regress even further, both physically and mentally."

Nemu nodded in understanding.

It was a worry Karin had. She had seen how much less emotional control he had in his regressed states. She just prayed he wouldn't lose any knowledge he might also have had. If there was anyone who would now how to fix the problem, it was him.

Karin stumbled her way home, exhaustion dragging her feet. She passed a fair number of parties on the way home but the Arrancar celebrating them didn't spare her a second glance.

By the time she made it to her room Ajuga was fast asleep and Grimmjow was curled around his daughter, but his head did turn to meet her.

"Evening. Or is it technically morning yet?" she asked exhausted.

"Does it matter?" he asked, his voice just as exhausted as hers.

"Guess not," she murmured, pealing off her cloths and climbing into bed behind him.

He shifted over her so that she was now the one curled around Ajuga and he moved up behind her. She sighed as his body heat enveloped her, shortly before she felt his reiatsu snake out and begin to scan her for any form of injury.

Subconsciously, she did the same. He was more or less unharmed, just drained and exhausted from the long battle and no doubt longer meeting. Once they were both content the other and their child were fine, they relaxed.

"How did the meeting go?" she asked in a yawn.

"Long. Boring. Typical, except Szayel never showed up to add another forty hours gleefully explaining the new bugs," he answered. "Aizen was not pleased."

"Szayel's in the fourth," she frowned, wondering if she should mention that Ichigo had been there.

"Pussy," he grumbled.

Grimmjow didn't ask, Karin wasn't going to tell. She was too exhausted to deal with that kind of rival crap tonight anyway. Thinking of Ichigo did make her wonder what message they had been trying to get to her. It had to be important for them to risk capture to get it to her.

She frowned as several small things seemed to suddenly paint a larger picture. Szayel's interest in gaining so much of her blood for study suddenly combined with how the swarm had suddenly shifted around her once one had tasted hers and swirled about with Ichigo's mention of their father.

She held back a groan and decided she would tackle that large mess when she was more coherent and could actually make Szayel tell her why he was so interest in her blood now that she knew for a fact he would be incapable of lying to her.

"_Guess one good thing did happen today after all. Got that prick by the balls. I can__'__t take my Claim off or he regresses to nothing," she_ couldn't help but to think a little smugly. "_And now I can get him to tell me exactly what he__'__s been up to with Ajuga-chan and I," _

It didn't take long for them both to drift into slumber. Out of worry she scanned the house, relaxing further as she counted for each of the residents.

Hana and Nanao where curled together in their quarters. Ukitake was in his. Lilinette appeared to be curled up with Starrk. Her daughter and mate were safely by her side. Content everyone was accounted for, Karin let herself finally drift off into exhausted slumber.

* * *

Blackstorm drew two amazingly cute pictures of Szayel as a Chibi, you can see the first one here: . com/#/d3jlohx, the other will be linked when the scene it goes to comes up.

Stay tuned for another chapter that will be posted soon. I want to catch this one up to the other version on Adult fan


	39. Tatsuki and Tesra

To those of you that have read the darker version, you are not insane, there is a chapter that has been cut out here. This was one of my favourite chapters and is honesty one that wrote itself in and was never planned, but once I got the taste for this pairing it never left and now I share yet another strange pairing with you all.

Tatsuki and Tesra

Tatsuki sighed as she walked back through the city to the house, Starrk's sword still in hand and soaked in insect gore. The battle was finally drawing to a close, but during it she had lost sight of everyone.

Now all she wanted to do was to find her way home, take a long shower and find her futon so she could lay down and die. She knew Orihime was safe; Ulquiorra would have let nothing happen to her after all and Tatsuki could still detect her friend was alright. She couldn't tell where Orihime was, just that she was okay wherever she was.

"_On second thought, taking a few extra minutes to get home doesn__'__t sound like a bad idea. Or the night," _she couldn't help but to think.

She didn't know if Orihime was at home or elsewhere. She almost suspected that if Ulquiorra was still on the field or had been pulled into a meeting then Orihime would most likely be at the medical facility to assist with the wounded. If not, then rushing home would definitely be uncomfortable.

The sound of after battle parties flaring up started to waft through the streets and Tatsuki found herself sighing once more as she continued on her long trek. Having not been permitted out of the house too often she wasn't familiar with the city at all short of the path leading to Ukitake's estate.

In less than an hour she had no less than at least four different groups of Arrancar attempt to accost her until someone in the group would either recognize her as belonging to Ulquiorra or realized she held Starrk's sword in her hand and might be best left alone.

"_Wonderful. They are all drugged up on Instinct and Victory," she_ grouched to herself. "_Not to mention booze," she_ added.

The need to get home was definitely becoming an urgent need, or to at least find someone she knew.

"What we got here?" Came a drunken slur an hour later when she was almost positive that she finally, somewhat recognized her surroundings.

The fact it was probably almost midnight didn't help in making things seem familiar. Things always looked different in the dark.

"_Great, just what I needed. Another hormonally high, drunken, Arrancar," _ She grouched as she turned to face the dunking idiot. _"__Regrettably, the power they hold is still far greater than my own," _

"Oh, aren't you a pretty thing," he drawled as he sauntered up to her.

"I would kindly ask that you leave me be," she said as firmly as she could.

"Oh, and she's got fire too. I like that."

Tatsuki had to hold in her groan as she quickly calculated the best way to get out of this situation. Run, fight or talk?

The drunken fool tried to reach out to grab her and she smacked his hand away from her with Starrk's sword. As sharp as the blade was, she didn't have the strength to get through the Arrancar's Hierro.

"Oh I am going to love this," The Arrancar laughed. "A woman with fire. And judging by the blood on that blade, one with bite. I thought none of you were left," he smirked lecherously.

This time he moved far faster than she could see and snagged her sword hand in his, crushing her wrist until Starrk's blade clattered to the ground and she let out a hiss of agony.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't break the others grip on her.

"Let me go, or you will regret it later," she warned coldly.

"What you going to do about it?" he asked, his breath reeking of alcohol.

"Let her go," Another voice ordered calmly.

Both of them turned to stare at the new comer in surprise.

"I saw her first," The Arrancar snarled, pulling her flush against him. "Aizen-kami has forbidden us to fight over Claiming rights."

"That woman belongs to Ulquiorra-sama."

"She ain't Claimed."

"Do you want to explain that to him?" The new comer asked.

"Aizen-kami's law states you can't interfere. Remember what he did to the few that did?"

"Do you honestly think Aizen-kami would care about what his most loyal and favoured subordinate does to an underling not even another's fraccion? Are you willing to chance that Aizen-kami wouldn't over look the doings of his favoured?"

Her assailant scowled. Tatsuki could understand it well. Messing with Ulquiorra was not something any sane person would want to do, but right now she was just thankful this Arrancar seemed to recognize her somehow.

She was pretty sure they had never met before, so she guessed he might have seen her being escorted with Orihime to and from Ukitake's estate a time or six.

"Tsh," The Arrancar finally snarled and shoved her away from his body before stumbling off, cursing under his breath.

She retrieved Starrk's sword from the ground and looked at her rescuer.

"Thanks."

"It is not safe for an un-Claimed woman to be wondering around so soon after a battle."

"Yeah well, I kind of lost track of Orihime-chan during the attack and I haven't come across her or Ulquiorra-san since. I am also a bit lost, I don't get out of the house much."

"I will escort you home. I would not want to see Ulquiorra-sama displeased because his property was damaged."

"Thanks, I would appreciate that," she said truthfully, although inward she cringed a bit at being referred to as property. "Arisawa Tatasuki," she introduced herself politely, studying her rescuer.

"Tesra Lidocruz," he introduced himself.

"I think I recall that name. You're one of Nnoitra's fraccion, right? Orihime-chan might have mentioned you."

"Yes. I have meet Orihime-san a time or two," he admitted. "This way," he indicated down one of the streets.

Tatsuki fell in beside him as they walked back to the house. She studied him out of the corner of her eye. He wasn't bad looking for a hollow and seemed to have some manners, which was more than she could say for most of the race.

They passed many parties and pretty much every Arrancar leered at her as they passed them.

"I understand the whole Instinct thing and Victory, but are they really that far gone into it or are they just using it as an excuse to be jerks?" she couldn't help but to ask.

He looked at her a bit surprised by the question, but did answer truthfully.

"It was a very difficult battle for most of them, so many are actually that far gone," Tesra answered, looking at a rowdy group as they passed it. "The alcohol does not help matters either," he added as an afterthought.

"You seem to be fine," she pointed out.

"I didn't partake of much of the battle, and the parts that I did were hardly challenging."

"I see. What are the chances of another attack you think?"

"I do not know," he admitted.

Tatsuki frowned and they walked another block in silence.

"_If these battles become common place than there is a damn good chance I might get caught outside again. The last thing I want is every damn Arrancar chasing my skirt because Ulquiorra is too busy chasing Orihime-chan__'__s._

"_And I know his type. Even if I begged him to Claim me he would sooner cut an arm off than sleep with __'__trash__'__ such as myself," _ She grumbled to herself.

They passed another leering Arrancar.

"_Granted, sleeping with Ulquiorra is just wrong on too many levels. If more battles like this take place and the damn Hollows get this out of control, even staying in the house might not be safe. Being in the house didn__'__t stop the ones that attacked Karin and Yuzu," _

Tatsuki let out a sigh of frustration. Tesra looked at her, but didn't say anything. She glanced at him again and a crazy idea jumped in her brain. It was so crazy she gave herself a physical and mental shake, but now that the idea had plopped in her brain it refused to go away.

There was only one safety from instinct crazed hollows, and since she was damn sure Ulquiorra wouldn't 'cure' it, she would need to find someone trustworthy that would.

"You don't have anyone Claimed?" she ask, trying to sound as casual as she could.

Tesra looked at her in surprised confusion before answering in the negative.

"Really? I find that kind of surprising."

"My only focus is serving Nnoitra-sama," he answered.

She studied him again.

"_I must be completely out of my mind. I just met him five minutes ago. But giving the alternatives," she_ glanced around at another roaring party. _"__Besides, it would be damn nice to go with Orihime-chan when she goes out. I hate letting her out of my sight and since Ulquiorra won__'__t do anything about it, I will," _

"I don't suppose you would be interested?" she asked.

"In what?" he asked.

"Look, you seem like a half decent guy, and I think this just might work,"

The look of confusion on his face indicated he had no idea what she was rambling on about.

"Can we go to your place?" she asked.

His confusion doubled.

"I should really get you to…"

"Ulquiorra-san doesn't give a rat's ass about me. I am just there to keep Orihime-chan company. Assuming they are both even home right now I can guarantee you I will be the last thing on their minds. And if they are not home what's to keep these bozo's," she pointed at the nearby party, "from just barging drunkenly in anyway?" she pointed out.

He looked over at the party and then looked ahead, a frown on his face and he seemed to be concentrating.

"It would seem there is no reiatsu at Ulquiorra-sama's place," he looked at her in silent contemplation before sighing. "If you wish to come with me, you may."

"I think I would like that, thank you."

She followed him as they changed directions.

"So, how long have you been Nnoitra's fraccion?" she asked out of curiosity, and to break the awkward silence that had settled over them.

From what she had learned of the Espada from Orihime, he was one hell of a male domineering womanizer and had a rather sadistic taste in fighting, which was interesting because she picked up none of those vibes from Tesra and she could detect a creep miles away.

"Since joining Aizen-kami's army," Tesra answered.

"How long ago was that?"

"I am not sure. Time doesn't have much meaning in Hueco Mundo."

"I see. So I shouldn't ask how old you are then huh?" she asked with an amused smirk.

He blinked at her surprised, but conceded he wasn't sure how old he was anymore. Hueco Mundo didn't really have sunsets to mark the days, let alone seasons to help mark the years.

"So if you don't know your age, I guess you don't got a birthday either."

"May 13th," he answered.

She blinked at him surprised.

"I do recall that much. It's just, time itself really doesn't mean much. We don't really celebrate birthdays or mark the passing of years," he explained.

"That's a shame. Well, now I know."

They walked in silence for a moment longer.

"What's yours?" he asked.

"Hmm?" she looked at him.

He had the slightest hint of a blush.

"Your birthday?"

"July 17th. And before you ask I am 22. Ask my weight though and you'll regret it," she threatened playfully.

"I see," He offered her the tiniest hint of a smile.

They walked in silence some more. So far her creep radar was still flying completely clear. In fact, he almost reminded her of a younger Ichigo, before his mother died. Some what shy, polite, yet still had that little something. And instead of a momma's boy his devotion was clearly to Nnoitra.

The silence between them didn't feel all that awkward. Before long they reached a small, single story house and he opened the door, stepping aside and letting her in. The place was small but quaint.

There was very little other than the basics and it was completely spotless. She doubted she could find a spec of dust if she searched all day.

"Sorry for asking, but do you have anything to clean this blade with? I would hate to return it to Starrk-san soaked in dried insect guts after he was kind enough to loan it to me."

"Yes I do. One second and I will go grab my cleaning kit."

"Thanks, do you have a back porch, I would hate to get this gunk on your clean floor."

"Straight down the hall. There should be a lighter by the door to light the lanterns."

"Right."

She walked down the hall and found the lighter before heading outside and lighting the lanterns. Looking at herself she realized she was also covered in gore. She was going to have to burn these clothes as she doubted she would ever get them clean again.

Tesra joined her a moment later, handing over a whet stone, a cloth and a bottle of cleaning solution.

"Thanks. I hate to be a real burden, but you don't got anything I could wear do you? These cloths are starting to stink and the guts are starting to dry and become crusty," she indicated her ichor splattered body.

"I might have something," he admitted, and there was that little blush again.

He disappeared into the house and she set about cleaning the gunk off of Starrk's Katana. What ever the solution was made of cut right through the mess with an ease she found pleasurable. By the time Tesra returned with some clothes folded in his arms she was expertly sharpening the blade.

"Thanks. At this rate I am going to owe you more than I can afford while sounding like a parrot," she chuckled.

"The bathroom is to the right just inside the door. You can use the shower if you want. Clean towels are under the sink," he offered with a slight blush and a hint of nervousness.

"Once again, thank you. I think I will take you up on that offer."

She retreated to the bathroom, closing the door but not locking it. She was all too happy to strip out of her destroyed clothing and hop in the warm shower. She took the time to examine the number of cuts and bruises she had acquired, wincing at a few of the darker ones.

"_Not really that bad," she_ noted. "_Nothing that wont be faded to yellow in a week," _

She hoped he didn't mind she used his shampoo, conditioner, and body soap, but really it was nice to feel clean again. When she finally got out and towelled herself dry she almost felt human again. Not once had she detected Tesra had even come near the bathroom during her quick shower.

She pulled on the cloths he had given her. They appeared to be a spare uniform and were a bit big on her, but that was fine. The trench coat like jacket did more than enough to cover her body as it went right down to her feet where she noticed it had terminated at his knees. Not to mention it was soft and clean instead of crusty, gunky, and smelly.

The hakama were actually not too long for while he was a good 8 inches taller than her, she had rather long legs where his height was in his body. She just gave the ends a single roll up and they fit fine. The absence of underclothes didn't bother her in the least.

Her bare feet padded silently across the wooden floor as she hunted her benefactor down. He was in the kitchen, apparently preparing a pot of tea. She kneeled silently on a cushion at the traditional table and watched him work.

She could tell he was definitely thinking by the little motions he made. No doubt he was wondering why she had been so willing to follow him home and wondering just what she had meant when she had asked him if he was 'interested' earlier.

(POV)

Tesra frowned at the tea pot before him as he measured out the leaves he needed. The young woman definitely confused him. She wasn't a Shinigami, that was for sure, but she still had a decent amount of reiatsu. And judging by the amount of gore covering her she had no few of the enemy under her belt.

He was also a little surprised that she was still un-Claimed, but not overly. What was more surprising was that Ulquiorra even let her near him, but then there was a relationship between her and Orihime and everyone knew there was a big something going on between the Espada and human woman with powers that defied even the gods.

But this woman completely confounded him. Oh he had stopped the Arrancar attacking her simply because the last thing anyone needed was a pissed off Ulquiorra, and if Ulquiorra had found out he had witnessed the event and not done anything to stop it then, Nnoitra's fraccion or not, he would probably wish he was dead before the 4th even touched him.

He had planned on doing nothing more than seeing her back to the house and in Ulquiorra's claws.

"_So how did she end up here, in my house, in my shower?" he_ questioned. _"__And just what did she mean earlier; asking if I was interested and __'__this might work?__'"_ He wondered with a frown.

The fact there was a woman in his house, in his shower, brought that blush back. He never really had time for them and they definitely wanted nothing to do with him, or more particularly with Nnoitra. And since he served his master pretty much non-stop it didn't leave him much time for a social life.

It was something Tesra had never really thought much of, at least until now. Now there was a woman naked in his house, one who actually seemed genuinely interest in him. Hell, she had asked him his birthday. No one had ever asked him that before, not even Nnoitra.

But why? Why was she interested in him? No one was interested in him. He was about as plain as you got. Short sandy hair, brownish grey eyes. The women all abhorred his Master.

He sighed. Women were clearly a pain. An evil pain. He should just escort her back to where she belonged. Unfortunately, a quick reiatsu check showed no one was at the house yet. If he left her there alone and she got attacked he would be lucky to die if Ulquiorra found out he had left her unguarded after finding her.

The water was clearly ready and he poured it into the pot, watching numbly as the steam rose.

"_Should I offer her something to eat? Perhaps even a place to sleep," _ He asked himself.

It was almost one in the morning and even he was starting to feel a bit drowsy after the long day trailing after his Master while Nnoitra gleefully hacked and slashed his way through the throng of bugs before he had been ordered to check up on his Master's pet.

Not that he had expected to find Matsumoto in any trouble. She may not have her Zanpakuto, but she definitely had Kido. It didn't matter either way as the bugs never made it past the main gates.

He pulled two cups out of the cupboard and turned around, almost jumping in shock to see the woman who had been tormenting his thoughts sitting ever so innocently at the table.

"Did I startle you?" she asked with the barest hint of a smirk.

"I didn't realize you had finished showering already," he said as he set the pot and cups down.

His clothing was a bit large on her, but it was clear she didn't mind. She had Starrk's katana resting beside her comfortable and the way she had cleaned the blade, not to mention the amount of gore that had been on her, let him know she was definitely well acquainted with the use of such a weapon.

He poured them both a cup and they sat in silence as they both took a sip. Her eyes were studying him, as if measuring him for something, although what it was he wasn't sure.

Finally, she seemed to come to a conclusion for she gave her head a nod; which was a relief because the intense look she had been giving him was making him very uncomfortable.

"I am not going to lie, hell I can't even believe I am considering this, but all the pros seem to be outweighing the cons."

"Excuse me?" he asked confused.

"So far you are the only half decent Arrancar I have met outside of Starrk-san that might even consider this, and from what knowledge I have asking Starrk-san would pretty much just end in my unfortunate death."

"I still don't understand what you want from me?" he pointed out confused.

She seemed to pause a moment, as if considering how to word her request, or coming up with the courage to speak it. Perhaps both.

"You said you had no one Claimed, right?"

"Right," he answered slowly.

"So, would you be willing to Claim me?" she asked seriously.

He spluttered on his tea and stared at her with eyes wide in shock. Surely he didn't hear her right. Who in their right mind asked to be Claimed, let alone from a complete stranger?

"Hear me out here. Orihime-chan is my best friend in the world. I would do anything for her, but every time I leave the house I am a liability because I look like good eats. Ulquiorra-san wouldn't Claim me if I badgered and begged him until the end of time. He would see sleeping with me like sleeping with a rather dirty trash can.

"If these battles become more common then there is more of a chance of me being caught out unguarded, or the next time after a battle Ulquiorra-san might not be around and dip shits like the ones we passed on the way here could burst on in and do as they please.

"Like I said, you seem like a half decent person and I would really like to get this annoyance out of the way. If I were Claimed it would be safe for me to follow Orihime-chan anywhere and keep her safe."

She seemed to finish her speech, but his brain was all the way back where she had asked, ASKED! him to Claim her. Hell, when he had rescued her Claiming her was the last thing on his brain.

"Do you have any idea what Ulquiorra-sama would do to me if I dared to touch his property in such a way?" he demanded shocked.

Hell, he didn't even want to think about it.

"As long as I continue to serve Orihime-chan I don't think Ulquiorra-san cares what happens to me. Honestly, lately I have been feeling like the fifth wheel around the house now that those two seem to have worked their relationship out. The only reason I think he hasn't booted me out yet is because it would upset Orihime-chan."

He had no idea what she meant by being the fifth wheel, but he did sort of understand what she was getting at. She wanted to be Claimed for the same reason any Numeros wanted so desperately to be chosen as a fraccion. Plain, simple, protection.

"Didn't that drunk idiot mention something about Aizen's law and not interfering with Claims. What did he mean by that?" she asked him curiously.

"He meant that Aizen-kami forbid anyone from interfering with anyone in the process of making a Claim or killing each other off for Claiming rights."

"So, if I understand this law right, you could Claim me and Ulquiorra-san wouldn't be permitted to do anything about it?"

He stuttered as he tried to find an answer.

"Technically speaking. But Ulquiorra-sama is Aizen-kami's favoured."

"Yes, but Ulquiorra-san is also probably the most law abiding Arrancar out of all of you, right?"

She did have a point.

"And like I said, he isn't interest in me at all. Of course, if it would make you feel better, we could always ask for his permission first."

Asking his permission. How the hell do you go up to an Espada and simply ask for permission to Claim their property? He would be lucky to walk away with his limbs attached.

"More pointedly, I will ask," she offered, clearly sensing his hesitation. "If I get his permission, would you?" she asked seriously.

"You do understand how Claiming works, right?" he asked nervously.

He couldn't even recall the last time he had slept with someone, if he even had in his Hollow life, and he sure as hell had never cast a Claim.

"Yes," she answered firmly, looking right at him determinedly.

She was asking a lot of him, but the thought of having someone did seem kind of nice. And if she was Claimed by him then perhaps Nnoitra would permit her to see Matsumoto, and Tesra knew without a shadow of a doubt that the caged woman craved female companionship.

This solved that dilemma, if Ulquiorra agreed of course. There really was no harm in Claiming her after all. It's not like he had anyone in mind for his Claim anyway (only the Espada had been permitted two pets a piece).

He tossed the pros and cons about in his head, not really finding any cons, other than Ulquiorra possibly reminding him of his place for even thinking about touching his property.

But Tatsuki was right; Ulquiorra wasn't really the aggressive type and the worse the Espada would probably do was say no while looking down at him, although she seemed pretty certain he would say yes.

"If Ulquiorra-sama agreed, then I see no reason why not," he finally agreed.

"Thank you," she smiled at him. "I know I have been a rather large burden, but is there someplace I can crash? It's been a pretty long day, and night."

"Yes, you can take my room. I'll set up the spare futon for myself."

"Once again, thank you."

She stood up, bowed politely, and made her way to the bedroom.

"By the way," she stopped at the door and looked back at him, "that was wonderful tea. You really got a talent at it," she smiled and disappeared around the corner.

"_What in the seven hells have I gotten myself into," _he wondered before realizing in horror he had been checking her out. _"__What in the seven hells indeed," _

* * *

Huge thanks to everyone that took the time to review the last chapter before I did this triple post and welcome to the insanity for those of you just arriving here. For those of you that don't already know, Black Storm drew an amazing picture of Karin and Grimmjow and you can find it here: . com/#/d4d9wo2


	40. Blood

Blood

Karin was awoken by Ajuga, or rather the absence of Ajuga. She scanned quickly and found her daughter had crawled into the garden. Stretching, she untangled herself from her mate and crawled out of bed. She leaned against the doorframe as she watched Ajuga stalk something she couldn't see.

She was definitely looking far more graceful as she crawled slowly across the ground. Karin couldn't help but to smile warmly as her daughter crawled with a large amount of patience towards whatever was in the bush.

She heard her mate stir behind her and after a moment felt his presence at her back as he came up behind her. A moment later his lips brushed against her neck before he pressed his body against hers.

"What is she stalking?" he asked with a whisper, his breath ghosting past her ear and causing her to shiver despite herself.

"I don't know. She was already in the garden when I woke up."

Ajuga crawled forward a little bit more before settling in once again, intently watching whatever it was.

"Yay, you're up, you're up," Hana cheered as she bounded into the garden.

Ajuga sent the older girl a glare as whatever she had been stalking had clearly been startled. The glare turned into a squeal of delight though when Hana picked her up and twirled about.

"Lunch is ready. Come on. Lili-chan and I made it 'cause 'kaasan is tired," Hana said excitedly.

"I fear for my stomach," Karin chuckled as she once more untangled herself from her mate and moved into the garden to retrieve her daughter from Hana. Hana pouted, but reluctantly let Karin have Ajuga back.

Hana's pout didn't last long before she was once more skipping about happily.

"Hana," Grimmjow barked.

Hana instantly stilled and she looked up at him a little nervously.

"Slow down," he said.

"Hai," she saluted smartly.

Karin sighed and set Ajuga back down on the grass.

"Can you watch Ajuga-chan for a moment while we get dressed?" Karin requested.

"Of course," Hana quickly chirped.

Karin retreat inside and quickly found a lose fitting yukuta to pull on. Grimmjow pulled his uniform on before they gathered up the rats and headed to the main dinning room. Lilinette seemed quite happy with herself as they looked at the food presented to them.

"Ramen. I should have suspected," Karin chuckled as she looked at the large bowl.

It was the most basic and easy thing to make, but it was still food and after all the energy they had burned up yesterday and last night, any food was fuel right now. Ukitake and Nanao were looking just as exhausted as they were and she swore Starrk was actually asleep with his head rested in one hand.

"Eat, eat," Hana encouraged.

"As you command," Karin half bowed at her.

One nice thing about noodles was they were definitely soft enough for Ajuga to eat. In fact the ramen wasn't that bad and she was pleasantly surprised to see Hana and Lilinette had added fresh cut vegetables and sliced pork.

She took a piece of pork and blew on it to cool it down before offering it to Ajuga.

"What time do we need to arrive at the meeting?" Ukitake asked exhaustedly.

"In an hour," Nanao answered. "Can you watch Hana for me again, Lilinette?" she asked.

"Of course," Lilinette piped up happily. "We can make dinner."

Nanao turned a look Karin's way.

"I'll see what I can do," Karin promised.

Ajuga ate everything offered to her, much to Karin's delight. She shared a kiss with her mate and wished the others a survivable meeting. She got various exhausted thank-yous.

"So, what should we make for dinner?" Lilinette broached the question once the others had headed out for the meeting.

"How about something simple," Karin suggested. "Like beef stir fry and rice."

"That sounds like a great idea," Hana agreed happily.

"Now, don't you both have lessons?" Karin asked.

Both girls pouted at her. Karin had been shocked to learn Lilinette didn't know how to read and had quickly set about fixing that problem. She set the girls down and they started the lessons.

A knock on the front gate interrupted them. Karin scanned and didn't recognize the reiatsu at all. Still, it was one that appeared to be a Shinigami and not one of any mentionable strength.

"_A message from the fourth perhaps," _she guessed.

"I'll be right back. I had better see that lesson completed when I get back," she threatened.

"Hai," Both girls answered monotonously.

Karin adjusted her grip on Ajuga and walked up to the gate to see she was correct. It was a Shinigami from the fourth.

"Excuse me," the man bowed politely, "I have been ordered to inform you that Szayel-sama has awakened."

"Thank you. I will be there shortly,"

The man bowed again and left. Karin frowned as she considered weather or not she should bring Hana and Lilinette or leave them here. In the end she decided to leave them here. She didn't want either of them to be privy to the conversation she planned on having with the pink haired Espada.

"Hana-chan, Lilinette, I need to go to the fourth for a while. I'll be back later, alright. You two are going to behave right?" she asked sternly.

"Of course," They both smiled innocently up at her.

She didn't trust them for a minute, but at least Starrk was at the meeting so he was free from their games, and the two of them had invented a fair number over the years.

"If I am not back before five feel free to start preparing dinner by slicing up the vegetables and beef into bite size pieces."

"We will," Lilinette promised.

Karin nodded before heading to the fourth, Ajuga looking about curiously as they walked. She arrived and walked up to the bed that held Szayel without being challenged or stopped. In fact, several of the nurses greeted her warmly.

Szayel was indeed awake as she had been informed and Nemu still sat beside him as if she hadn't moved a millimetre since last night.

"Szayel," she greeted while Ajuga squealed in delight and reached her arms out to him.

He looked a little bit better, and slightly older, almost ten now. She placed Ajuga down onto the bed next to him and she crawled happily over to him. He caught her before she could attempt to go after his glasses and sat her in his lap.

"Karin," he returned the greeting softly, eyes down caste.

His eyes were still puffy and red (partially from the beating and partially from apparently having another sobbing fest if the dried tear marks were anything to go by), but he seemed a bit calmer today than he had been last night and he picked Ajuga up to adjust her more comfortably in his lap. Karin couldn't help but to admit it was a rather cute picture.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"A bit better," he answered. "It seems my reiatsu is starting to pool and grow, all be it slowly. Your reiatsu is acting like a sort of dam built on a river. I should be back up to my regular strength in a few weeks,"

There was obvious relief in his voice that there was hope he wouldn't be forced to step down.

"So as long as the Claim remains you should be fine then," she noted. "At least until your glasses can be fixed, if they can be."

He nodded and brushed Ajuga's hands away from his glasses as she twisted in his lap and tried to reach for them. She seemed more then pleased to play 'keep away' with him and giggled contently as she kept reaching for them.

"There is one problem," he sighed.

"And what would that be?" she asked.

"Since this is a partial Claim, I will be unable to refresh the Claims I have. While this means rather little to Nemu here, my other pet is considered Taichou class and unless I can refresh the Claim on him I will be forced to put him to death," he pointed out.

"How long does it take to reinforce the Claim?" she asked.

"Maybe ten minutes max."

"Well, I can always remove it and you can refresh then," Karin shrugged.

She looked around. There were still a lot of wounded and the members of the fourth went amongst them. She didn't want to have this conversation where other might overhear.

"Do you feel up to walking back to your lab?" she asked.

He gave a firm nod of his head and handed her back Ajuga before crawling out of bed. Karin had to hold back her laughter as his uniform was now far too large on him and hung off of him loosely.

"Perhaps I should see about getting you a hospital gown," she chuckled.

Szayel scowled at his appearance and Karin could see that arrogant spark returning to his golden eyes, even if they were still rather childish. He had to hold his pants up and they pooled ridiculously about his feet.

"I'll go get that gown," Karin finished chuckling.

She found a gown easily enough and Nemu helped him into it. He was still badly bruised up and moving about a lot clearly still hurt him. He also had the most affront look on his face that she had seen in ages when he looked at his appearance .

"Are you going to be able to walk or should Nemu-san carry you?" she asked.

"I can walk," he said airily.

"Of course you can," she smiled at him amused.

With his appearance he looked more like a kid having a temper tantrum than a feared Espada.

Szayel made it four steps before collapsing, Nemu catching him effortlessly. Karin could feel his frustration coursing through the Claim.

"Perhaps it would be best if Nemu carried you back to your chamber," Karin suggested.

"I am perfectly…."

She shot him a pointed look that silenced any further argument. She wasn't sure what emotion he was feeling the most; frustration or mortification. They were both coming through pretty clear.

They got him back to the research center and into his own rooms. Nemu set him gently down on a rather plush couch before gathering a blanket and pillows from his bed and making him comfortable.

She disappeared afterward with a promise to return with some tea and Mizo soup. Szayel's body was pretty black and blue and Karin could see the damages done to his throat. Liquids ware definitely the best way to go for the next few days.

Apparently his depleted pool of reiatsu also had an averse effect on his faster regeneration.

"You know," she mused, "I think I kind of like this set up."

"I am sure my chambers are far superior to any you have seen before," he commented.

"Not that. This little set up. I have a question that's been bothering me, and unlike your last answer," she smirked at him and watched as his eye grew wide in horror as dawning came to him, " I demand this one be answered straight forward and truthfully without any of your side stepping. In fact, I expect every question of mine you answer to be answered in a such a way from here on out. Understand?" she asked.

His mouth opened and closed several times before he grimaced and nodded. There was nothing more he could do after all.

"Good. Now, those thing went haywire when they tasted my blood, and regrettably, my dear Szayel, I am not as medically inept as you believe. I know that you would have needed a fraction of the blood you drew from Ajuga-chan and myself to map our DNA. So out with it. What's so special about it?" she demanded, clamping down on the Claim.

She could see the nervous sweat rolling down his body and he trembled as he was forced to answer. If it wasn't due to the Claim, she would have slapped him for coming up with such a tale of her blood blowing up equipment. Nemu returned near the end and set the tray with his soup and tea down on the coffee table before settling herself onto the floor beside him.

Karin sat back and digested the information.

"How long were you there before you attacked that other Arrancar? Nelial I think it was."

"Neliel, the former 3rd," he corrected absently. "Not very long, just long enough to hear they wanted you to go with them."

Karin leaned back in her own chair to muse. Szayel sat curled up on the couch pouting and looking ready to cry again.

"_Clearly his mentality has been affected by the regression. As cute as he is at this point, I hope this corrects itself as I__'__ve got a strong feeling we are going to need him in top shape," _ she sighed to herself.

"Szayel you should eat."

"I am not hungry," he pouted.

She looked at him pointedly. His pout increased but he did reach out to try and grab the bowl of soup. Nemu's quick action prevented it from spilling all over him as his battered hands were unable to support the weight of the bowl.

"Permit me, Szayel-sama," Nemu request, gaining a better grip on the bowl and presenting a spoon full of soup to his lips.

"I can feed myself,"

"Eat," Karin ordered.

He obediently opened his mouth and let Nemu feed him without further protest.

"I swear Szayel, you are acting worse than Hana-chan and she is even younger than your regressed state. I can see your reiatsu slowly pooling and climbing so I have no doubt you will return to normal in a week or so, so stop pouting."

He looked up at her hopefully.

"And once you have recovered, I want you to use all the spare time and resources you've got to look into this issue with my DNA."

Now he looked at her half in surprise, half in shock.

"While keeping it a secret from Aizen. Is it safe to assume that the odd strand is from my Father? Ichigo mentioned something about old goat face not being normal."

"I don't know, all attempts to map it have been foiled, but it is feasible."

Karin nodded.

"Ukitake-san seemed to have an idea about my father; I remember he seemed surprised when I told him his name. I am going to talk to him and find out what he knows once they get out of the meeting. Have you talked to Unohana-san yet to see if she has any of this odd DNA on file?"

"I have looked through her files and found nothing," Nemu reported.

"But you didn't talk to her," Karin mused. "Something like this might be kept secreted away. Unohana-san is not Claimed so it's not like Aizen could force her to tell him we were inquiring about it. It comes down to weather or not she would say anything on her own."

Karin sat back once more and mused over the problem while Nemu finished feeding Szayel. He was still pouting about it but wasn't giving the woman any problems.

"Alright. I think any more musing will do nothing but give us headaches. You are to do nothing but rest and recover your strength for the next few days unless Aizen orders otherwise. I trust you will take care of him?" she turned her attention to Nemu.

"Hai, Karin-san,"

"Good. I'll see you in a few days. In that time I am going to have a little talk with Ukitake-san, see what he knows about my parents. In retrospect I probably should have listened to what my brother wanted," she grumbled as she stood up and stretched before gathering Ajuga from where she had crawled off to.

She was at the door before Szayel's voice stopped her.

"Karin-san," she paused to look back at him. "Thank you. I owe you my life," he said awkwardly, adjusting his glasses.

"You're welcome," she smiled back before leaving.

* * *

Huge thanks and love to everyone who reviewed. I am pleased you all liked the idea of Tesra and Tatsuki. The pairing took me by surprise as I was writing and when I was done that last chapter I was all like, dear kami this rocks.

Anyhow, don't have much time to chat, live is still busy and I haven't had a chance to work on The Real King at all. Frozenflower95, if you still haven't been able to get Adultfan to work you will have let me know your email address so I can fill you in on what you have missed. I can not respond to anonymous reviews and your email does not shot up on them


	41. Separate paths, yet the same

Warnings: sex in the later part of this chapter, have tissues ready.

Separate paths, yet the same

Orihime awoke in a daze, feeling completely drained and exhausted. She was confused for a moment before she realized the reason she had awoken was due to the absence of heat at her back.

Blinking blurry eyes about her room she spotted the culprit as he was pulling his jacket on.

"I did not mean to wake you," he said without turning to face her.

"It's alright," she yawned.

Subconsciously she scanned for Tatsuki and froze. Her best friend was no where near by. In fact now that she had a few seconds to think about it Orihime hadn't seen her since sometime during the battle.

She bolted awake in fear that her friend might not have made it and felt horribly ashamed that she hadn't thought of her until now.

"What is wrong?" Ulquiorra asked, finally turning to face her.

"Tatsuki-chan. Where is she? Is she alright?"

She swept her senses over the city, desperately searching and fearing what she might find.

Ulquiorra frowned as well and she felt his senses sweep out as well. Apparently he had also forgotten about the young woman.

"She is alive and well," he suddenly announced. "I will retrieve her before going to Aizen-kami's meeting."

Orihime relaxed as she followed his line and indeed found Tatsuki's familiar reiatsu. It radiated softly letting her know the woman appeared to be comfortably asleep. There was another vaguely familiar reiatsu near by, but Orihime couldn't place it.

"Thank you," she sighed softly in relief. "I was hoping I could check up on my friends and maybe help out Unohana-san again today," she looked at him hopefully.

He paused by the door before bowing his head slightly.

"Do what you wish."

She smiled happily as he disappeared and starred up at the ceiling of their room contently. She had been so exhausted last night she barely recalled him carrying her home.

She had never used her powers that much in one day, but it made her feel wonderful to know she had been useful, that she had helped to save so many lives. That she had even helped to fight.

Tsubaki had been crowing in delight during the battle, pleased to be fighting properly without any of her usual hesitations or fears. And Tatsuki. Her friend had a smile on her face she hadn't seen in ages as she sliced bugs apart with Starrk's Katana.

"Maybe Tatsuki-chan and I should train together again," she mused aloud.

(POV)

Tatsuki jerked awake to the sound of a firm but steady knocking. For a moment she was dazed and confused, not recognizing her surroundings at all. There was a shuffling from the living room and the sound of a door being opened.

She could vaguely make out the sound of two voices talking. One was definitely Ulquiorra's monotone, the other she had to frown a second to place. The events of last night slowly came to her.

"Right, Tesra-san," she murmured as she crawled out of his bed.

She stretched and made his bed back up before gathering the Katana and coming out of the bedroom into the hallway. She could see the front door and was indeed proven right. Ulquiorra's eyes darted up to hers as her movement caught his attention.

"Morning, or is it afternoon?" she asked.

"Afternoon," Tesra answered nervously.

"Damn I slept like the dead," she paused to consider the other two. "No offence."

She walked up to them noticing that Ulquiorra, while seeming indifferent, was definitely noticing her attire. Tesra's uniform with Starrk's Katana, she must have been quit the sight to him.

"It was a long night," she said by way of explanation. "Thankfully, Tesra-san here was kind enough to give me sanctuary from the madness going on."

At that explanation Ulquiorra gave a soft nod of his head in understanding.

"Thank you again for the hospitality and timely rescue last night, Tesra-san," she bowed politely to him.

"You're welcome," he offered nervously.

"I'll try and get your uniform back to you at some point."

"It's not a worry," he waved the concern away.

"Nonsense. I am sure it wont be a problem. And that thing we talking about last night, is that still open?"

His eyes widened a bit in horror and darted to Ulquiorra, but he did nod his head.

"Great. Then I am sure I can return your clothes when we meet again."

Ulquiorra turned and left the house. Tatsuki followed him, pausing only to toss a wave back at he frazzled Arrancar.

"Deal?" he asked once they were a few houses away.

"Yeah well, let me do this with a few questions. One: do you have any plans on actually Claiming me as well?"

He shot her a look of disgust.

"Exactly what I knew your answer was going to be. Two: What are the odds of more attacks like the one yesterday?"

"Plausible," he admitted.

"Three: What are the chances of us being caught either out of the house without you around or me trapped at home alone with a city full of Instinct high Arrancar that are too far gone to realize whose house they are braking into?"

"Plausible," he admitted reluctantly after a moment. "Tesra has offered to Claim you?" he guessed.

"I asked him," she corrected. "He said only with your permission since I am still technically your property. He seemed to think you would take offence and do him bodily harm if he asked so I said I would do it."

They walked in silence for some time and she could tell he was mulling the idea over in his head.

"Look, I hate leaving Orihime-chan unattended. And being locked in the house is driving me insane. You sure as hell don't want to sleep with me so let someone else deal with that issue. Once I am Claimed I can stick to her side and make sure she is protected without being the one drawing the trouble."

"You seem adamant."

"It's something that has been bothering me for a while. At let's face it, I am becoming the fifth wheel around the house now that you two got your relationship worked out. This way I can still be close by for her and at the same time out of your way."

He looked at her oddly at her comment, but seemed to get the gist of it.

"Tesra, is one of the few I would consider somewhat reliable," he commented.

"I am taking that as a yes, just so you know," she said. "But perhaps you can tell him yourself since I am not so sure he will believe me."

"This is what you want?" he asked.

"You care what I want?" she raised an eye at him.

"No, but Orihime would."

"_Boy has she got you trained already," she_ smiled. "This is what I want," she confirmed.

"Then I will speak to him about it."

"Thanks."

They came into sight of the house and he stopped walking. She jogged the last little bit, surprised by how close the two houses actually were. Orihime was waiting for her at the door, her reiatsu fluctuating a bit as her friend noticed the odd clothing she was wearing.

"Hiya," she greeted her warmly.

The wide smile on her face and the cheerful wave instantly eased the majority of the worry on Orihime's face.

"Tatsuki-chan, your clothes."

"Yeah, mine were a little soaked in gore. I got to return these later."

"Are you alright?" Orihime asked worriedly.

"Perfectly alright," Tatsuki assured her, understanding all to well the underline question Orihime was asking. "I got a few bruises that are smarting and some small cuts, but otherwise I feel fine."

"I can heal those," Orihime offered quickly.

Tatsuki was about to tell her it wasn't necessary, but stopped and just shrugged.

"If you want."

Orihime seemed relieved, more so when she finished healing her, which confirmed the fact that she was the only human in Soul Society still a virgin.

"_Which is kind of sad when you think about it seeing as how I am the oldest one here," _ Tatsuki mused.

"Are you going to change?" Orihime asked once she was done healing.

"Nah. This is actually kind of comfortable. Not really my colour, but I think I like the design," she mused. "Now then, I trust you are completely fine."

"Of course. Ulquiorra-san showed up and got me out of the battle field and I asked him to drop me off at the fourth so I could help with the wounded. I am pretty sure I saw Karin-chan there as well. What about you?"

"Oh I didn't get out of combat for a long while, and by then it was almost over and the resident hot heads were getting drunk on Victory and Sake. Fortunately, Tesra-san was kind enough to rescue my virtue and gave me a place to clean up and crash for the night."

"Oh, that is good to hear," Orihime seemed very relieved. "I have permission to go to the fourth to help heal the others and check up on our friends."

Tatsuki frowned. She didn't want Orihime out of her sight, not when several of the Arrancar might still be drugged up. There was a knock on their door. Frowning, both women went to answer it.

"Well here is a surprise," Tatsuki smirked.

"Tesra-san?" Orihime asked confused.

"Ulquiorra-sama requested that I escort you around today," he said nervously.

His eyes fell on her and she noticed he had a hint of surprise in them, no doubt because she was still wearing his uniform.

"We would love that, thank you. Who should we check up on first?" Tatsuki asked.

"Well, I don't think Karin-chan is at the Estate right now and Nanao-san and Toshiro are probably both at the meeting," Orihime mused. "So can we see Rangiku-san?" she asked.

Tesra nodded. Both girls pulled their shoes on and followed him down the street. They spent the day checking up on their friends and assisting with the wounded in the fourth. Tesra had left their side at the fourth as it was probably the safest place in the entire city. Even the Espada feared Unohana's wrath, and not just because she was Aizen's wife.

While Tatsuki had limited medical knowledge herself, she was more than willing to assist in delivering trays of food to the patients or assist the staff in moving people. Like Karin she noticed most of the staff tended to shy from the few Arrancar patients so she found Orihime and herself helping out with them a lot.

It was getting later in the day when Ulquiorra was the one to retrieve them. Orihime seemed reluctant to leave, but she didn't protest when the order for them to follow him came.

Tatsuki wasn't much surprised to see the two disappear into their room after they arrived home. Apparently they had both been so exhausted last night that they hadn't had a chance to do anything other than sleep.

Tatsuki retreated to the kitchen and started to run the water to do the dishes. The sound of running water did little to drown out the sounds coming from behind that door.

"You know, after six years you think I would have gotten use to it by now," she sighed to herself.

She jumped when there was a knocking from the front door. Grumbling, she went to answer it, wondering who would be crazy enough to disturb the household with the reiatsu output that was being giving off.

When she saw who it was everything became clear.

"So?" she asked.

"Ulquiorra-sama has given his permission providing a few rules applied," Tesra answered nervously.

"Good, can you tell them to me on the way?" she asked, glancing back towards the bedroom door as Orihime gave a rather loud gasp.

Tesra blushed and nodded his head. Tatsuki was all too pleased to pull on her shoes, grab Starrk's Katana, and follow him half a block down back to his house, where it was definitely quieter.

"So, these rules?" she prompted.

"Well, you are to continue to serve Orihime-san and our 'relationship' is not to interfere with that task. You are also welcome to live with me if you want," he said a bit nervously. "I am afraid I only have the one room though," he stammered.

Tatsuki looked back at the house they had just left.

"Even if I have to sleep on the porch I think I will take you up on that offer. If these battles become more frequent my getting any rest is going to become troublesome," she said.

They made it back to his house and she noticed he seemed pretty nervous, almost as nervous as she was feeling. Oh sure the argument made sense in her head, and definitely made sense last night, but in the light of day it felt a little awkward.

"So," she looked at him after they had taken their shoes off and were now just staring at each other in the entranceway.

"Have you eaten yet?" he asked.

"No, not since the quick bite we grabbed in the fourth division's cafeteria."

"Would you like something to eat?"

"I would like that, thank you."

She followed him into the kitchen and settled down at the table while she watched him work. The way he moved was with confidence as he pulled out everything he would need and set to work.

"Now here is a man who knows his way around the kitchen," she noted.

"So, tell me about yourself," she broke the silence.

If they were going to live together she wanted to know a bit more about him.

He pause in what he was doing briefly, clearly surprised by the question, before setting back into chopping the vegetable he was currently working on.

"What do you want to know?"

"Well, I already know your birthday and that you are Nnoitra's fraccion, but that's about it. Hobbies, likes, dislikes, any reason for the eye patch?" she prompted.

"I lost sight in my eye in an accident while training several years ago," he answered the last question first. "I suppose I enjoy cooking and serving Nnoitra-sama."

Silence.

"And you?" he asked.

"Well, I met Orihime-chan in middle school and we have been best friends since. I am a black belt in Karate and can use quite a few weapons. I enjoy Karate and just hanging out with friends. I got a creep meter that can detect one from a mile away. My blood type is A," she shrugged.

"I do not set this meter off?" he asked with a touch of amusement in his voice.

"Nope, you are clean," she smirked at him. "So, tell me something else about yourself."

"Like what?"

"How about your Zanpakuto's name?"

"Verruga."

"Interesting name."

"My resurreccion turns me into a giant, humanoid warthog," he answered.

"That aught to be interesting," she mused. "I take it you don't use it very often."

"There is never an opponent that can best Nnoitra-sama so I don't need to fight very often. Only when there is small fry Nnoitra-sama finds annoying."

They sat in silence for a while and Tatsuki just watched as he cooked. There was no doubt about it, he was definitely confident in his cooking skills. This time the silence was comfortable and she felt herself ease out of the awkwardness.

There was no reason for them to jump right into the whole Claiming thing. The way Tesra commented that she could live with him if she wanted pretty much confirmed for her that Ulquiorra had more or less given her the boot out of his house.

"_Probably because he knows Orihime-chan would be more willing to share his bed if I am not around," _ she couldn't help but to think amused.

Her thoughts were broken by the plate of food Tesra set down before her, sitting across from her as he set his own plate down.

"Oh this looks good!" She exclaimed.

"It's nothing."

"Way better than anything I can make," she commented. "So, where did you learn to cook?" she asked.

"Well, after evolving into Arrancar we needed to consume this kind of food so Aizen-kami had someone come in to cook for us. Since there were too many of us to feed at the time for once person to manage, I offered to assist."

"I thought you didn't need to eat our kind of food."

"Well, we didn't necessarily use this kind of food in our meals. Our meat was definitely not beef," he admitted.

"I think this is one of those things I am better of not knowing about. So the food here is alright for you to consume though?"

"Having been grown and raised here the product has absorbed a fair amount of reiashi," he answered.

"Oh, well I guess that's a good thing then."

"Indeed, there is so much more you can work with here."

"So what's your favourite dish?"

She listened to him talk as he recounted some of his more favourite recipes to prepare. Apparently food was his weak spot and he was more than happy to talk about it. She hadn't even realized how late it had gotten until she looked outside to realize it was dark once more while he finished up the dishes.

There was an awkward silence as he turned to face her once again after putting the last dish away.

"_And once again this is a lot easier to think about then do," _ she thought slightly amused to herself. _"__At least he seems to be just as nervous as I am," _

"So, I guess there really isn't any reason to put this off is there?" she questioned, breaking the silence.

"No, I guess not," he agreed.

She stood up and stretched, trying to appear confident even thought her heart was hammering in apprehension.

"_This is what Karin must have felt like the night she first laid with Grimmjow. And if she can get thought it then so can I. I mean, it__'__s not like I was saving myself for anyone special," _

Tatsuki unknowingly came to many of the same conclusions Karin had a year ago. A part of her just felt relief she at least found a half decent partner.

"I have never done a Claim before, nor have I had a partner that I can recall," he confessed with a slightly nervous voice.

"_Okay, that I wasn__'__t expecting," _

The fact they were both virgins was not something she had been anticipating.

"Well, that makes two of us. I guess we will just have to blunder through this together," she offered him a reassuring smirk. "There is a bathroom in your room right?"

"Yeah."

"I am going to use it if you don't mind."

"No, go ahead."

"Good. Let's say we meet in your room in a few minutes and get through what I feel is going to be an awkward situation for the both of us."

He nodded in agreement.

Tatsuki retreated to the small bathroom in his room. It really only had a toilet and sink, but that was just about all she needed. Every form of business taken care of she stepped out to notice his bedroom door was still closed and he had yet to arrive.

"_Well, one of us is going to have to lead in this and I can tell he__'__s the type who__'__s a follower, so much so it makes Ulquiorra__'__s devotion to Aizen look tame," she_ chuckled to herself.

She had always been a leader, and bowing to Ulquiorra, especially over anything concerning Orihime, had not been easy on her at all. It felt nice to take things back in charge.

Determined to get through this with as much pleasure as she could wrestle out of it, she slipped out of the borrowed clothes and crawled naked into his bed, waiting for him to arrive so they could 'get this party started.'

(POV)

He could not believe this was happening. He had never dreamed that Ulquiorra would practically shove the woman at him, as if the Espada was actually pleased to be rid of her. While he didn't understand what a 5th wheel had to do with anything, Tesra was pretty sure he understood what Tatsuki had been trying to convey.

She was the odd number out. The older sister hovering around the younger's den that she shared with her mate. Of course there was no way Orihime could return a Mating Claim, but everyone understood that she was Ulquiorra's and to disrespect her was to disrespect him. They were as close to mates as they could possibly be.

Tesra sighed and stared at himself in the mirror of his bathroom. He didn't even recall how he had gotten into this mess. He was just slightly please she had admitted to being a Virgin as well. That meant she didn't have any previous expectations he would have to live up to.

He forced his fingers to stop trembling in agitation, but he really was nervous about this. It was like the first time he had used his resurreccion, only worse. Sure he knew instinctively what to do, but if he messed it up the only one who might get hurt was him.

Granted he had never heard of a Claim being miss cast before short of the Claimer having far too much power and destroying the other, but that was in extreme cases like if Starrk tried to Claim some fresh Adjucus.

While Tatsuki was no where near as powerful as an Arrancar, she still had a decent amount of reiatsu and he was hardly anywhere near any of the Espada. His Claim would probably last for quite a while.

"_This irrational fear is doing nothing but bringing shame to Nnoitra-sama. He would be highly disappointed in me if he learned I was afraid of something as simple and tame as sex," he_ thought, forcing determination into his body.

Confident he had himself under control, he finished cleaning up and strode determinedly to his room. He was going to go in there and get this done and…..

His thoughts grounded to a full on halt as he stared at the very attractive and naked woman laying in wait on his futon. Blood left his brain without even a pause to say farewell and rushed south to where all the action was going to be.

She had a very stunning body. Leaned. Honed. Deadly. Everything one would look for in a potential mate. Her breast were not large, but they looked firm and were easily out of her fighting square. Her hips were suitably wide for child birthing and her legs long; good for sprinting should she need to escape.

The instinct part of his brain was crowing for joy and nudging his body to get in there and take it before another did. The rest of his brain was working on the few blood cells that had been too slow to make the mass exodus south and got stuck on monitor duty.

He just stared at her, and she smiled shyly back. There was a hint of nervousness in her posture and reiatsu, but other than that she seemed to be completely confident. She sat up and gestured for him to come towards her.

Numbly, a few blood cells reluctantly left Monitor duty to inform the nerve centre the legs needed to move. He closed the distance between them until he was standing before her.

After a moment she stood up and glanced shyly up at him before reaching a hand out and slowly started to run the zipper of his trench coat down. He felt his mouth go dry and numbly noticed how warm her hands were when they trailed over the skin of his stomach on their trek to his shoulders before she brushed the trench coat off to land in a pool behind him.

"Nice," she murmured as she ran her hands over his own toned muscles.

She stared at it curiously for a moment, before her hands and attention drifted further South and tangled into the belt of his Hakama. With deft fingers that too was soon undone and his Hakama fell to the floor to join his coat.

She let in a sharp intake of breath and the blood that had traveled south cheered that their work was clearly being appreciated before it stared to sing as a hand wrapped gently around him.

"Soft, warm, yet hard," she murmured. "Heaven forbid those smut mags those girls use to read were actually accurate on something."

He had no idea what she meant by 'smut mags' but she was welcome to keep touching and stroking him. Her hands were far more pleasurable then the very few times his own had explored that far.

Suddenly she let him go and he looked at her disappointed, only to notice she was sitting on the futon and gesturing for him to join her. He almost stumbled as he sat down beside her.

Her hands returned to his body, trailing over his skin and leading him to lay down beside her. She seemed curious and he was content to just let her hands roam wherever they wanted to.

Her hands brush over his nipples caused them to stiffen and he let out an involuntary twitch of pleasure. Her fingers back tracked and started to play with them. He let out a gasp and some more blood cells managed to sucker the rest and run down the emergency hatch to the south where the party was.

One hand drifted north and hesitantly her fingers traced over the head piece his mask fragment made. She seemed curious about it, but it was a curiosity that seemed to be quickly sated for she ducked her head suddenly and her mouth wrapped around the nipple that her hand had abandoned.

He gave a sharp intake of breath as pleasure raced through him, amplified only when the hand that now had no target ran along his body until it reached the party. His blood sang in praise as her fingers wrapped around him and once more started to stroke softly.

He squirmed in pleasure beneath her. For a so called Virgin, she certainly seemed to know how to make him hot and he wondered if it has something to do with those 'smut mags' she had mentioned earlier.

Her thumb brushed over his tip and worked its way under the foreskin, stroking against his head in a slow circle that had him bucking his hips into her hand while clenching his own hands in pleasure.

Apparently the few blood cells on monitor duty couldn't keep up with the information the nervous system was sending their way. Even his so called Instinct was dumbfounded. He wasn't sure how long she played with him, hell he couldn't recall when her mouth had traveled to the other nipple or when the other one had been abandoned as she slipped her fingers between her own legs to prepare herself the best she could.

When her hand finally trailed away from him, if she hadn't he might have cum there and than, a few disappointed blood cells reluctantly made the trip back North to help actually run his body.

Her mouth left his nipple and the look she sent him was one that was full of lust and power. It sent his body trembling. When she untangled her body from his enough blood cells must have made it back to his brain for he was capable of moving and controlling his actions once more.

Instinct finally seemed to give its own head a shake, smacking his back down into obedience, and he started to move as if in a trance. She seemed to sense he was ready for she positioned herself on her hand and knees while he kneeled behind her.

The view from back here was a good one as well and he let his hands trail over her hips and cup her rear, messaging those cheeks while he gathered his scattered reiatsu about him.

When instinct gave the all green that everything was as ready as it was going to be, he thrust into her with a single solid thrust, tearing through her hymen and pouring a good amount of his reiatsu into her.

She let out a gasp and curse that sounded half in pain and half in pleasure. He rested in her for a moment, shocked at how tight and warm and just damn good it felt to be inside of her.

Instinct took over and he pulled out to thrust in more gently and slowly this time, letting his reiatsu flow into her. She let out another gasp of pleasure and muttered some more. He kept the pace steady for the first bit until instinct jerked what little control he had completely out of his hands and he started to thrust into her at a far faster rate, earning shocked cries of pleasure.

His blood and instinct roared in delight at having tamed this amazing creature and before he even realized what he was doing, his teeth bit into her neck and started to drink her blood infused with both of their reiatsu's.

Sparks flashed before his eyes as he came violently into her and she let lose a scream of pleasure that nearly left him deft. When it was over he felt all traces of energy leave him and he nearly collapsed on top of her.

He had never felt so drained, and yet so sated, in his life. He managed to bring them both down on their sides and barely had enough sense left to pull out of her before pulling her warm body against his and promptly blacking out.

* * *

Regrettably, I am still very busy and not syre when I will get some more time. Love you all though


	42. Confrontation of the Past: Family

Confrontation of the Past:

Family

With everything that had happened after the attack it took a while before things settled down a bit. Ukitake and Nanao spent hours at work, barely coming home to sleep. It was made worse with the fact they both apparently lost their respective fukutaichou to the beetles.

Even Grimmjow and Starrk were rarely home with the constant patrols. But today it would seem Ukitake was home before midnight. Karin left Ajuga asleep curled up on the futon next to her father while she met up with a clearly exhausted Ukitake.

"Karin-chan, you are up late," Ukitake greeted her tiredly.

"Yeah, I have been waiting for you," she admitted.

"Oh?" he looked at her curiously.

"I have some questions. About my father."

Ukitake looked at her surprised, before his face softened and he gave a soft nod of his head in understanding.

"I figured this day might come. Would you join me in my chambers for a pot of tea?"

She nodded and followed him into his set of rooms. She had never been in his set of rooms before and she noticed that it was set up rather homely with a fair number of family pictures.

"Is this Hana-chan's father?" she asked, picking up a photo of him with a man wearing the Kimono she had noticed Nanao wore a lot.

"Hai, that is Kyoraku Shunsui," Ukitake agreed, setting the kettle to boil. "We were students together and the first Taichou to graduate," he recalled fondly.

"Hana-chan sure got a lot of his features," Karin noted, setting the picture of the two smiling men back down.

"More then that," Ukitake chuckled. "Her mischievous behaviour is only partially Lilinette-chan's fault. She comes by it honestly. I honestly pity Starrk-san as the girl gets older."

Karin nodded and sat down at the table.

"Just wait until Ajuga-chan decides to start stalking larger prey. Then Starrk-san will surly get no rest, because we all know Lilinette-chan and Hana-chan will set her up to it," Karin chuckled,.

Ukitake joined her for he knew she was right. Starrk was definitely going to have a field day with the three girls when they got older.

"What is the story with Starrk-san anyway? He is far different from the other Arrancar."

"He was so powerful that any who approached him died, as such he suffered a lonely existence until he split his soul and Lilinette was born. Even then none could approach them."

"I see," Karin smiled softly, understanding the unbearable pain of loneliness herself.

How it had hurt to watch the other girls frolic with their mothers and hear their praise. Her father had not been the best role model either.

"So, my father," Karin prompted.

"Yes, of course. I am one of the few that truly knew him, the others were Urahara, Yoruichi, Unohana and Shunsui. Of course Yamamoto-jiji did as well. To everyone else he was just another Shinigami.

"He rose through the ranks quickly, as expected of someone with his background, and eventually took over the Third Division before Shunsui or I even graduated," he chuckled.

"So he was a Taichou?" she asked surprised.

"Indeed," Ukitake confirmed, pouring the boiling water into the tea pot and finally joining her at the table.

"Was he always so excitable and crazy?" she asked.

"You have no idea," Ukitake chuckled. "The Kyoraku family actually tried to have him charged for corrupting their son. The case fell through though because Shunsui was crazy enough as it was before he met Isshin and there was too much recorded evidence to disprove it."

Ukitake sighed and had a faraway look in his eyes, a slight smile on his lips as he clearly remembered better times. Karin let him daydream for a moment while she poured them both a cup of tea.

"Forgive me. It has been a long time since I have had a chance or cause to reflect upon those times. They were so very long ago," he apologized.

"It's alright," she assured him.

"Anyway. Isshin was someone special, that's for sure. You see, he was the last son of the Reio and came to Soul Society to make something of himself."

Karin nearly dropped her cup in shock.

"What?" she looked at him in shock.

"It is true, Karin-chan. Royal blood flows through your veins. Because of who your father was the information he was royalty was kept a secret from the rest of Soul Society. Isshin trusted us with the information of who he was, but I must confess I never knew he had children."

"Then Kurosaki…..is not my father's name?"

"No. My best guess would be that it is your mother's, or a name Isshin came up with after he left Soul Society."

"Why did my father leave?"

"I am afraid that is one answer I do not know," he confessed.

Karin frowned as she digested the news.

"Does Aizen know?" she asked.

"That Isshin is your father yes, but not that he is of Royal Blood."

Karin nodded. This was definitely a dozy, and could explain the strange strand of DNA Szayel had discovered.

"_So, if that strange DNA is from the royal line, than does that mean that both Ajuga-chan and I have Royal Blood flowing through our veins,"_ she wondered.

She wanted to ask more, but was far too aware that Ukitake could be forced to talk if she revealed something Aizen might one day be interested in. It wasn't that she didn't trust him or Starrk-san, but if Aizen said talk, Starrk would be forced to make him talk, through the Claim if necessary.

"Does anyone else have Royal Blood?" she asked curiously.

"Well, it is said the four great noble families are descendant of the Royal Line, as well as several of the other noble clans," Ukitake mused.

"The Four Noble Families?" she asked.

"Hai. The only two left now are Kuchiki and Kyoraku."

Karin frowned at that information and vowed to have Hana's blood checked the next time they visited Szayel. If the same DNA strand was in hers then there was a fair good bet it was Royal Blood that was messing with Szayel's equipment.

"By the way, the Kyoraku family is unaware of Hana-chan's existence. They suffered some heavy loses and I know Shunsui doesn't want the kind of life a Noble lives for his daughter. It would break Nanao-chan's heart to have her daughter taken from her."

"Taken?" Karin asked coldly.

"Since she was conceived out of wedlock, the family has a legal right to Claim her."

"I can assure you I will let no such thing happen," Karin growled dangerously.

Ukitake smiled warmly at her.

"So I see. You have much in common with your brother."

Karin felt a brief clench of pain at the mention of her brother and how her last words to him had been so harsh. More so, she recalled the creature he had turned into and what he had done to Szayel.

"Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, Ukitake-san," she thanked him politely.

"We have known each other for some time, and I have a feeling we will be living together for even longer. Please, call me Jushiro," he requested warmly.

Karin couldn't help but to smile softly.

"As you wish, Jushiro-san. Once again, thank you for the information."

"It was my pleasure. If you will excuse me, I should get some sleep. Tomorrow promises to be another long day."

"Of course. Good night, Jushiro-san."

"Good night, Karin-chan,"

Karin finished the last sip of her tea before bowing her way out and returning to her own room. Ajuga continued to sleep like the dead curled up like a kitten next to her father. Karin couldn't help but to smile softly and tuck a stray strand of hair behind her daughter's furred ear.

Her ear twitched at the movement, just like any other cats, causing Karin's smile to widen slightly. Ajuga made a funny noise and twitched her pawed feet.

"Chasing mice again, Ajuga-chan?" Karin asked softly.

"At least something as big a boar. She's my daughter after all," Grimmjow mumbled, blinking blurry blue eyes up at her.

"Of course, what was I thinking?" she humoured him.

"Where were you?" he asked.

"I had to ask Jushiro-san something," she answered.

"Jushiro?" Grimmjow questioned, making room for her as she crawled into bed next to him.

"He said we are past the point of being so formal."

"Sounds like him," Grimmjow grunted.

Ajuga twitched some more and made some more mewing noises.

"Yep, definitely a boar," Karin chuckled before giving her mate a kiss and settling in beside him to get some sleep of her own.

Tomorrow she would have to head to the Science Division to speak to Szayel, consolidate their information and have Hana-chan's blood checked out. She hoped that the results would be negative, but with their luck she doubted it.

It was with great sickness in every inch of his being, heart, mind and soul, that Byakuya followed Yammy to the Science Division. He could not believe his family had agreed to this abomination.

"Oi, where is that pussy Szayel," Yammy bellowed as they barged through the front doors.

"Yammy-sama, Kuchiki-sama," Nemu bowed politely to them both. "Szayel-sama is indisposed at the moment," she informed them.

"Bull shit. He can make time to see me," Yammy growled. "I need him to do something."

"I am sorry, but he is very busy," Nemu said again.

"What ever he is doing can't be that important," Yammy snorted, storming through the building.

Reluctantly, Byakuya followed behind him. Arrancar and Shingami ducked out of his way as Yammy marched to the room they could feel Szayel's reiatsu coming from.

"Oi. I got a job for you," Yammy barked, kicking the door clear off it's hinges.

Instantly a child began to wail in terror and a rather furious woman turned her glare upon them. A glare that threatened death and even caused Yammy to pause a moment. Although rather it was the glare or the obvious fact Szayel was looking a fair bit younger that made Yammy pause was up to debate.

"Do you have a shred of decency?" Karin snapped in anger while trying to calm a now hysterical Ajuga down while Hana looked like she was barely holding back tears of her own.

"I, uh," Yammy looked at them a bit stunned.

"What is so important you had to barge in here busting down my doors, Yammy?" Szayel asked just as coldly.

"I got a little project for you."

"Whatever it is can wait unless if it is a project from Kami himself. I am busy enough with projects as it is."

"It won't take long."

"Really?" Szayel looked at him with a raised brow.

"Yeah it…. What the hell?" Yammy questioned, striding up to him.

Byakuya hated to admit it, but he was confused. Granted following such a simple brain as Yammy's wasn't easy, but there was nothing he could see in the room to distract the brute from his mission.

"When the hell did you get Claimed?"

"_Claimed_?" Byakuya looked at Szayel in surprise.

"It is none of your business, Yammy. A simple experiment to determine the length of a Claim verse reiatsu levels when the Claimer has a smaller pool than the one Claimed," Szayel answered smoothly.

"So why are you Claimed?"

Szayel elegantly face palmed, and if Byakuya was not above such things he would have done the same. Was there no end to Yammy's seeming stupidity.

"Please, Yammy, you are giving me a migraine with your stupidity."

"_That makes more than one of us,"_ Byakuya silently agreed.

"Whatever it is you want done, leave the information with Nemu and I will see if I can make time in my busy schedule to look at it," Szayel sighed in exasperation.

"Fine, but I better hear back from you soon or….."

"Yammy, if you do not stop terrifying my child I will show you exactly what I did to bloody up Nnoitra," Karin interrupted with a snap.

Yammy looked at her shocked. Byakuya was just as surprised by her audacity to speak back to one of the Espada like that.

"Lucky Aizen-kami has an interest in you and that brat," Yammy snarled.

"Good for me then," she offered him a golf clap. "Now get out before I inform Aizen-kami you saw fit to interrupt one of his experiments," she threatened.

Ajuga stopped crying and was glaring at Yammy, as was Hana, all be it from behind Karin's leg.

"If you don't mind, I need to get back to this rather important project," Szayel said.

"Fine, fine," Yammy growled, turning and stomping back out.

They were halfway down the hall when Yammy suddenly stopped.

"Was it just me or did Szayel look younger?" Yammy asked confused.

Byakuya held back a groan as pain spiked through his brain at the other's stupidity, but did give his head a small nod.

"Interesting. Wonder if old man Barragan asked him to figure that project out," Yammy mussed before continuing their trek down the hall to leave their request with Nemu.

Truthfully, Byakuya was just pleased Szayel seemed far too busy to fulfill the request. Nemu, on the other hand, took the request at heart and even offered an alternative to their plans.

"You can do that?" Yammy asked in interesting.

"Hai. It is easier and more reliable than your request. All I would need is a sample from Kuchiki-sama and yourself," she confirmed.

"That doesn't sound fun at all. The first way sounded funner," Yammy frowned.

"_More fun. Funner is not a word,"_ Byakuya corrected absently.

Honestly, Nemu's way of gaining a child from the two of them was far better in his opinion. Samples of their DNA in a test tube was far more suitable than implanting him with a fêtes that would need to be surgically inserted and removed once the child was grown.

Granted, producing a child with Yammy's DNA corrupting the line was something he was shocked the elders had even agreed to. Yes they needed an Heir, but producing one with Yammy of all creatures was enough to make his pride cringe more then the thought of Kurosaki daring to sleep with Rukia.

He had to hold back a shudder at that sudden thought. Kurosaki had better be doing nothing more with Rukia other than making sure she remained safe from Aizen's clutches and this hell. Regrettable, Byakuya was not that naive.

"Isn't there a way to make this method as fun as the other one?" Yammy demanded, breaking Byakuya from his thoughts.

"I will need semen samples from you both to proceed," Nemu commented, holding up two glass vials. "Do you have an egg donor?" she asked.

"I think those old fools mentioned something along those lines," Yammy snorted.

Nemu looked to Byakuya, who gave a reluctant nod of his head. The elders had declared they had an egg donor ready should they receive positive feedback from Szayel and they could proceed.

"I will need the eggs as well."

He gave another nod of his head as he accepted the vials from Nemu.

"Well, come along, Chicchai Hime. We should get these vials filled and pick up those eggs."

Byakuya wanted to sigh in exasperation. He just knew that Yammy was thinking of something along the lines of a chicken egg. Something they would just pick up and bring with them.

Still, if Yammy continued to mess this up then it just meant that it would take longer to 'grow' an heir. As far as Byakuya was concerned that was just fine. Perhaps he might even find a way to dispose of Yammy's samples so that the child could be fathered by him alone.

Nemu did say that there wasn't a guaranteed success rate because of how difficult it was to fertilize Shinigami and Hollow eggs. After all, if it had been easy Szayel would have already had a hoard of unique offspring running amok to experiment on. There were also still no conformations that Hollows and Shingami could breed with each other as of yet.

(POV)

"Wonder what they wanted?" Karin groused after Yammy and Byakuya had left. "Whatever it was Byakuya-san seemed less than thrilled. She noted silently.

"Knowing Yammy, nothing important," Szayel frowned.

Of all people to have noticed the fact he was Claimed, it had been that idiot. Still, the excuse he had come up with was a rather good one. Karin had forbidden him from mentioning the fact she had Claimed him, it was a secret he was to take to his grave and beyond.

Just like the secret of her blood. Szayel had been beyond shocked to learn about her Royal Lineage. It definitely explained the strange strand. Hana had been thrilled that this time she got to donate some blood as well.

"Well, shall we run this through the machine?" Szayel asked.

Ajuga squealed in delight and Hana cheered as he set both girls down on his chair so they could be amazed at the pretty colours flashing across the control panel.

"Do mine first," Karin ordered.

"As you wish, Karin-sama," he bowed to her.

"Szayel," She warned irritably.

She found it uncomfortable to be addressed that formally, even by him. She had been surprised that he seemed to take to the title happily. Somehow she had a feeling he only added the 'sama' to her name because he knew it made her uncomfortable.

"Hai, hai," he waved at her.

The newest piece of equipment started up its cycle to decode her DNA. As much as Szayel wished for it to be so, somehow he doubted this run would yield results. In over a year he hadn't had any success yet with decoding her DNA.

"It's neat. What is it?" Hana asked.

"That is a strand of DNA," he explained.

"DNA?" Hana looked up at him with real curiosity.

"That's right. It's an anachronism for Deoxyribonucleic acid."

"What is that?" Hana asked.

"It's what determines how your body is built. What color your hair will be, or your eyes."

"Really! So without looking you could tell my hair colour?" she asked excitedly.

Hana seemed genuinely interested and before he knew it he was lost in explaining the basics of the 'human' body to her.

"Szayel, stop the machine," Karin suddenly shouted.

His brain was still caught in shock at her sudden cry, but his Claim enforced body quickly obeyed.

"What?" he looked at the monitor, realizing the machine was just touching on the strange strand of her DNA.

"I see," she murmured. "You are right, it does look like some kind of Kido. I saw a flash of reiatsu from the sample and a very complex," she paused, clearly trying to find the words for what she saw, "spell I guess," she settled on, "flare up. I have never seen such a weaving, I don't think I could unravel it if I stared at it for years on end it's so complex."

"Well, at least you saved my equipment," he declared.

"Indeed," Karin frowned. "Check Hana-chan's," Karin ordered.

"Right,"

They pulled out her vial of blood and inserted the one containing Hana's before setting the machine on its cycle.

Hana leaned forward eagerly as her strand slowly unravel on the screen.

"That's me right?" she asked excitedly.

"Yes."

The machine ran through it's cycle and once more he found himself answering Hana's questions. Her strand was almost complete done when Karin shouted in warning and once again his body reacted before his mind could register her shout of warning.

"Well, this is interesting," he mused.

"And you will not say a word about it. Strange, it almost made it to the end of her strand. A more distant relative perhaps," Karin mused. "Jushiro-san did mention the Noble Families were distant relations."

"An acceptable hypothesis," Szayel agreed. "Apparently you are far more interesting than I first figured, Hana-chan," he smiled at her.

Ajuga made a protesting sound and looked to be pouting.

"Oh don't worry Ajuga-chan, you are still my favourite test subject," he smiled at her.

She gave a squeal of delight and reached towards him. He caught her as she tumbled out of the chair and swung her up into his arms, earning another delighted squeal as she reached for his glasses. He was now long practiced in keeping them out of her reach.

"Have you ever thought about having children of your own?" Karin asked.

"Of course. Nemu and I are trying now by natural methods.

"Nemu?" Karin asked amused.

"Indeed. She seemed rather happy to participate. I am going to give it a total of ten years before going for other methods. As you know birth rates are low among our respective races."

"I suppose it's only natural a woman would crave a child at some point in her life," Karin shrugged.

"A genetic responsibility as ingrained as a males need to mate," he agreed.

"Well, keep up the research and as usual keep it from anyone else," Karin ordered, gathering up the brats.

"As you wish, Karin-sama," he bowed deeply towards her.

She sighed at him, but didn't order him to stop.

"Now, let's see what on earth that imbecile Yammy wanted," he hummed.

"Oh, and Szayel," Karin popped her head in the room.

"Hai, Karin-sama?" he smiled innocently at her.

"If Yammy request that you alter Byakuya-san in anyway, or do anything else Byakuya-san clearly doesn't want to do, refuse. Make up some plausible excuse. You have done enough damage to him as it is," she scowled at him.

"Hai, Hai Karin-sama," he sighed tiredly. _"__Curses, there goes any fun I might have had,"_ he moaned inward.

* * *

When I wrote this chapter, some time several months ago, I was watching Junior. I have no idea what my update schedule is going to be looking like since I am so exhausted these days


	43. Aizen's Frustration

Warnings: This chapter contains a scene of torture, reader discretion is advised.

Aizen's Frustration

He had gained almost everything he desired, and yet clearly out there something still tried to defy him. The invasion onto his grounds, not once but twice now, was unacceptable.

True his forces had dealt with the threat, but it was inexcusable that anything should dare to touch what was his. He felt frustrated for the very first time in an uncountable span of years.

There was nothing on these creatures. No word from where they came from in ANY records. What more, Unohana had still failed to produce him an heir. He had expected it to take some time, as she had commented before birthrates among Shinigami were low, but still he had expected something by now.

But she remained stubbornly barren. Fertility tests on them both confirmed they were fertile, and yet she refused to catch his seed.

Aizen frowned as he looked out over his private garden. Perhaps he had been looking at the wrong culprit. After all, when it came to deceit there was only one as skilled as he was, arguably more so for he did not have a Zanpakuto to assist with his illusions of trust.

"Gin," Aizen called.

"Hai, Aizen-kami," Gin appeared by his side, a smirk on his face as if they were still comrades.

But to Aizen's trained eye he could see the other was terrified. The way his hands, despite behind clasped hidden beneath the sleeves of his plain, white Yukuta, were trembling. The way there was a slight tick of his foot.

"That tea Retsu seems to favour. Can you make me a cup please?" he requested politely.

"Ah, Aizen-kami wouldn't like it. It is far too bitter," Gin tried to persuade.

"Are you questioning my request, Gin?" Aizen asked sweetly.

This time the other failed to hide his trembling.

"Gin, Gin. I should have suspected sooner. I was far too trusting. I will deal out your punishment after I deal with my errant wife. Retsu is well trained enough to recognize anything you might have put into her tea."

"Wait, Aizen-kami. She didn't know," Gin quickly protested.

Aizen narrowed his eyes at the man. The other was trembling heavily now, both in terror and from the overwhelming force of Aizen's displeased reiatsu bearing down upon him. Surprisingly, Gin didn't beg forgiveness.

"Please, Aizen-kami, she didn't know what I was doing. It's something I found in Kurotsuchi's research ages ago."

"Oh," Aizen prompted.

"Hai. The leaves themselves are harmless enough," Gin bit his lip, clearly unwilling to continue.

"Gin," Aizen warned.

There was a flash of terror, followed by shame from the other.

"But when it's mixed with another seemingly harmless and common herb it becomes active and causes the reproductive system to flush itself," Gin finished, eyes cast aside.

"Really Gin. Are you trying to deceive me."

"No," the other quickly denied, eyes going wide.

Those eyes widened deliciously when Aizen grasped his chin and pulled his face centimetres from his own.

"I see. I expect to see these research papers in five minutes Gin. Go fetch them."

The other nodded his head weakly and Aizen released his grip.

"Oh Gin," he called, not bothering to turn around and face the other.

The other paused on his way to the door.

"If you are not back in the allotted time with the correct information, I will have your punishment dealt upon both Retsu and Rangiku, while you watch."

He could feel the other stiffen in horror behind him.

"You are wasting time."

With that he felt Gin flash away. Aizen smiled and raised his tea to his lips before pausing and looking at it suspiciously before chuckling and taking a drink.

"Even after all this time, you still have me guessing Gin. But then, that is what I always enjoyed about you," Aizen commented to the empty room.

He was almost finished his cup when Gin returned, several papers clutched tightly in hand. Very reluctantly, Gin handed them over. Aizen smoothed them out and read.

"I see. Interesting," Aizen noted.

It was. Apparently the twin herbs, whose names were nigh unpronounceable, were going to originally be employed against the Quincy to eradicate them in a slower, more humane way. It wasn't Kurotsuchi who had discovered it, but rather Urahara, which would indeed explain Unohana's lack of knowledge.

"Very interesting," Aizen noted, taking a sip from his now refilled cup. "Perhaps it is time I return the favour."

"Aizen-kami?" Gin asked uncertainly.

"Come Gin. It has been a while since we last visit the dungeon. I believe it is time to visit it again."

He smiled as the other stiffened in abject terror.

"Would you rather I send Retsu down instead?"

Gin gave his head a violent shake and reluctantly followed him to the lower levels of the Palace. After all, what Palace was complete without a dungeon and torture chamber?

"I am most displeased with you Gin. After I spared your life, permitting you to serve my Wife instead of leaving you to rot in a dungeon, this is how you repay my kindness? A pity," Aizen actually sounded disappointed.

"It won't happen again Aizen-kami. I promise."

"Be silent Gin."

The other remained silent as they finished their trek to a room the silver haired man was all too familiar with. Aizen could feel the others body trembling behind him. The real question was just how to punish the boy for his treachery?

Despite his threats Aizen would never torture Rangiku or Retsu as long as Gin was willing to take the punishment. The day Gin faltered in the others protection was the day Aizen would kill the boy, for he would have no more leverage to use.

"Strip."

Gin obediently let his simple yukuta pool on the ground around his feet while Aizen walked amongst the equipment of the room, running his hands fondly over the pieces as he passed them.

"I think this one will do. Come, Gin. I hardly need to tell you what to do anymore. You are familiar with everything in here after all," Aizen smiled pleasantly at him.

The other gulped, and with a body that trembled heavily, Gin walked up to the curved wooden beam with a single knob of wood sticking up and restraints at both ends. The curved beam was just wide enough to settle between his shoulder blades and was exceptionally uncomfortable to lay on, the little knob of wood was perhaps the most uncomfortable part.

Gin hesitated as he approached the rather innocent looking contraption. He shot a helpless, begging look at him. Aizen simply smiled warmly. With shaking hands, Gin hoisted himself up onto the beam and winced painfully as the little knob of wood was forced up his unprepared passage and his back was arched as he laid upon the beam.

Gin did his best to try and curl up on the narrow, curved beam before Aizen caught one of his ankles and slipped it into the first restraint, pulling it taunt. The rest of his limbs were similarity treated until he was pulled completely taunt over the board.

"Are we comfortable, Gin?" Aizen asked politely.

(POV)

Gin's back was already killing him being pulled taunt in this position with the hardened piece of wood shoved up his rear. The length of it had been measured specifically for him and the more he squirmed to try and alleviate the agony in his aching back from being tied in a backward bowed position on a narrow board, the more the end of the knob of wood tortured his prostate.

It was a mixture of agony and pleasure that had sweat breaking out all over his body almost instantly. He tried to hold back his whimpers, to deny the other as much pleasure from his torment as he could.

"Ah Gin, I had almost forgotten how delicious you look spread out like that. Shall we begin?"

He bit his tongue and remained silent, trying his best to hold completely still, but it was not easy as his back ached ever so painfully. He let out an involuntary gasp when one squirm ran the wood ever so tortuously over his prostate.

"Ah, there we go. I knew you enjoyed this as much as I do, Gin," Aizen's smirk was more in his minds eye than his sight.

Gin's eyes were screwed shut as he fought with his body. He felt the clamps latch onto his nipples shortly before a flux of electricity raced through him. He cried out and arched his back, causing the knob of wood to drive up into his prostate. His cry of pain was followed quickly by a cry of pleasure.

"Ah my dear Gin. I see you still love to be tortured. Look how much it has turned you on," Aizen commented.

He felt what he knew from experience was the handle of a crop prod his shameful erection. A moment after he felt a leather thong wrap firmly around it's base.

"What a bad boy you are Gin. Normal people do not enjoy being tortured," Aizen taunted. "But then, you were never normal."

The whistle of air was the only warning he got before the crop slapped harshly against his inner thigh. He cried out and flinched; the wood digging into his back and the knob jabbing into him again.

The crop came down again and again. Each slap gaining a cry of pain mixed with pleasure and before long tears were streaming down his face and his body was completely soaked in sweat.

"Such a naughty boy you are Gin. Enjoying this," Aizen chuckled.

The crop came down again, but it didn't land on his thighs this time. Instead it slapped heavily upon his erection and he screamed out in agony as his back arched off the curved beam and he pulled uselessly against his restraints.

Bruises were quickly forming on his wrist to add to his pain and discomfort. He panted heavily, trying to curl up to protect his testicles and being unable. The pain was unbearable and he cried unashamed.

The leather thong made sure he was still fully erect despite the pain and the crop slapped harshly against the other side, earning another scream of pain and back arching. His body was wracked in sobs, causing that knob to abuse his prostate.

He hated it. Hated Aizen with all of what was left of his being. But there was nothing he could do against the other. His best attempt had failed and now he would suffer for eternity for failing to avenge his childhood friend.

"That's enough of that now I think. Clearly you are in need of different punishment as you seem to be enjoying this too much," Aizen sighed in false disappointment.

Gin lay panting and whimpering. Just wanting it to end but knowing it would be hours and hours yet before Aizen tired of the game. Truthfully, Gin was positive Aizen had already been frustrated and was probably going to torture him anyway over the issue with the unknown bugs. The issue with Unohana just gave Aizen a more valid excuse to exert his frustration on his helpless victim.

"Open," Aizen ordered, pressing a round ball to his lips.

It wasn't hard to obey considering he was panting desperately for breath as it was. The ball was shoved in and he clenched his teeth around the plastic thing as the straps were wrapped around his head to hold it in place.

"It is getting late. I hardly desire that your racket keeps my darling wife up all night when she has so much work to do. A pity, for I do so enjoy hearing your screams."

He tried to shot a hate filled gaze at his tormentor, but he couldn't get his eyes to open as they were clenched shut in pain and humiliation. Even if he did open them it was doubtful he would see much past the mist of his tears.

There was another spark of electricity from the clamps still on his nipples, earning a muffled scream and another arching of his back and assault on his prostate.

"Yes, much quieter," Aizen said pleased. "Open your eyes Gin."

He forced them to open, and his theory proved right. His vision was nothing but a blur for the tears that pooled in them. Perhaps it was for the best because this way he was unable to see the false, caring face of Kami.

"Ah, so much have they changed," Aizen commented as he walked towards the wall full of various other items intended for torture. "I recall when we first met, such a vivid blue they were. So full of life and promise. However," Aizen pulled down a paddle and walked back to him, "now they are barely a dull grey. A pity," Aizen actually frowned for a moment.

Gin tried to glare at him, but it wasn't working out so well through the well of tears.

"I wonder?" Aizen never finished and seemed to be musing about something, tapping his chin with the edge of the paddle.

He suddenly bore it down across Gin's stomach. Gin gasped and tried to curl up, the restraints digging painfully into his wrists and feet and once more the arching of his back drove the knob full on into his prostate while scrapping painfully against his walls as he shifted violently side to side as well.

"Would your eyes go back to sky blue if I let you see her, even talk to her?" Aizen mused.

Despite his growing delirium, Gin froze at the promise in those words. He had seen Rangiku once a year at the Claim Meetings, but he had never been permitted to speak to her, to see how Nnoitra was treating her.

In fact, he was almost never permitted out of the wing of the palace that 'belonged' to Unohana. It was his duty to make sure the wing was spotless and the gardens tended to.

"A pity, I had actually been considering it before this betrayal of the trust I had given you," Aizen's eyes narrowed at him. "How do I know I can trust you with my Wife at all now Gin?" Aizen asked coldly, bringing the paddle down to slap heavily on his chest.

Gin gasped, but his ribs protected him from the worse of the damage. Most of the pain came from the clamps being jarred. Aizen seemed unsatisfied and the paddle slammed back down almost immediately, this time across the underside of his upper, left arm.

Gin's upper body jerked painfully against his restraints and another sob was torn from his throat. He hadn't heard this much anger in Aizen's voice in a very long time and he wondered if there would be any release this time, or if Aizen was fully planning on torturing him to death.

"Well, what have you to say for yourself Gin? Should I give you another chance?" Aizen asked, pulling the ball out of his mouth.

"Please, Aizen-kami," he whimpered.

"Please," Aizen prompted.

"I won't do it again. I swear. Please," he gasped, his accent coming through heavily in his distress. "Please," he begged.

He felt like his spine was nothing but a fused piece of agony. His wrist and ankles felt like they had been chafed to the bone. His passage was a mix of agony from the wood and pleasure from the same wood. The bruises from the paddle and crop were still smarting painfully.

"I see. I almost think I believe you are sincere Gin. But then, I thought you were sincere before as well."

"Please," Gin begged.

He knew this would just go further and get far more painful and humiliating.

Aizen was once more staring at him in contemplation, tapping the head of the paddle against his chin. He reached out with one hand and once more Gin's back arched as electrical current raced down the clamps.

He didn't know how long he begged between the slaps of the paddle against his flesh and the arcs of electricity. At one point Aizen shoved the ball back in his mouth so as not to disturb his 'dear wife's' slumber with his pained screams.

Eventually he ran out of tears to shed and his entire body was trembling with exhaustion. Blood flowed freely from where the restraints had sliced into his wrists and ankles during his struggles. He swore his vertebrae were shattered based from the agony of his thrashing on the beam.

"Well Gin?" Aizen asked sweetly, once more pulling the ball from his mouth.

"I won't do it again," he rasped heavily accented. "I promise. Please, Aizen-kami."

His voice was so hoarse from screaming and crying it was a wonder he could even speak, let alone anyone understand him even without the thick accent.

"I think I might believe you this time," Aizen smiled. "If you don't move."

With that, Aizen undid the restraint on his ankles. It took all of his will power not to try and curl up, but to remain still, more so when the restraints on his wrist were loosened.

"Now, don't move," Aizen warned again.

An arc of electricity raced over him one last time, causing his back to arc. With the restraints no longer holding him in place Gin toppled off of the board to crash painfully to the floor, the wooden knob tearing the delicate flesh of his insides. Aizen frowned down at him.

"A pity. I had thought we came to an understanding."

Gin didn't move, didn't argue. He just curled up and sobbed dryly in agony. Aizen's foot came down and kicked him onto his back before pinning him down on his chest. Gin lay there panting.

"You aren't even coherent anymore, are you?"

Gin didn't answer, he didn't even hear the question for the throbbing of blood finally flowing back to his abused joints and the searing pain of his back and rear.

"Gin," Aizen pressed down on his chest, making breathing just that much more difficult. "Gin," This time there was a hint of impatience.

"Hai, Aizen-kami?" he managed to wheeze out.

"This will be your last chance before I end your miserable existence. Stand up," Aizen ordered, removing his foot from Gin's chest.

Gin looked up at him in shock. There was no way he could stand, but still he struggled. Slowly forcing himself to his hands and knees. He leaned on the beam for support and shakily got to his feet.

His legs trembled and his back was still washed with sharp agony. Blood ran freely down his body from his abused joints and rear. But he managed to stand, even if most of his weight was on the board.

"Good," Aizen purred into his ear, and he found himself shivering from his assailants breath as it ghosted over his ear.

With deft fingers, the leather thong was finally removed and Gin let out a soft sob of relief as the blood that had been trapped was finally free to return to his body. There was no way he would stay hard with the agony he was in.

"One last thing before I let you return to your duties Gin."

Aizen walked away from him and returned shortly with a Katana Gin would have recognized had he been blind.

"Shinso," he muttered desperately.

It had been so long since he had seen his Zanpakuto that he felt his eyes slowly water again. Apparently he did have a few tears left to fall.

"Clearly you have too much time on your hands if you had time to plot against me. So let's make sure you have less to fill."

Suddenly the pain he was in no longer mattered. It was as if the agony was washed away in sudden terror as he looked up horrified into Aizen's warm visage.

"Hold out your hand, Gin," Aizen ordered, brandishing Shinso.

He felt frozen.

"A hand now Gin, or it will be your neck instead."

Trembling, he held out his left hand.

"Very good."

Aizen grasped Shinso's handle with both hands and lined the blade up with his wrist. Gin couldn't help it, he closed his eyes tightly, unable to watch. He heard the swish of air as Shinso slashed down and he cried out in agony, and surprise, as the flat of the blade slammed painfully into his wrist, shattering the bone.

He cradled his shattered wrist and sobbed, not in pain, but relief that Aizen hadn't removed his hand like he had been expecting.

"You are dismissed. Pray I do not discover you have plotted against me again Gin. That was your second strike. I do not need to tell you what happens on the third."

"No, Aizen-kami," he whimpered brokenly.

"Very good. You are dismissed."

Gin stumbled over to where his simple Yukuta was still pooled on the floor. It was difficult to pull on with only one hand, but he managed. After that he had to lean heavily against the wall for support and crawled up any stairs back to Unohana's wing.

He finally made it to the simple yet clean blanket kept in one of the cubbies he was permitted to call his bed. No doubt he had left a trail of blood that he would have one hell of a time scrubbing up tomorrow, but for now he was just pleased to collapse and pass out


	44. Dinner in 30mins

Dinner in 30mins

The smell of breakfast woke her up early the next morning, as it had for the last few weeks. Tatsuki sighed and stretched as she slowly pulled herself out of the futon and grabbed a near by yukuta.

She walked into the small kitchen/dinning room, tying the belt off and came up behind the one waking her to such a succulent smell.

"Good morning," she greeted, pouring herself a cup of tea from the pot kept warming on the stove.

"Good morning," Tesra returned, expertly flipping the omelette he was preparing.

Tatsuki just shook her head. Sure she could make omelettes as well, but his were always perfectly formed and somehow always tasted better then anything she could make.

"How in the seven hells were you single for so long?" she asked, settling down at the table.

"Most of my time was devoted to Nnoitra-sama," he answered.

"A lose for the female population."

She smirked as she caught the barest hint of a blush. He was so easy to tease and she loved every minute of it. She hadn't had this much fun since Ichigo was a snot nosed brat before his mother was murdered.

"I need to check up on Matsumoto-san and get her shopping list for the week," he paused for a moment. "I would be pleased if you could come."

"It shouldn't be a problem. I believe Orihime-chan is suppose to be helping Unohana out at the fourth. Since the battle she has been spending a lot of time there and Ulquiorra seems to approve."

"The fourth is probably the second or third most secure place here," he admitted.

"Oh. What's the other place, other then Aizen's palace of course?"

"Szayel-sama's Research Institute."

"Of course, how silly of me. Although I must admit I have never been there. Other then Ukitake-san's Estate and the house Ulquiorra owns, I really haven't seen much of Soul Society."

She smiled widely when Tesra set a plate down before her, the omelette looking positively exquisite. She took a bite, closed her eyes in pleasure and hummed in appreciation, savouring the flavour.

She cracked one eye open to see him blushing again and bristling. Oh he was far more fun to torment than Ichigo had been as a kid. The thought of eggs did bring one thing to mind though.

Tesra had offered to let her have his room and he would take the living room, at least until he could find a place with two rooms, but she had brushed the offer off. She was more then willing to share his bed and with the weather getting colder the extra body heat was kind of nice.

Despite the fact that he now technically owned her, he still seemed to remain a bit shy and hadn't demanded a thing from her, even though she knew that he most definitely found her attractive.

So far they had only enjoyed each other once since the Claiming, and she had been the one to instigate it since he was clearly going to shift uncomfortably all night instead of make a move and it had been driving her nuts.

"You know, I don't mind sharing your bed, and I mean more than just sleeping, but there is one thing I do want to bring up."

"What is it?" he asked nervously.

"No offence Tesra, but I don't want kids anytime soon. There is enough going on around here as it is without mixing in a child. Do you know what a condom is?" she asked.

His face was bright red and he shook his head in the negative.

"Of course not," she sighed. "Given the birth rate of Hollows they are probably pretty much obsolete. Unlike with Orihime, I am really not that stressed and neither was Karin. Human's have a much higher fertility rate. I don't mind having sex with you, but I do not want to get pregnant."

"And this, Condom, will prevent that?" he asked in a rather squeaky voice.

"They have a pretty impressive track record," she confirmed. "They are basically a plastic tube you put over yourself to catch the semen so it doesn't go into me."

"Oh," he seemed a lot less nervous at her description. _"__What the hell did he think a condom was?"_ she questioned herself. "Anyway, I am sure Matsumoto will know where we can get some. I'll ask her while we visit."

He nodded and sat down across from her, setting his own plate down and they ate in companionable silence.

(TIME)

"No way. That's amazing," Matsumoto exclaimed happily and pulled Tatsuki into a large hug.

"Yeah yeah," Tatsuki pushed the older woman off of her. "So anyway, you know where we can get some?"

"Of course. As well as some other things?" Matsumoto suggested with a smirk and raise eyebrows.

"Just the basics will do," Tatsuki was quick to assure her.

"You are no fun," she pouted.

"I have long since become immune to such pouting. By the way, what's with the chain?" Tatsuki pointed to the gold chain.

"One of Nnoitra's fetishes. He only ever lets me take the damn thing off the rare times I am permitted out of the house," Matsumoto sighed in frustration. "He's been rather frisky lately. What has been going on out there?"

"Bugs," Tatsuki sighed. "Oh, I still got to return Starrk-san's Katana!" she realized in surprise.

"Why would you have his Katana?" Matsumoto asked.

"Long story."

"Unless hell is freezing over or the world is ending, I am not going anywhere anytime soon."

"I was going to go with Tesra to see a bit of the town…," she trailed off, looking his way.

He had been very silent as the two women had talked. Tatsuki had quickly learned he was the silent type, but she had a feeling his silence was due more to his mortification over the fact the two women were talking about sex, particularly sex that involved him, than the fact he wasn't very talkative.

"I can show you another day," he was quick to offer.

"True," Tatsuki agreed. _"__I see now. Poor Matsumoto. She has been caged up in this house alone for the heavens knows how long with nothing but an egotistical pig and the most shy creature I have ever met as company," _

"Well then, we will see you in a bit," she agreed.

Tatsuki's guess was right. The moment Tesra was gone Matsumto dived right into 'female talk' like she had been starved for years, which given her company she probably had been.

She demanded every tidbit of gossip Tatsuki knew, which while it wasn't much, was still a novels worth more than the caged woman knew.

"Those two are so cute together, and probably the only consensual relationship in this forsaken city," Matsumoto sighed as Tatsuki finished catching her up on Karin and her family.

"Oh?"

"Well, other than you and Tesra. I still can't believe you asked him. "

"Hay, if you guys had told me what Claiming felt like I would have been nipping at an Arrancar's heels ages ago. Just wow. I wasn't sure what to expect from my first time, but that sure as hell was not it!"

"Their only redeemable quality," Matsumoto chuckled. "Still, it is good to hear that Orihime-chan and Ulquiorra are getting along so well. That poor girl has had such a hard time for one so young."

"Yeah," Tatsuki agreed sadly, having been there for a fair amount of it.

"So, do you think you will be able to accompany Tesra over again?" Matsumoto asked with uncharacteristic hope.

"I don't see why not. Now that I think about it, I got a feeling one of the reasons he was so willing to accept my request was due to this little perk of being able to drag me here."

"For a Hollow, he is such a darling. Oh shit," Matsumoto suddenly yelped.

"What?" Tatsuki jumped to her feet in alarm.

"I got to get started on dinner before Nnoitra get's back. What in the world am I going to make?"

"How much time you got?" Tatsuki asked.

"Half an hour, min."

"What do you got to work with?" Tatsuki asked as both women quickly ducked into he kitchen.

Matsumoto read out what she had to work with while Tatsuki quickly planned. She was a master of the 30 minute meal having been exceptionally busy with sports and school when she was younger.

"Get the rice going, that will take the longest."

"But what are we going to make with it?" she asked, pouring water into a pot and measuring out the rice.

"Stir-fry is the fastest," Tatsuki answered, pulling vegetables out of the fridge. "And I will even share my mothers secret ingredient. Does Nnoitra like spicy foods?"

"I don't know. I have never cooked any."

The sound of the door opening caused both of them to jump slightly in surprise before Tesra walked into the kitchen loaded with bags.

"Does Nnoitra like spicy food?" Tatsuki asked him.

"Hai," he answered.

"Perfect. Okay, you slice up the beef and I'll get these vegetables going after I get the secret sauce started."

"Alright."

Tesra finished bringing the supplies he had picked up into the house while Tatsuki set two woks on the stove and set to work. She hummed as she got the sauce going in one and the oil heating in the other before setting onto the vegetables with a skill only a person well trained with a knife could accomplish.

"Marital arts, good for self defence, good for exercise and good in the kitchen," she advertised like a late night commercial.

Matsumoto laughed as Tatsuki made exaggerated motions with the knife as she sliced up the vegetables.

"Meats cut."

"Good, looks like the sauce is bubbling nicely. Throw the meat in the wok with the oil. It should be heated by now so be careful of it spitting."

"Aye aye, Cap'n," she saluted smartly and scraped the meat from her board into the Wok.

Tatsuki finished up the red peppers and scraped them into the bowl she had been storing the prepared vegetables in before starting on the onion.

"Meats done."

"Perfect," Tatsuki passed the bowl of finished vegetables over. "Add that and turn the heat down. How we doing on time?"

"I would say about ten minutes, since a shower still sounds nice."

Both girls jumped and yelped in shock as they turned to face the entranceway to the kitchen. Nnoitra was leaning against the door frame and grinning at them while Tesra stood meekly to the side.

"Welcome home, Nnoitra-sama," Matsumoto greeted him warmly.

Tatsuki couldn't tell if it was real or fake, but either way it seemed to appease Nnoitra for his smirk widened and he disappeared up the stairs.

"Shit, the sauce," Tatsuki quickly turned about and turned the heat down, giving it a good stir. "How long was he standing there?" she asked, directing the question to Tesra.

"Since you put the meat in the wok," he admitted.

"He didn't seem upset I didn't notice he was home, did he?" Matsumoto asked nervously.

"No. Nnoitra-sama seemed amused if anything."

Matsumoto let out a sigh of relief before checking on the rice.

"Is there a good, drinking, red wine around?" Tatsuki asked.

"Not here, no," Matsumoto answered.

"I will pick one up. There is a shop not far from here," Tesra offered.

"Perfect. Red goes the best with beef. Okay, this looks just about ready. Let's drain the vegetables and beef and add the sauce."

"Drain them?" Matsumoto looked at her in surprise.

"Yes, otherwise there is too much liquid and it will go mushy."

"Oh. I never thought of that."

"Here, dump it in here," Tatsuki held out a clean bowl and Matsumoto dumped the stir-fry into it.

Tatsuki took the wok of sauce and poured it liberally over the food before grabbing a serving spoon and mixing it together. Matsumoto set the wicker basket of rice in the center of the table while Tatsuki came up behind her with the stir-fry.

Tesra came back in and handed Tatsuki the bottle of wine.

"Perfect. Glasses?"

"Right here," Matsumoto handed her over four glasses.

By the time they finished setting the table Nnoitra was coming back down the stairs wearing a comfortable, white yukuta with his hair down and still damp.

He sat down and Matsumoto sat to his left. Tatsuki gave a mental shrug and sat to his right while Tesra took the other end of the small table. Nnoitra served himself first, taking a liberal portion and if Tatsuki hadn't seen and witnessed how much an Arrancar could pack back, she would have thought he was nuts.

Matsumoto helped herself next. Tatsuki paused a moment and considered what she knew of Nnoitra and his personality. Other than Karin complaining he was a sexist pig, she really didn't know much about him.

Sexist pigs she did know a bit about and thus she waited until Tesra served himself before filling her own plate. Since she was clearly the servant of the servant she fully expected to be the one on the bottom.

Everyone waited and watched a bit nervously as Nnoitra took the first bite of food and chewed slowly.

"Shit this is good!" he exclaimed as he swallowed. "What the hell did you put in here?" he demanded, his eye on her.

"A secret Arisawa ingredient," she answered.

"And that would be?"

"Wasabi," she smirked. "Just enough stirred in to give it some kick without overpowering the flavour."

"I like it. You picked a half decent broad, Tesra," Nnoitra commented.

"Thank you, Nnoitra-sama," he blushed lightly and bowed his head.

The ice seemed to have been broken and the rest of dinner was consumed in comfortable silence. Tatsuki helped clean up dinner afterwards and shortly after that it was time to leave.

"That went rather well," Matsumoto commented as she dried the last plate.

"Indeed."

"Wasabi huh?"

"Just a little bit. It is one of those really powerful ingredients. Good for a stuffy nose too," she chuckled.

"I will remember that. Thank you, for coming over and staying to chat."

"Any time. Orihime has been busy at the fourth so it's been getting a bit lonely for me as well."

"Tatsuki," Tesra called from the entrance.

"Coming, Tesra-sama," she called. "Until the next time."

"Yeah, later."

The walk back home was silent and rather pleasant. The first district seemed to be the quietest and full of gardens and parks. Not surprising giving it was where most of the noble families lived.

The sound of insects buzzing might have been more pleasant if it didn't come with the annoying memory of being covered in gore.

"A nice night," Tatsuki was the first to break the silence.

"It is," Tesra agreed.

"I still need to return Starrk-san's katana."

"We can stop by tomorrow if you like," he offered.

"That would be nice."

"We can also pick up some more clothes. I didn't realized you had so little clothing."

"Well, that's Ulquiorra for you. He really doesn't have much use for un-necessary possessions and I can not imagine going clothes shopping for two females is a pleasant experience for any male of any technical race."

He nodded in understanding. Tatsuki had no doubt that Tesra had been the one to pick out Matsumoto's wardrobe so she was pretty certain he knew exactly what she was talking about.

The rest of the walk was pleasant and they crawled into bed shortly after getting home. It was still a little strange having someone in bed next to her, but it was a kind of nice strange.

She was just getting ready to drift off to sleep when she felt him shift beside her. Hesitantly, his arm came around her body and he nestled up behind her, barely making contact and giving her plenty of space and opportunity to pull away.

She smiled softly and closed the distance between them, silently accepting his request for intimacy. She drifted off shortly after that, nestling into the warmth their combined body heat created.


	45. Pounce Pounce

Pounce Pounce

Karin watched the scene silently. She knew this was going to happen sooner or later, but she honestly thought it was going to be 'later' and that Hana and Lilinette would be the instigators.

But no, it seemed Ajuga didn't need those two delinquents' assistance in becoming one all on her own.

"_A gift from her father no doubt,__"_ Karin mused.

For a girl barely a year old, Ajuga possessed a large amount of patience when it came to hunting, perhaps even more than her father. She stalked slowly towards her target, pausing for long periods of time before moving in again. A butterfly even landed on her head at one point and still she did not move until long after it had flown off on its own. Apparently Ajuga must have been in the position she had been working towards, for she suddenly sprung out and landed heavily on Starrk's chest.

The other gave out an 'umph' at the impact and jerked awake to glare at the little innocent girl that was pretending to ravage his stomach.

"Not that area hun, the neck," Karin called to her daughter helpfully.

"She hardly needs assistance," Starrk groused as Ajuga made for his neck instead.

He held her back with one hand and transferred his glare to Karin, who just smiled innocently.

"Well, she's a little girl and still learning. Besides, I am not the one who insists on encouraging this behaviour; you can talk to her father about that."

"Grimmjow hardly listens to Aizen-kami, what makes you think he will listen to me?" Starrk asked.

He caught the little girl and flipped her off of his stomach to land gently on her back on the ground before pinning her down and attacking her stomach with his own mouth.

Ajuga squealed in delight.

" 'ark. 'ark," she giggled.

Karin smiled some more and finally moved from her place to 'rescue' her errant offspring. Ajuga had just started talking and it took them a few times to realize 'ark' was short for Starrk.

'ill e' was Lilinette and 'ann ah' was Hana. 'oo e' had them going for the longest time until they realized she meant Ukitake. The only word she seemed to get fully right was 'food,' even if she tended to draw out the 'oo.'

Starrk finally let the girl squirm free and she darted behind her mother with a speed Karin had never seen in such a young child. Ajuga wasn't walking yet, preferring to sprint about on all fours.

The biggest scare yet had come when the little devil managed to sneak out and ended up stuck halfway up a tree. Truthfully, Ajuga was becoming more of a handful than one woman could honestly manage.

After the second bug attack, Aizen made it clear that he expected everyone to participate in patrols. Szayel was the lone exception; his job involved maintaining and monitoring the defence grid. That grid was what had given the defence force enough warning to get into position before the damn bugs got too far into the city. Even Lilinette had to go out on patrols, leaving a pouting Hana behind.

Of course those with the fastest speed got the patrol routes with the largest perimeters. That meant that Grimmjow was frequently gone from early in the morning until late at night six out of seven days. On the seventh day he was so exhausted from patrolling the large area assigned to him that all he wanted to do on his day off was sleep.

The same could be said of Starrk. He was saddled with an exceptionally large patrol area as he was apparently the fastest of them all. Karin could not follow his trail when he discarded his usual slothfulness and launched himself into a Sonido. It was as if he would just vanish from where he was and reappear when he came to a stop. She considered it an amazing feat considering how lazy he acted the rest of the time.

Ajuga seemed to regain her courage, for she left the relative safety of her hiding place behind Karin's legs and this time launched herself at Starrk's back. Starrk playfully collapsed face-first with an 'oof' and Ajuga tried to get to the back of his neck.

Karin chuckled and scooped the child up. Ajuga struggled a bit before settling down as Karin pulled her into a hug.

"Enough for now, Ajuga-chan. Starrk-ji is very tired. He's been doing a lot of patrolling," she pointed out as a consolation for removing her daughter from her captured 'prey'.

Ajuga pouted.

"Maybe we can see if Szayel wants to play."

"'zay," she cheered. "'zay, 'zay, 'zay."

Karin gave a small laugh, but stopped when Starrk shook his head.

"I think he had a meeting with Aizen-kami today," the First Espada explained.

Karin looked off in the distance before sighing.

"You seem to be right. Maybe we can see if Orihime or Tatsuki are home."

"Fay, fay," Ajuga agreed.

Her child seemed utterly fascinated with the spirits that were the manifestation of Orihime's powers. The one known as Tsubaki definitely seemed to enjoy playing with her and would let her stalk him. The others would play with her as well, but they were not big fans of the cat and mouse game.

"Karin-bachan, I am done!" Hana shouted as she ran into the garden waving a pile of papers above her head.

"Alright, let me see."

Karin set Ajuga down and accepted the papers. Hana was a rather intelligent young girl, something Ukitake said came from both parents. Ukitake told her once, with a small, melancholy smile, that despite his laziness, Shunsui had often been far too smart for his own good.

Hana's kanji left something to be desired but she had exceptional mathematical abilities. She wasn't even seven years old yet and Hana could multiply and divide faster then she could. Not even fractions seemed to stump the girl.

Truthfully, Hana already surpassed her in mathematics; it was something Karin ruefully attributed to her own interrupted, and therefore limited, sixth-grade education. She also had to admit that she was nearly out of material to teach the girl when it came to performing anything higher than fractions.

"Looking good, Hana-chan, but you need to slow down. I can't read these at all."

"But it's done!" Hana pleaded, trying to make her case. "Can Ajuga-chan and I play now?"

"Hai, hai," she said after a moment, giving in to her pupil's desires.

"Yay! Let's get him Ajuga-chan!"

Starrk just sighed, looking skyward in sufferance as Ajuga ploughed into his legs while Hana aimed for his waist. He collapsed on his side this time and both girls began to wrestle with him.

"C'mon Starrk-ji," Hana begged.

" 'ark-ji," Ajuga called happily.

Karin just giggled as she watched the three of them roughhouse. The best part was that, although Ajuga was still too young to control her own strength, Starrk's strength was such that the little girl couldn't accidentally hurt him.

"Oi," Lilinette demanded, stomping into the garden. "Who started this party without me?"

"ill e!" Ajuga cheered, launching off of Starrk and into Lilinette's arms.

"Traitor!" Hana cried as Starrk flipped the young girl under him and started to tickle her mercilessly.

"'ana!" Ajuga cried.

"Quick Ajuga-chan, we gotta save her!" Lilinette set Ajuga down and the little girl raced on all fours before barrelling into Starrk.

Being the good sport that he was, the First Espada fell onto his side once again, releasing Hana and letting her escape out of range.

"Get him!" Hana cheered, egging on her small companion.

Karin had to clutch her sides as she watched them all play, laughing hard at the girls and their unofficial jungle gym.

"What's going on?" Nanao asked as she walked up behind Karin.

"Just some fun," Karin answered, wheezing for breath.

"So I see," Nanao smiled softly at the scene. She took her glasses off and cast a speculative glance at Karin. "Shall we rescue Starrk-san from his assailants?"

Karin gave it some thought and then shook her head in regret.

"Tempting, but honestly, now would be a good time to actually get some housework done around here while he has the rug rats distracted. That is, if you don't mind?" Karin aimed the last bit at the besieged Espada, raising her voice so that he could hear her above the girlish shouts and squeals. "I'll even clean your room and change the bedding," she offered, as compensation for 'babysitting'.

He groaned, but gave a nod of his head in agreement before Hana made another try for his left arm.

"Thank you," Karin said, smiling softly in gratitude.

"You have no idea how much I appreciate you taking care of Hana-chan for me," Nanao commented as the two women retreated before Starrk could think twice about it.

Karin fetched a pail, some rags and a mop from the small closet next to the kitchen while Nanao changed out of her uniform and into something better suited for housework. While the mansion certainly wasn't filthy, having two active children and one overtly-enthusiastic, childlike Arrancar rampaging through the common areas on a regular basis meant the floors, even with the house rule of leaving shoes outside, for those that even wore them since Ajuga did not, needed frequent cleaning. It was also Karin's least favourite task, so having someone else to share it with and being able to carry on a conversation to detract from the unpleasantness of scrubbing on one's hands and knees made the chore less dreary.

"I wish I could say it's nothing, but with Ajuga getting older the two of them are running me into the ground," Karin sighed as she wiped a bead of sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. "Hana does try to help, but she's still just a child and children will be children."

"Sounds like you need some help," Nanao laughed, attacking a mud stain with her own brush.

"This is a pretty big estate to keep in shape with just one person. How on earth did you manage it?" Karin asked.

Nanao paused, a thoughtful look on her face, before she moved to rinse her brush out in the bucket.

"Things were a lot less hectic and I had Lilinette-chan and Ukitake-san around a fair amount," Nanao admitted, her shoulders drooping as she went back to her task.

"You look exhausted," Karin noted with sympathy and her conscience chided her.

Here she was lamenting chores when Nanao looked ready to drop from her assigned tasks with the Fifth Division.

"We still haven't found any replacements for the seated officers we lost in the attack. The paperwork is starting to pile up and we are falling behind in our training. Half of the outer city is still in ruins," the captain replied. "And then there are the defence patrols and networks. At least Szayel-sama is being more co-operative than he used to be, but I am spending so much time hashing out the issues with those systems that I hardly have time to train anyone. The squads are spread rather thin, our ranks severely depleted when you consider the number of the wounded and dead."

"What about the students?" Karin asked.

Nanao shook her head and when she spoke her voice sounded heavy with frustration. While her face didn't betray anything, the younger woman noted that Nanao's scrubbing had some suppressed anger behind it.

"I have them working on repairs and such and helping out at the Fourth Division. They're also not experienced enough to include on the patrols."

"And the civilians?" Karin inquired.

"What about the civilians?" Nanao stopped scrubbing and sat up on her heels, looking at Karin in confusion.

"You have an entire city full of people out there," Karin pointed out, frowning. It surprised her that no one had seen the Soul Society's non-combatant population as an asset to put to use. "There is no reason why they can't help rebuild or even stand guard on the walls. They don't need to fight, just act as an extra pair of eyes in case something gets past the sensor network Szayel set up," Karin explained.

"I never thought of that," Nanao mused after a moment of silence and then a wide smile spread across her face. "Thank you Karin, I think you just eased one of my burdens and created a million more."

"These districts must have leaders, right? Just tell them what needs to be done. I am sure they can organize their people better and get them to listen as well, provided that they understand they'll be helping themselves as well as the squads," Karin said, gesturing with her brush and inadvertently splattering an area she'd just cleaned with water.

She growled a few words that she would have never said in the presence of the children, while Nanao gave a small laugh. While she didn't seem any less tired, some of the lines around her mouth had smoothed out, a sign that the Captain had at least begun to relax a little.

"I will do that. Good thinking. Now, if we could just keep the children from coming inside covered in dirt…"

It was Karin's turn to laugh now. Nanao sighed and glared at the pail of muddy brown water. There really was no hope for the rest of the Estate until things either quieted down or they could miraculously find a maid capable of withstanding Starrk's incredible reiatsu.

(POV)

Orihime lay awake in bed in the dead of night, finding sleep hard to come by. The house was much quieter now that Tatsuki was living with Tesra and Orihime found she greatly missed her friend's presence. Loneliness was something she hadn't considered when she'd given her blessing to Tatsuki and her chosen Claimant.

She'd grown used to having the other woman by her side for the last six years and her absence, at least to Orihime, left a hole she wasn't sure she knew how to fill. A hole that reminded her far to much of her Niisan, Sora, and the events that had taken place that night.

Orihime instantly perked up, with far more than a small sense of relief, when she finally felt Ulquiorra's reiatsu returning. She would not be alone much longer.

Aizen had all of his Espada out searching for the breach and doing regular patrols. Tatsuki said that Matsumoto also commented that Nnoitra was frequently now an early riser and often late to bed.

"Welcome home," she greeted as he walked, or rather staggered, into their bedroom.

"You are awake," he said, his equivalent of a greeting.

"Um hum. I couldn't sleep," Orihime answered, and then frowned with growing concern as she took in the sight of him.

His shoulders were sagged in clear exhaustion as Ulquiorra made his way across the room. It looked as if he was having difficulty keeping himself upright. She had never seen him so tired. Even his reiatsu fluctuated weakly. He barely seemed to have enough energy to get the door close and stumble into the room.

Orihime sat up and watched as he stumbled into the bathroom before stumbling back out several minutes later. His finger fiddled with the belt of his hakama but he seemed far too sapped of energy to get the knot undone and looked just about ready to tear the damn thing off; a true testament to his exhaustion.

"Here,"

She brushed his hands away, undid the knot and loosened the belt before pulling his hakama down for him. He stepped out of them and let his jacket fall from his shoulders to land on the floor before collapsing face down onto the bed.

Orihime frowned. Ulquiorra was a bit of a neat freak and leaving his uniform on the ground to get wrinkled was definitely not like him. Nor was his imitation of a plank of wood. He just lay there prone beside her, unmoving.

"You look burnt out," she stated, resting a hand on his shoulder.

He made a sort of half-grunting noise and she frowned at the knots she felt under her hands. The healer in her could practically see the knotted muscles through his skin. Her frown deepened and she shifted about to straddle his waist.

"Onna?" he questioned, but didn't move.

"Just relax, and let me see what I can do," she soothed before running her hands along his back.

His muscles were so full of knots that she wondered how he could even move without pain. Orihime sent a mental curse in Aizen's direction for working his minions so hard and started doing her best to get the kinks worked out of Ulquiorra's back. She was by no means trained as a masseuse, but after a good ten minutes of kneading she could feel them start to loosen a little.

Ulquiorra let out a long sigh and she felt his muscles further relax as she sought out each knot and found a few trigger points, releasing more of the tension held in them.

"When do you get a day off?" she asked.

"In two days," he replied, his voice muffled in the pillow and slurred a little with fatigue.

Orihime frowned, but didn't stop trying to ease the tension in his muscles. She didn't know how long she worked on them but when she finally stopped she could not help but to smile softly as she realized he was asleep.

She curled up beside him and pulled the blankets over them both. It was a mere four hours later when she woke up to the mattress shifting about. She blinked her eyes open to see him crawling out of bed, his posture betraying his continued fatigue but he made no complaint as he pulled his uniform back on.

"When will you be back?" she asked.

His back stiffened briefly before he turned to look at her.

"Late," he answered.

"How late?"

"Late. You do not need to wait up for me."

"Would it be alright with you if I helped out again at the Fourth Division?" she asked.

He paused by the door on his way out.

"Do what you want. I trust you," he answered before he disappeared from her sight.

A part of her smiled at the compliment, another part of her felt pain at how hard he was clearly being worked.

Orihime lay back down and stared up at the ceiling, thinking.

Most of the wounded had been treated to the point they could heal well enough on their own in time. Perhaps she could meet up with Tatsuki and they could train like the use to when they were younger. Maybe she could even train with Karin.

Tsubaki had been thrilled that she had got to use him in combat.

"Maybe I could be a field medic," she mused aloud.

With a flash of light her hairpins lost their flowers and the six lights floated around her for a moment before fading to reveal the six fairy-like beings.

"Orihime-chan," Shuno greeted her warmly.

"Hello," she smiled at them.

"You better not have summoned me here for any sissy nonsense," Tsubaki threatened.

"Well… ouch!" Orihime cried out as Tsubaki irritably smacked her up the side of the head.

"Forget this."

"Tsubaki-kun, wait!"

"This had better be good," he crossed his arms.

"We need to get better," she said.

"No kidding. Yeow!" Tsubaki complained as Lily smacked him.

"Of course we will do our best, Orihime-chan," Ayame assured her.

"Thank you," she said, beaming at them. "I bet Ajuga-chan would be more than willing to train with Tsubaki-kun," she smirked.

"Oi," he protested.

The others all laughed at him while he tried to pull off the 'tough guy' look. In truth, they all knew he had a soft spot for the little hellcat. But then, who didn't? The little girl seemed to capture the hearts of all who met her. Just look at how quickly she had Szayel, of all creatures, wrapped around her little finger.

"You should get some more sleep, Orihime-chan," Hinagiku insisted.

"You are probably right," Orihime smiled at them.

With a flash of light, the snowflake-shaped pins returned to their normal place in her hair, signalling an end to the conversation. Satisfied, and feeling better now that she had a plan in place, Orihime lay back down to get a little more sleep, but not before she reached out to trace Ulquiorra's empty spot in the sheets. He was already beyond the city gates and despite herself and her resolve, she sighed sadly into the silent, nearly-empty house


	46. Shop and Drop

Shop and Drop

Karin walked down the street with Hana and Ajuga by her side. They were running woefully low on supplies and to her surprise Starrk had given her the coin needed to restock the shelves.

That was all fine and dandy, but Karin really didn't know much about the district, let alone where all the shops were and which ones had the best deals. She was use to going to the Science Building and nowhere else.

She stood at a fruit vendor, keeping one eye on Ajuga and Hana while checking over the produce. It looked good enough but without any real shopping experience in this world she wasn't sure if the price was high, low, or normal.

She sighed in frustration and absently hooked Ajuga with her foot and pulled her back as the little girl tried to sneak off yet again. It seemed to be a game to Ajuga now and Karin held back a sigh of exasperation.

"Ajuga-chan, stop that," Karin sighed in annoyance after her daughters' third escape attempt at this vendor alone.

"Look, Karin-obachan. It's Byakuya-san," Hana pointed down the street.

Karin turned to look and sure enough Hana was right. The noble was walking stiffly and Karin's limited medical knowledge led her quickly to believe he was injured heavily on one side of his body.

She had felt his reiatsu flashing in the last battle and figured he must have been injured in it, which would explain the limp. He seemed to be recovering well and she suspected the limp was due more to muscle pain and tension than actual damage.

He seemed to spot them as well for he started to weave his way towards them. Karin smiled and greeted him politely as he stopped before her. To her surprise he pulled out a small chalk board and chalk and wrote a message out.

'Karin, it is pleasing to see you.'

"You as well, Byakuya-san. You remember my daughter, Ajuga-chan."

His eyes fell upon the girl looking up at him curiously.

'She seems to have grown a fair amount.'

"You have no idea. Girls, be polite and say hello to Byakuya-san," She prompted.

"'ello, Bakya-san," Ajuga said shyly, hiding behind her mothers legs.

"Hello Byakuya-san," Hana bowed politely.

Karin picked Ajuga up and held her while Hana looked instantly bored with the conversation.

'What brings you out today?'

"Shopping. We are almost out of food, but I must confess I am lost. Lilinette-chan or Jushiro-san usually take care of this. I don't have a clue where things are, who to trust, and what's a decent price," she admitted.

He nodded in understanding.

'It would please me if you would join me for tea at my Estate. I will send one of the servants to take care of the issue.'

"I think that would be wonderful, thank you. Both Jushiro-san and Nanao-san have mentioned the Kuchiki-estate is a sight to behold."

She fell into step beside him as he led her through the city towards the estate. She had to admit that he was leading her through a neighbourhood that made the one Jushiro-san lived in look like the slums.

"Oh wow. It's so pretty," Hana breathed in appreciation.

"Pwetty," Ajuga agreed.

"Yes, very pretty," Karin agreed with the girls.

They reached the main gate guarded by two men who completely ignored her and the kids as they entered. Karin had to admit the place was astonishing as they were led through the manor to the porch of one the gardens.

"Is it alright if I set the brats lose to play in the garden a bit?" she asked a bit nervously.

They had passed what she was sure were some pretty damn expensive artwork and statues.

He gave a nod of his head.

"Behave, stay in sight, don't touch anything or, heaven forbids, destroy anything. Stay out of the flower beds," she ordered sternly.

"Hai," Hana agreed with a smart salute.

"Hai," Ajuga added her own salute and bounded off of the porch and out onto the grass on all fours, tumbling after Hana with her tail swishing in excitement and looking every inch the excitable kitten she was.

"I mean it. Stay in sight," Karin called after them firmly.

The two girls moved a bit away from the porch before they started to play wrestle with each other. Karin sighed and shook her head.

"I apologise now if those two rug rats wreck anything," she turned her attention to her host and kneeled beside the small table he was already seated at.

A servant was already setting out the appropriate seasonal tea and snacks.

'Do you have the shopping list?' Byakuya wrote out.

"Yes, it's right here," she pulled it out of her pocket and set it on the table.

Byakuya nodded to the servant, who collected the list and retreated silently with a bow. Being a proper host Byakuya poured her a cup of tea before pouring himself one as well. They sat in silence and just watched the two girls tumble about.

"Away from the flowers," Karin called out when their tumbling brought them close to one of the flower beds.

The girls shifted tumbling direction and Karin just sighed and gave her head another shake before taking another sip of her tea.

"Those two have so much energy I wish I could siphon some of it off for myself," she mused.

He gave a slight nod of his head in understanding.

"This is a wonderful tea and you have a beautiful Estate, Byakuya-san," she commented.

'My family is a rather old and prestigious one.'

"So Jushiro-san told me,"

Karin held back a frown as she wondered if his blood would come back with royal markings as well, but tossed the information aside as irrelevant. It wasn't like he could bear Aizen a child anyway.

Karin was pretty sure Byakuya hadn't invited her here just for tea and crackers, so she got right to the heart of the matter before he could ask; after about four minutes of silence and simply enjoying the first two cups of tea of course.

"Unfortunately, Szayel hasn't really learned much more about the invaders other then those beetles have a carapace that seems nigh impenetrable and that liquid they spew is a highly concentrated acid that he hasn't been able to store to research as every container he has tried to collect it in has melted."

'That does not bode well. A swarm of those creatures could melt a path through the city. Has kido been tried against the acid?'

"I don't know, but giving how thorough Szayel is I would say yes. As far as I know no one knows where the breach occurred, if there even is one. Honestly, I think Aizen is over reacting and running his troops ragged.

"Grimmjow, Nanao-san, Jushiro-san, Starrk-san and Lilinette-chan are so exhausted when they get home late at night that if another attack occurs they would hardly have the strength to fight efficiently," she sighed. "And I am being run ragged caring for the Estate and trying to raise these two hooligans.

"I have been trying to give Hana-chan something resembling an education, but with the destruction of my town I only have a measly grade 6 level and Hana is so damn smart, in math especially, that she can do it better than I can," she sighed in frustration.

"Forgive me, Byakuya-san, I doubt hearing me complain is what you desire to listen to," she apologized.

'It is natural for a parent to worry for their child's future.'

He seemed to pause and slowly erased his message before hesitantly writing out a new one.

'If you desire, I am sure I could find an instructor for Hana,' he paused in writing before finishing the sentence, 'as well as yourself if you wish.'

She didn't take offence to his offer to find her a teacher. After all it wasn't her fault her world had been ripped to shreds and she had been 'enslaved' since she was twelve.

"I would like that, at least for Hana-chan and eventually Ajuga-chan. Thank you Byakuya-san," she offered him a bow of her head.

They sat in comfortable silence again before a servant waited silently to be acknowledged. Byakuya gave the servant a wave and the man approached to kneel before them.

"Forgive my intrusion, Kuchiki-sama, but the weapon stock reports you requested are ready."

Byakuya gave another wave of his hand and the servant started to recite the information. Ajuga and Hana came tumbling up the porch, the first jumping into Karin's lap while the second sat at her side and snatched up a snack.

The servant continued to drone on about supplies and numbers.

"…..forty full quivers for 460."

"480," Hana absently corrected.

The servant stumbled in his report and the three adults turned to Hana.

"Pardon?" The servant asked.

" A quiver is 12 arrows a piece right?"

"Yes," The servant agreed.

"12 times 40 is 480, not 460. Your math is wrong," Hana said firmly.

Karin paused and had to think about it before giving her head a shake. Without writing it down it was too much of a pain.

"Let me see that," Hana snatched the paper from the stunned man's hand, going through it quickly.

"Oi," he protested.

"Dear lord, who does your math," she grouched. "Let's see," she ignored the protesting servant. "Forty bundles of 12 arrows a piece is 480, plus six bundles of 24 arrows for the stationed archers is 144. Add the four piles of unbundled arrows consisting of 50, why 50? I mean, that doesn't even divide into the bundles you want! Anyway, that's 200, for a total of 824. That's a lot of arrows.

"So 824 plus the lines of un-full quivers, lets see here. 824 plus 8 is 832.…" Hana continued to mutter to herself as she read the sheet. "1673 arrows. Not the measly 1594 you got here," Hana said proudly, handing the sheet back.

The stunned servant took it.

"Hana-chan, that was rude," Karin sighed embarrassed.

"What? I am right. Do the math yourself," Hana huffed. "It's not my fault they can't count."

Karin turned to apologise to Byakuya for Hana's behaviour, but he had a slight twitch to his mouth that led her to believe he was actually more amused then upset.

'Recount the stock and report once the number have been accurately counted.' Byakuya wrote out.

"Hai, Kuchiki-sama," the servant bowed and scuttled off embarrassed.

Byakuya seemed curious now and looked at Hana with what Karin could only call a studying expression. After a moment, he wrote something out on the chalk board and handed it over to Hana.

"46," Hana answered before Karin had even finished reading the equation.

Byakuya did seem pleased and this time wrote out a line of fractions before handing it over.

"12 and three fourths," Hana answered quickly.

The girl suddenly seemed interested in the game and leaned forward eagerly. The next equation Karin didn't even have a clue how to tackle as it involved letters and brackets. Hana also frowned in confusion. Since Karin didn't even recognize what was in front of them there was no way she could even begin to teach Hana the basics.

Hana continued to frown before snatching the board and staring at it.

"What do the brackets mean?" she asked.

Byakuya held out a hand and after a moment she handed the board back so Byakuya could write out an answer to her question.

"And the letters?"

He wrote down another answer.

"Oh. That's easy then. X is 4."

Karin blinked. Even though Byakuya had explained the purpose of the brackets and letters she hadn't even began to work it out through her head before Hana popped out with the answer.

"Like I said, a wiz at math," she shook her head. "Jushiro-san said she gets it from her father."

Hana preened at the compliment.

"I hunt good," Ajuga piped up, clearly becoming upset that Hana was getting all the attention.

"Yes you do, Ajuga-chan," Karin agreed.

"There is no animimal can 'scape me," Ajuga said proudly. "Wash," Ajuga bounded out of Karin's arms and ducked into the nearest flower patch.

"Ajuga-chan, careful," Karin called out, but Byakuya raised a hand to still her and watched.

Hana ignored them and snatched the chalk board, solving the next equation Byakuya had written out for her. The only sound other then the wild life and wind was that of the chalk over the board as Hana solved the equations Byakuya wrote out for her and her humming.

A servant refilled their pot at one point, but otherwise all was comfortably silent. Karin only knew where Ajuga was in the flower patch because she could see her reiatsu. Not a leaf or flower trembled as Ajuga calmly and slowly stalked her way towards a field mouse that was nibbling on some seeds that had fallen from one of the bird feeders.

Ajuga moved ever so slowly and patiently into position. Karin couldn't tell, but she was sure Byakuya seemed to know where Ajuga was for his eyes were focused approximately where the girl was hiding.

"Oi, Chicchai-hime!"

The mouse started as Yammy barged into the garden. At the same time Ajuga leaped forward and even though Karin was watching she never saw the actual capture, nor did she realize Ajuga was now huddling under the table with the mouse caught in her teeth growling at the approaching Espada. Her daughter had moved that quickly.

"Chicchai-hime?" Karin questioned confused.

Byakuya sighed in clear annoyance as Yammy seemed to get over his surprise they were there and walked up to them. Hana ignored the Espada and cried out in triumph as she solved the latest equation.

Having been raised around Starrk and Lilinette her entire life Yammy's presence didn't phase her too much, but she did look at him wearily and inched closer to Karin now that her attention was away from the chalk board. Karin didn't blame her.

Yammy was unpredictable and the few interactions she had with him were not pleasant memories. He hardly seemed pleased to see them and it was reflected in his reiatsu and body language.

"When did this place become a daycare?" he demanded, stopping at the edge of the porch. "And I thought I had left instructions for my return, Chicchai-Hime," he glared at Byakuya.

Karin felt her frown deepen but she didn't dare speak up. It would only make matters worse, but her hatred for this brute grew by the second as she watched how he treated Byakuya.

'Forgive me, Yammy-sama. I was not expecting you to return from your mission so soon. Your missions as of late have run late into the evening.'

Karin blinked when he passed what he had wrote to her instead of his Master.

"Well?" Yammy demanded.

"Huh, oh," Karin read the message. _"__I guess like Lilinette-chan he can__'__t read either, only unlike her he clearly never bothered to even attempt to learn," _she guessed correctly.

The response seemed to appease him slightly. Karin had a feeling they had overstayed their welcome, at least as far as Yammy was concern.

Ajuga was still under the table growling, tail lashing and ears pressed firmly back. It might have looked more threatening if she didn't still have the mouse caught in her teeth.

A different servant arrived and waited politely off to the side.

"What is it?" Yammy snapped and Karin noticed the poor man nearly fainted.

"Karin-san's packages have been delivered to the Estate," the servant bowed and stammered.

"Thank you," she thanked politely. "I do believe it is time to go. Hana-chan, Ajuga-chan, let's go," Karin stood up.

Hana looked disappointed, but also stood up. It took a bit of coaxing to get Ajuga out from under the table and up into her mother's arms.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Yammy-sama, Byakuya-sama," she bowed to them, "I do hope we can sit down and have tea again," she turned her attention to the petrified servant. "If you would be so kind to show us the way out."

The man looked more than pleased to obey. Karin forced herself to remain calm as she led the children behind the servant. Even though she didn't hear the backhand, she could definitely see it as Yammy's reiatsu visibly collided with Byakuya's.

She felt and 'watched' the noble's reiatsu flash in shock and pain several times as they made their way to the entrance. It took all of her willpower to keep walking and not interfere. She gritted her teeth, knowing there was nothing she could do to stop the assault and that somehow they were to blame for it. To even try to interfere would most likely bring out a worse fate for everyone involved.

"I don't like that man," Hana said firmly once they were seen out the main gates. "He feels wrong, not like Starrk-ji or Lily-chan at all."

Ajuga nodded in agreement, the fur on her tail still fully up and the odd growl leaving the back of her throat.

"He is a dangerous man, and you should definitely stay away from him," Karin agreed.

Despite herself she looked back at the outer walls of the Kuchiki-estate. She couldn't see either of the men's reiatsu any longer but she could still feel it, and it made her sick. Judging by Hana's comment the girl was becoming adapt at sensing reiatsu as well and Karin wanted to get her away from the fluctuations going on behind them quickly before she could ask questions.

"Here, hop up on my back Hana-chan. I am going to use Shunpo to get us home."

Hana jumped up onto her back and the moment Karin was sure the girl was secure she launched into a Shunpo. It wasn't until they were back at the Estate that Karin realized Ajuga still had her prey in her mouth.

Her daughter launched herself out of her mother's arms and raced up a tree to consume her catch the moment the little girl felt it was safe. Karin couldn't bring herself to scold the girl about eating a raw, diseased infested mouse.

"Can we visit Byakuya-san again? I like him. He's smart," Hana asked.

"Perhaps another time. Here, can you help me with the groceries Hana-chan?"

"Hai, Karin-obachan."

Karin saw the flash of reiatsu shortly before Grimmjow materialized behind her, coming out of his Sonido. Exhaustion was in every inch of his frame but he still stood somewhat straight.

"Welcome home. I figured you would be back soon," Karin smiled at him.

"Oh?" he questioned.

"I was visiting with Byakuya-san when Yammy returned. He scared Ajuga-chan pretty good. She's in the tree over there," Karin pointed to one of the trees out the kitchen window.

"Bastard," Grimmjow growled as he stomped out of the house towards the tree Ajuga was currently hiding in.

He was barely at the bottom before a joyful "dada" rang out from the tree and Ajuga launched herself at her father.

"I good hunt," she exclaimed happily.

"Oh?"

"Yeah yeah. No even ug'e one scare pwey 'way. It run, I ca'ch," Ajuga said proudly, puffing her chest out. "Good eat."

Grimmjow chuckled and walked back into the kitchen, Ajuga perched happily on his shoulder.

"You look exhausted, and it is time for someone to have a cat nap," Karin turned her attention to her daughter.

"No sleep," Ajuga pouted.

"Are you hungry, or do you want a refresher first?" she asked.

"Sleep sounds good."

"Alright."

Grimmjow closed the distance between them and captured her lips with his own before retreating to their room to catch up on much lost sleep.

Karin wasn't that surprised to see Starrk and Lilinette also returning. She didn't see Jushiro or Nanao so she reached her senses out and found them both in their division offices.

"Hana-chan, can you go see if Starrk-san and Lilinette-chan want something to eat please?"

"Hai," Hana trotted off.

Karin finished putting the groceries away. When Hana didn't return by the time Karin was done she traced the girl down. It was late in the afternoon, thus well past nap time. Therefore when she knocked on Starrk's, bedroom door and received no reply she honestly wasn't that surprised when she peeked in on them to see the Espada passed out on his pile of napping pillows with Lilinette curled up on his left and Hana passed out on his right

Karin chuckled softly and retreated to her own chambers to find her mate similarly passed out on their bed still in full uniform and on top of the covers. Ajuga was curled up on his chest, tail swishing slowly and clearly as deep asleep as her father.

She pulled a spare blanket out of the closet and nestled in beside her mate, pulling the blanket over them both and letting herself drift into exhausted slumber as well so she wouldn't have to disturb him to crawl under the covers


	47. Martial Day Camp

Martial Day Camp

"I can't believe you got Ulquiorra to agree to this," Karin commented.

"Well, me getting stronger was something he seemed fine with. Moreover, he trusts Starrk-san and Ukitake-san. I am definitely safe here," Orihime said, smiling happily. "I haven't trained with Tatsuki-chan in so long I wonder if I can even throw a proper kick anymore!"

"I am sure you will do just fine," Karin assured her. "By the way, you said Tatsuki should be here soon. Why didn't she come with you?"

"Oh. She doesn't live with us anymore," Orihime explained. "I suspect Ulquiorra-san kicked her out so we could have more time alone together."

"I see," Karin frowned, displeased.

"No, no, no," Orihime said quickly, waving her hands in the air in denial. "I don't mean he just locked her out one day, he's not that mean. He found someone else to take care of her," Orihime was quick to try to clear up a potential misunderstanding.

A solid knock on the main gate drew their attention before Karin could ask Orihime to elaborate and she excused herself to answer it.

"Well now if this ain't a surprise," she commented as she opened the door to see Tatsuki standing next to a very nervous looking Tesra. "When did this happen?" she demanded, crossing her arms and looking from one to the other with some scrutiny.

Was it her imagination, or did Tesra just blush under her gaze? He also shuffled slightly nervously under her scrutinizing gaze.

"Oh relax, Karin-chan. I asked Tesra to Claim me for my own safety and Ulquiorra was quick to agree," Tatsuki commented as she walked through the door.

"You asked?" Karin raised an eye at her. Taking on a Claim voluntarily would never have occurred to her. In fact, it seemed that the older woman was in excellent spirits.

"Yeah, I'll tell you all about it later. Thank you, Tesra. I think I can find my way home from here. I am not sure how long we are going to be." She offered him a smile, and to Karin's eyes, it seemed both genuine and happy.

He gave a nod of his head and left.

"Does Orihime know?" Karin asked.

"That I am living with him, yes. About the Claim, you probably noticed before even making it to the door. I haven't told her yet," Tatsuki answered and shrugged. "I figured it was kind of implied, and damn, have you two been holding out on me about that," Tatsuki accused her.

"Oi, oi. Only the one time," Karin protested, "but yeah, it felt good," she admitted. _"__I wonder how long a mating Claim lasts. Might want to speak to Grimmjow about refreshing it, only this time I have an idea on what I am doing, and could probably draw it out,"_ she thought wickedly.

"Uh-huh. So, do we have a place to do this? And where are the rug rats?" Tatsuki questioned.

"We are going to use the garden where Nanao-san and I practice Kido. I think Orihime might be better off with using Tsubaki and her shield instead of the whole martial arts thing.

"As for the rug rats, well, I left them in the care of someone I know I can trust to follow my every order," she smirked evilly.

(POV)

"Don't touch that."

"But it looks cool!"

"It's not something for little children to play with."

"But I am bored! I want to do something."

"Go colour or something."

"With what?"

"Here is a pen, and a piece of paper, now get out of my hair and let me work in peace!"

"I am not in your hair."

"Zay, Zay. Pway."

"No, no play. This is not a… GAH!"

Nemu smiled softly as she watched the two girls tackle Szayel to the ground and began to tickle him viciously. He struggled under them, gasping for air and trying to defend himself from their rather deft fingers. Since Karin told him ever so nicely to be careful of the rug rats, the kids easily overpowered him.

"Shinny," Ajuga cried, going for his glasses.

"Ajuga-chan, no," Nemu said firmly.

"Shinny," Ajuga cried again.

"No,"

Nemu walked in and swept the girl off of her master and into her arms.

"I wan shinny!" Ajuga protested.

"You can't have Szayel's glasses. Like I can't have your tail," Hana explained, sitting up on Szayel's chest while he lay flat on his back trying to regain his composure and wondered what he could have possibly done to displease Karin to the point she would punish him by setting the two hellions upon him.

"My tail!" Ajuga cried, clutching her tail to herself.

"Right. Your tail, Szayel's glasses," Hana explained.

"We can make you a pair of shinnies," Nemu offered.

"Yay. Make shinny! Make shinny!" Ajuga cheered. "Like Mama's?" she questioned.

"We can make a pair?" Hana called excitedly, bouncing up and down on Szayel's chest.

"If Szayel-sama gives his permission," Nemu agreed.

Two pairs of puppy dog eyes turned his way while he moved Hana and quickly scrambled to his feet before they could assault him again. Looking down he discovered to his horror that his normally crisp, clean, spotless uniform was completely ruined! In the course of less than twenty minutes the girls had covered it in dirt, little hand prints and pulled and tugged it completely out of shape. It was ghastly! To say nothing of his hair! Dear Kami, his hair had dirt in it and it was out of formation! He stifled a whimper and turned stern eyes on Nemu as he sought to regain his composure.

"Yes, whatever. Just get them out of my way before they do anymore damage and I can continue my research," he agreed quickly.

"Zay no hewp?" Ajuga suddenly asked on the edge of tears.

"I am very busy…" he began.

Ajuga started to sniff.

"Zay no pway? Zay no like?" she sniffed again, tears threatening. "juga no fav sperament?"

Szayel sighed in frustration.

"You are still my favourite experiment, but I am very busy right now helping your mother," he tried to explain, to no avail.

Ajuga looked ready to burst into a full on temper tantrum. Hana just watched to see how this was going to go down, absently doodling designs for her 'shinnies' on the piece of paper Szayel had originally tried to bribe her with.

"Ajuga," Nemu said firmly again, trying to get the child's attention before any real waterworks could start.

The little girl sniffed some more, but finally nodded her head.

"Make shinny," she agreed.

"Can we use the computer?" Hana was quick to ask.

"We will do a 3D render and have the equipment produce the final product," Nemu answered.

"Sweet," Hana jumped eagerly to her feet.

Nemu took them over to one of the computer panels and booted up a simple program. Hana caught on quickly how to use it, leaving Nemu to assist Ajuga. Whether the little girl actually understood what was going on or simply entranced by the pretty colours and lights on the screen was debatable, but at least she had calmed down.

Hana hummed away as she designed her pair before frowning.

"Is there a tape measure around?" she asked.

"We should have one in the third drawer on the right," Nemu answered.

"Perfect!"

Hana darted off to grab it and quickly measured her own head.

"Let's see here," she mused aloud. "I don't want them round so, if I divide the lenses into six radiuses and treat each of the sections as essentially their own circle, then I can calculate the curve I would need…" Hana muttered off as she wrote out the equation.

True to his word, Byakuya-san had managed to get her a tutor and she loved every minute of her math lessons. The rest she could do without, but she loved math so much that it was worth suffering through the other subjects. She worked the problem out, not even noticing that she now had the attention of both adults.

"Got it!" she cried triumphantly, inputting the data onto the screen and watching as the lenses formed. "Perfect, now put it in the frame and… beautiful! Now all I need to do is colour them in!"

"Hana, what did you do?" Nemu asked, intrigued.

"Hmm. Oh, I wanted to make sure they would fit so I measured my face and worked out the math so that they will fit me," she boasted proudly.

"The computer could have done so," Nemu commented, and Hana made a face.

"I am faster than the computer," Hana sniffed.

"Let me see this," Szayel snatched up the paper she had used to work her equation out, quickly going over the math himself.

"Math is easy," Hana shrugged. "Byakuya-san showed me how to do circles, but it was nothing to adjust the equation for an oval," she smirked.

Ajuga, distracted by the screen, gigged as the pretty colours moved about.

"Marvellous!" Szayel said, actually meaning it as he looked over Hana's calculations. "Simply marvellous!"

"Zay pway now?" Ajuga suddenly asked, looking from her screen to him.

"I…,"

All three girls looked at him. He sighed in defeat, knowing a losing battle when he saw one.

"I can play with you now," he agreed.

"Yay!" Ajuga cheered, holding her arms out to him.

With another inward groan, he accepted the little girl as Nemu handed her over and he took his servant's place at the computer. Ajuga settled in his lap and looked at the monitor again.

"I wan' blue."

"But your eyes are blue. Why not white instead?" Szayel suggested.

"Wha, wha, like Zay's," she cheered.

"White," he corrected.

"Wha."

"'Wh'… 'I'… 'T'," he pronounced slower.

"Whad."

"No no. 'Ta'. Say 'Ta'." He tried to explain.

"Ta," Ajuga repeated.

"Now together… white!"

"Whida."

He tried for a few more minutes until Ajuga finally pronounced the word correctly.

"There you go! I knew you could talk! Now try my name. Sza..al," he pronounced his name slowly.

"Szay."

"Al," he added.

"Szaaa al."

"Szayel," he corrected.

This went on for some time as he tried to get her to pronounce words correctly, absently adjusting the glasses on the screen they were making. She was no longer interested in the monitor, but rather the word game they were playing.

Everyone was so into what they were doing that the sound of the perimeter alarm going off caused them all to jump in surprise and stare at each other stupidly before Szayel quickly handed Ajuga to Hana with a stern order to 'stay there' as he and Nemu raced towards the main computer.

"What's going on?" Hana demanded, holding onto a squirming Ajuga.

"I have the main monitor up," Nemu reported.

Everyone's eyes darted to the screen.

"Deer," Szayel sniffed in annoyance and then breathed out. "I'm fed up with the stupid wildlife! It's always some animal messing with our equipment! If it's not birds building nests in them, it's bears knocking the sensors out of the trees," he ranted, gesturing irritably.

He pulled a headset over his ears and quickly spoke into the attached microphone, directing the patrol group in the area to reset the sensors and chase off the annoying critters. Nemu silenced the alarm and assured all units it had just been a tripped wire and they were not under assault.

Hana set Ajuga down and the little girl crawled back to the computer to stare at the pretty colours.

"Oooo."

"Ajuga-chan, don't touch that," Hana sighed.

"Pwetty."

"Pretty," Hana corrected.

"Hana make pwetty."

"Of course I did. I am smart," she puffed out with pride.

"Mart," Ajuga agreed. "Like 'ark," she chuckled.

"Hai, smart like Starrk-ji," Hana agreed.

"A pity he wastes what intelligence he has on sleeping all day," Szayel sighed in exasperation as he came up behind them. "Are we ready to make your 'shinnies' now?"

"Shinnies," Ajuga cheered, leaping past him before launching herself off the floor to land on his shoulder.

Given that he still had not returned to full stature yet, it was rather amusing to see Ajuga perched on his shoulder.

"Quick little devil, aren't you?" he smiled at her.

"Fast. Fast like 'ark-ji."

"Starrk," Everyone corrected her, speaking at the same time.

Ajuga just chuckled.

(POV)

"God, that was a good work out," Tatsuki sighed in pleasure. "My muscles haven't ached like this in years."

"It did feel good. Grimmjow hasn't had much time lately to train with me," Karin agreed, stretching out her hamstrings.

"It was fun," Orihime agreed happily, and then turned abruptly and glared at Karin "…after you stopped cheating, Karin-chan."

"Hey, all is fair in love and war. Using Shunpo is no different than you using Tsubaki or Tatsuki-chan using Starrk-san's katana," Karin said, defending herself.

"Yeah, but we can't move that fast," Orihime complained.

Tatsuki just laughed as the two younger women bickered.

"I have to agree with Orihime-chan on this one," Tatsuki finally cut in.

"When are you going to return Starrk-san's katana anyway?" Orihime asked, pointing to the weapon Tatsuki held.

The other woman shrugged and wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand.

"I tried to the other day, but he said I could keep it since I seemed to like it so much. He also said he really didn't need it," Tatsuki answered.

"No, he wouldn't, would he?" Karin mused. Of all of the weapons at the First Espada's disposal, the sword was probably the least important in his arsenal. "Anyhow, I should probably go pick up the girls before Szayel goes anymore insane then he already is," Karin finally said with a tired chuckle.

"I still can't believe you left them with him," Orihime frowned. "What if he experiments on them or something? They could come back with extra arms or extra legs, maybe even a tail!"

"Ajuga-chan already has a tail," Karin pointed out dryly, "and besides, Szayel fears Aizen above all others and Aizen made it quite clear that if anything were to happen to Ajuga-chan, his fate would be worse than death."

"Still," Orihime fretted, sounding worried.

"Anyway, shall we plan again for the same time next week?" Tatsuki interrupted, before Orihime's imagination could get the better of her.

"Sounds good to me," Karin agreed.

"Alright! Next week it is, providing nothing comes up," Tatsuki agreed.

They cleaned up and left the Estate, parting ways as their destinations started to deviate. They delivered Orihime to the pourch of Uquiorra's house and then Karin and Tatsuki walked the short distance down the street where Tatsuki's path home diverged from the path to the 12th the Research Building.

"_Now then, I wonder how Szayel survived two hyperactive little girls." _Karin thought to herself as she waved to Tatsuki before resuming her walk and smirked evilly, then thought a little more about it and picked up her pace. "Better yet, how much of the laboratory is left standing?" she asked aloud


	48. Karin's Displeasure, Szayel's Punishment

Double Update: you may need to back up a chapter.

Karin's Displeasure and Szayel's Punishment

"I swear, whatever I did to anger you Karin-sama, I will never do it again," Szayel was down on one knee bowing before her, a position she bet only Aizen himself had ever been privy to.

"Pway more, Szay," Ajuga cheered.

"I think Szayel is done playing for now," Karin smiled at her daughter. "Oh, what are those?" she asked.

"My pwties. Jus like Szay's," she said happily, pulling the white glasses down from her forehead to cover her eyes. "Hana has pwties too," Ajuga cheered, pointing at the older girl.

Karin glanced over to Hana, who also had a pair of sunglasses on her forehead and was smiling happily.

"Did you have fun?" Karin asked.

"Lots of fun," Hana quickly answered.

Ajuga darted forward and climbed up onto Karin's shoulder, bouncing happily.

"Fun. Fun. Szay is fun!" Ajuga agreed.

"So, do you want to play with Szayel again?" Karin asked sweetly, a wicked glint in her eyes.

"No please," Szayel actually threw himself at her feet. "I beg of you, Karin-sama. I will never try to deceive you again. I will be your loyal servant for all time, with or without the Claim."

Karin almost laughed before his words sank in. When they did, her eyes narrowed, though she kept smiling as she turned to face him fully.

"Oh?" she let her grin widen. "What was that about deceiving me 'again'?" she questioned.

His entire body actually went ridged and his terror-stricken eyes looked up at her. Karin frowned in displeasure, the grin disappearing. She had thought he had been joking, but his reaction and the panic rushing through the Claim suggested otherwise.

"Hana-chan, Ajuga-chan. Go wait in the lobby with Nemu-san please," Karin ordered.

Ajuga pouted, but did jump from her shoulder into Nemu's arms. Hana followed them. Karin turned her eyes back to the trembling Espada at her feet. His eyes focused once more on the floor.

"Out with it," Karin snapped, her good mood ruined.

"Out with what, Karin-sama?" he questioned innocently, or at least it would have sounded innocent if not for the slight tremor in his voice.

She forced herself not to slap him. She wanted to so badly, but she kept her temper in check.

"Every little deception you have ever done since I met you, every little scheme, be they large or small, you will tell them all to me right now!" she barked the order at him.

"That could take hours," he gasped. It was as close to a protest as he seemed able to get.

"Well then, since I have to get the children home, I suppose you had better inform your staff you will be stepping out of the office for an extended period of time," she snarled.

"Can I write a report instead?" he pleaded weakly.

"No," Karin walked past him, resisting the sudden urge to kick him for even his token defiance. "You will be present to answer my questions. Come."

He stood up from his bowed position and followed her. They found Nemu and the children in the lobby waiting for them.

"Nemu, I need to go out for a while. Keep the place running smoothly," he ordered.

He opened his mouth to add more, but Karin clamped down his tongue with the Claim, silencing him before he could attempt to convey any other form of message; real, hidden or otherwise.

"Come on brats, it's time to go home," Karin called the two girls over to her.

"Szay is coming too?" Ajuga asked happily, when the girl noticed the Espada trailing them.

"Yes, Szay is coming," Karin confirmed to her daughter, her own voice tight.

"Yah," Ajuga cheered, jumping up onto his shoulder. "Can we pway more when we are home?"

"Absolutely," Karin smirked.

She did not need to turn around to see the shudder that rippled through his body and she swore she heard him whimper. Letting Ajuga 'play' with him was going to be the least of his worries by the time she was done with him.

(TIME)

The girls had long since gone to bed and now it was just her and the target of her ire. Of course, Grimmjow was curious as to reason for Szayel's presence at the Estate, but Karin had assured him it was not important and he grudgingly backed off. It was amusing enough watching his daughter and her friend torment the pink-haired Espada.

Her other half was currently asleep with their daughter, leaving them alone. To say that Szayel did not look happy about the situation was an understatement

There were a million emotions running through the Claim, but what confused Karin the most was the terror she was getting from him. Panic she expected, maybe even a bit of fear; the pure, unrestrained terror in Szayel took her by surprise and made her worry about what it was he had done to warrant such a strong emotion.

She had led him to one of the gardens out back and brought a pen and paper to record her questions and his answers. She wanted nothing left out because she had failed to keep track of her thoughts and his responses.

The further into the garden she led him, the greater his fear became, until she had a feeling the only reason he was still following her and had not bolted was because of the Claim. The moment they finally came to a stop, he actually dropped to the ground and grovelled.

Karin frowned at him and she swore Szayel was trying to keep from crying. His body shivered so hard one would have figured he was freezing and the unrelenting fright she felt in him showed no signs of abating. It did not bode well.

"Szayel Aporro Grantz."

She said his full name in the way that only a mother could, one that took even his current level of fear up a few notches. He went perfectly still, barely breathing as his panic took on fight-or-flight intensity. Her frown deepened and she wondered what he could have possibly done that had him this terrified of her. Whatever it was, Karin decided that the sooner she found out what that something was, the better.

"You will start from the very beginning, from the moment I met you, and you will tell me EVERY little detail with regards to the things you have done to me and my family without telling us. Every experiment you have conducted without my permission or knowledge. If you think I might not know about it, assume I do not. Begin," she ordered, and sat down with the pen and paper, ready to write.

His voice quivered in fear as he spoke, answering her Claim-enforced questions. Her frown deepened as the answers came and showed no sight on abating. Some of what he had done she had long since guessed, such as the fact that he could also track the tracking bracelet he had given them for Ajuga. The fact the bracelet also studied her reiatsu so he could decode and nullify it did leave her brow twitching in irritation.

Oh, she was definitely not happy when he informed her of the other small things he had done, such as injecting her with something he called rokureichu to trace and learn **everything** about her so he could nullify her powers in a heartbeat. That left her seething, but not nearly as much as his next confession.

She already knew about the experiments he had done with her blood, but to learn he had tried to copy it, to clone it, definitely enraged her. Worse, he had dared to inject the same rokureichu into Ajuga and had even tried to copy her!

At each confession, his terror intensified until she could barely understand him through the stuttering. The fear racing into her through the Claim had also become very distracting.

Yes, Szayel was guilty of doing things that pissed her off, but he had not necessarily angered her enough to warrant such terror from him. When she finally had all the answers she needed, she sat back and considered what her next option should be. His crimes were numerous, and a few could have been serious if left unpunished, but none of the things he had done, the experiments he'd conducted had actually harmed her or Ajuga. Given what she knew of his nature, it seemed that the majority of his research was motivated by his bottomless curiosity, rather than any kind of real maliciousness on his part.

Clearly he needed to be punished or he would just attempt to do it again. But really, what could she bring herself to do to him? The fact he still appeared to be so young didn't help matters. Despite his re-pooling reiatsu he still looked about sixteen.

She decided on a form of punishment. Karin stood up and glared down at him. He whimpered and there was another surge of pure terror. She frowned and moved over to sit on one of the large boulders.

"Szayel, come here," she ordered sternly.

"Please, Karin-sama, I won't do anything like that again," he whimpered even as he forced himself to his feet and staggered her way.

The order had not been Claim-enforced. This was a punishment and if she used the Claim in the process, the punishment would be diminished and the lesson would not be learned. He stopped before her, shaking like a leaf.

"Hakama down, now," she ordered crisply.

He stared at her in shock, but slowly complied. His hands shook so violently that it took him almost a full minute to untie the belt and let his hakama fall to pool at his feet.

"Closer."

He closed the last little bit of distance between them with a whimper.

Karin grabbed him by the back of the neck and forced him over her lap.

"Karin-sama?" he questioned fearfully from the awkward position, but didn't try to get up or struggle.

She fused a fair amount of reiatsu into her hand and slammed it down upon his rear, earning a shocked cry of pain and a flop from him. He instantly tried to cover himself with his hands.

"Move your hands," she said firmly, once more leaving it free of Claim control.

He whimpered, but his hands reluctantly fell to his sides and she brought another reiatsu infused palm down harshly onto his rear, earning another whimper of pain. His hands fisted into her hakama and she could hear his faint sobs, but he wisely didn't try and escape his penance. She let a totally of twenty blows fell upon his quickly reddening rear.

"Well?" she questioned after the twentieth had fallen.

"I will never try to deceive you again, Karin-sama," he promised with a humiliation-filled sob, tears streaming down his face.

"Good," she released the light grip she had on his shoulder blades and gave him a nudge. "You can get off my lap now and put your hakama back on."

He rolled off of her lap and pulled his hakama back up, rubbing his aching rear and trying to see the damage done over his shoulder. A snap of Karin's fingers forced his attention immediately back to her.

"If I ever find out you have deceived me again, or run any experiments on my family and friends without their consent, Grimmjow will be the one to deliver your next punishment. I can assure you my Mate will not be appeased with merely spanking an unruly child like I was. Clear?"

"Hai, Karin-sama," he answered meekly and, with a wince, bowed deeply, his pink hair falling in his face as he did so.

"Good. You are dismissed," she waved him away.

He gave another bow and began to limp off. With the spanking she had giving him, he wouldn't be able to sit properly for a week.

"Oh, Szayel," she called before he could open the door.

He froze, and she felt another rush of panic run down the Claim to her.

"Is there a reason you were so terrified to answer my questions?" she enquired, folding her arms across her chest and raising an eyebrow.

He bowed his head and took a moment before answering.

"When Aizen-kami is displeased, his punishments can be very severe," he answered reluctantly with a shiver.

"I see. You thought I was going to punish you like he does?" she guessed.

A nod of his head was the only answer he gave.

"I am not Aizen," she sniffed. "I have a far more deadly weapon to use against you," she smirked.

Oh, he was terrified again, growing more so as he realized what, or rather 'who,' the weapon consisted of.

"Ajuga-chan and Hana-chan will be by to visit you again next week. Tatsuki-chan, Orihime-chan and I will be busy every Sunday with training, so I am so pleased that I can count on you to watch the girls!" she smirked at him, clapping her hands together with a breeziness that was only half-mocking.

With her warning to him firmly established, the entire incident had actually worked out in her favour and solved the nagging problem of what to do with the children while she and the rest of the women trained.

His terror turned to abject horror and for a moment she thought he was going to protest the second half of his sentence. Instead, he swallowed and nodded his head with a meek, "Hai, Karin-sama."

She waved him away and this time he launched into a sloppy Sonido to escape. Karin was caught somewhere between chuckling in amusement and sheer annoyance. In particular, Orihime's concerns about leaving Ajuga and Hana in Szayel's care from earlier in the day came back to her and now she felt a little regret at dismissing her friend's worries so easily.

Just because Aizen had decreed that no 'harm' should come to her and Ajuga didn't necessarily mean that someone else's idea of 'harm' and her own coincided. She would have to keep a better eye on Szayel in the future, even with the Claim and her warning acting as a restraint on his 'scientific impulses'.

With a sigh, she picked up the notes she had made of his answers and returned to the room she shared with her family.

"Did Szay get in twubble?" Ajuga asked sleepily.

"What are you still doing awake?" Karin asked as she looked down at her daughter. Big blue eyes looked back up at her, filled with concern.

"I worry 'bout Szay. Did Szay do some'ing bad?"

"Yes he did," Karin answered.

"Wha Szay do?"

"He lied to me," Karin answered.

"Oh. Did Szay get spanking like I do?" Ajuga asked meekly, biting her lip.

Karin actually chuckled.

"Yes, he got a spanking too," Karin answered with an amused smile.

"Oh. Szay should know no one can lie to Mama. Mama a'ways fines out."

"That's right, I always find out. Go back to sleep Ajuga-chan," Karin ordered softly.

"'kay."

Ajuga crawled back under the blankets and nestled against her father.

"You spanked an Espada?" Grimmjow asked in sleepy disbelief, his own blue eyes opening to gaze up at her. Like daughter, like father, she supposed.

"Is anyone actually asleep around here?" Karin groused. "He had it coming, trust me. I told him if he ever tried to deceive me again you would be the one to deliver the punishment next time."

She stripped off her clothes and curled up next to him.

"He got off far too lucky," he grunted.

"I am not so sure about that," Karin smirked. "He has a desk job, for the most part, and I guarantee you that sitting for the next few weeks won't be pleasant. Not to mention the mortification of actually receiving a spanking from a human."

"You're evil."

"Trained by the best," she leaned up to kiss him before making herself comfortable.

"You know it," he grunted back. "Just make sure to tell Lilinette about it. He will die of embarrassment before the night is out."

"Sounds like someone wishes they got a spanking instead," Karin purred at him.

"I don't swing that way," Grimmjow scowled.

"Oh?" she smirked up at him.

"Don't even think about it," he growled at her.

Karin laughed softly, but snuggled firmly against him once more anyway.

"Don't you think it's just about time for Ajuga-chan to have her own room?" she asked.

Grimmjow frowned. She knew he didn't like having Ajuga out of their sight.

"She is more than old enough to have her own room. You can't coddle her forever."

"Tsh," he snorted.

He was always so difficult when it came to emotional stuff, more so when it involved his daughter, but she supposed all fathers tended to be overprotective of their daughters or at least the good ones were anyway.

"It would mean more alone time for us," she pointed out in a husky voice, tracing her fingertips up his arm to emphasize her point.

"I think there is a spare room across the hall we could put her in," he pointed out rather quickly.

Karin chuckled. He was too easy. Besides, it was time for Ajuga-chan to start becoming independent if she was ever going to grow up to be strong. Somehow, Karin bet Grimmjow would be less protective if Ajuga had been male.

(POV)

"Szayel-sama," Nemu greeted him as he limped into his room and collapsed onto his bed, stomach first.

His heart was still racing, but he had managed to calm it down, for the most part, on the painful trip home. Szayel had never been so terrified in his life. He had honestly thought Karin was going to punish him by retracting her Claim and permitting more of his reiatsu to escape, forcing him to degenerate further. Or worse, leave him in such a regressed state that he would be removed as an Espada once and for all.

"You are injured," Nemu noted, worry apparent in her voice and unlike her normally placid tone.

"I am fine," he waved her concern away.

"Shall I tend to the wounds?" she questioned.

For a moment he seriously considered having Nemu bring some of his healing salve, or at least pain killers, before rejecting the idea.

"Ile. In this case I think it would be best to leave them be," he sighed, rolling onto his back. "Itai!" he cursed and quickly rolled back onto his chest, rubbing his aching rear and calling himself all sorts of names for doing something that incredible stupid all because he'd let something important slip out by mistake and his Master had had the sense to pick up on his blunder.

Somehow, that almost seemed more humiliating than being bent over his Master's knee and disciplined like an infant. A twinge from his abused rear end made him grimace in pain and he buried his face in the fabric of the coverlet. Almost.

His punishment could have definitely been a lot worse, but he also had a sinking feeling that Karin knew exactly what she had been doing in dishing out her retribution for his deceptions. The next week was going to be most unpleasant until his smarting rear healed. He didn't want to think about what his laboratory, his uniform and hair, indeed the entire 12th Division! would look like after a few weeks at the mercy of his Master's child and her too-smart little partner in crime.

* * *

This will be the last update until after Christmas. Black Storm drew a very cute picture to go with this chapter and you can find it here:

blackstorm. deviantart. com/art/Chibi-Szayelaporro-spanked-21470111


	49. Winter's Sun

Winter's Sun

With the perimeter system fully in place and the absence of any sign of an insect larger than an inch, the patrols Aizen demanded from his Arrancar had become more reasonable; especially after Nanao had gotten the civilian patrols set up and going with the assistance of the district leaders.

As such there was a bit more relaxation once again, giving the Arrancar some free time. Free time to rest up their weary bodies from the unreasonable patrols. Free time to spend time with the ones they had taken an interest in.

"That's my girl," Grimmjow complimented as Ajuga bounded back to them on all fours, a rabbit dangling from her mouth.

Ajuga still didn't walk upright, but she was starting to stand up when she wanted to reach something or asked to be picked up. Her speech was coming along nicely as well; thanks mostly to Szayel's insistences she speak right.

Grimmjow and Karin both swore the only reason Ajuga still called Szayel 'Szay' was because she knew it drove him nuts. It had become a bit of a nickname for the scientist.

Ajuga came to a stop before her father, chest puffed out in pride and beaming happily as she dropped the dead rabbit at their feet.

"Looks like we will be having rabbit for dinner tonight," Karin smiled.

It was still unnerving to see her daughter bouncing about with dead things hanging from her mouth, but she didn't want to confuse the girl by scolding her while her father was praising her.

They had presented Ajuga with her own room just the other day and the girl had been thrilled. Jushiro had let her rummage through the unused guest rooms to find things to fill it with and Ajuga and Hana had spent the entire day setting it up.

Karin had to admit she was impressed as Ajuga sat their beaming up at her parents in pride. A rabbit was a far cry from the mice or insects she had been hunting, but Ajuga had patiently hunted the rabbit down with excellent skill. Karin was still trying to figure out where Ajuga got so much patience's from, because it certainly wasn't from her father.

"Ajuga-chan, please," Karin stopped her daughter as she started to try and eat the dead thing.

Her daughter looked up at her abashed.

"Mama, is what Papa and I am bother you?" she asked sadly and hesitantly, as if afraid of the answer.

"No," Karin quickly assured her, "it's just that there are so many diseases that animals carry and I don't want you getting sick by picking one up. I am just as proud as your Father is at your hunting prowess, but please cook and sanitize your meals before you eat it," she ordered.

"Oh," Ajuga picked the rabbit back up and dropped it at her feet. "Mama cook?"

Karin sighed while Grimmjow laughed, but at least it was a start.

"Alright, Mama will cook, but not right now. How about we make it for dinner tonight and you can share with Hana-chan?" she offered.

Ajuga seemed pleased with that.

"Ya. I hunt for everyone," she promised.

And with that her daughter was gone, bounding on all fours back into the park to find more game to hunt.

Grimmjow just laughed again and followed after his daughter at a leisurely pace.

"I swear if she somehow manages to tag a deer, you are dragging it home," Karin snorted, picking the dead rabbit up and following after them.

"Deer huh," he mused.

"Absolutely not," Karin said firmly. "Unlike a rabbit they have hooves and horns. I do not want to see my daughter eviscerated." The mental image of her daughter covered in her own blood that came to mind was enough to make her shiver.

"Relax, with her innate hierro a deer couldn't hurt her if it tried, but while she is busy hunting that does give us a bit of alone time," he smirked, moving quickly and pinning her against a tree.

"Oh, you are letting her out of your sight?" Karin questioned, all to aware of how protective he was of his offspring.

"You can see her just fine and the park is safe enough," he countered.

"A park's a little public, don't you think?" Karin breathed as she found herself flush against his body.

"Just shows the others I own you," he smirked, nuzzling the side of her neck.

"You mean I own you," she countered, dropping the rabbit.

Karin buried her hands under his jacket and ran them up his back. The tight feel of his muscles under her fingers always left her legs feeling a bit weak.

"Call it even," he whispered into her ear.

"Oi, you two at least want to take that to a bush," a voice snapped in mocking irritation.

Grimmjow growled in annoyance and shot a glare at the one who had interrupted them.

"Lilinette," he growled.

Karin had to force herself not to chuckle as they both turned their attention to the young Arrancar.

"What?" she asked innocently. "If you don't want to be disturbed than don't do it in the middle of a park trail," she taunted.

"Is there something you want Lilinette-chan, or were you just wandering by?" Karin asked before Grimmjow could throttle the girl.

"I was looking for Starrk. He's not at the Estate and I can't find him," Lilinette growled in annoyance, stomping a foot down childishly.

Karin sighed, but closed her eyes and slipped into mediation. Starrk was easy to find, at least for her. Repressing reiatsu meant very little to one who could physically see it's pool. It still shun just as brightly, but tended to be more condensed when the person it belonged to was suppressing it. To one who couldn't see reiatsu they wouldn't noticed it until they were right on top of it.

When she had explained it to Szayel she had commented her ability to see reiatsu like sight where as others felt. She could see the stars in the sky despite their distance where as others were blind and would only know they were close to a star by the feel of the heat when they were nearby.

"He's at the second division with Jushiro-san," Karin answered shortly before suddenly blushing. "I would leave them alone," she added as she spotted their reitasu twinning together; or more accurately, Starrk's invading and dominating Jushiro's.

"Why, what could….oh," Lilinette suddenly laughed. "I didn't even realize it was this late in the year. I wonder with all that's been happening if Aizen will have his Annual Claim Meeting," she mused.

"Now you know where he is, scram," Grimmjow barked.

"Alright, alright. Sheesh," Lilinette stomped off.

"Now, where were we," he growled into her neck.

"I think we were vying for dominance," Karin smirked at him.

The sound of a body being dragged over the ground and the grunting of their daughter once again stopped anything further from happening. Both parents sighed before looking over at the little girl, disbelief on their features as they took in the sight.

Karin was the first to get over her shock and started to laugh, holding onto Grimmjow for support.

"Only your daughter," She wheezed.

"Where the hell did she even find one?" he demanded.

"Well, this is a park. Are you honestly that surprised?" she pointed out.

He was at a loss for words.

"By the way, my statement still stands. You are packing it home and cleaning it," Karin laughed as she retrieved the rabbit she had dropped at their feet and scooped up her beaming daughter.

"How the hell?" Grimmjow muttered, but pride was definitely overcoming his shock and disbelief.

With a wide smirk he joined his family, hoisting the dead body of the small deer over his shoulder with ease and ruffling his child's hair affectionately. The throat had been expertly mangled indeed.

"Mama cook?" Ajuga asked cheerfully.

"Hai, hai, mama will cook," Karin laughed. "And we will share with everyone else. Does that sound good?"

"Yep," Ajuga chirped happily. "I hunt good, help feed family. Hana no hunt as good as I can."

"No she can't," Karin agreed.

"Going to have to fix that," Grimmjow grunted.

"Hmm," she looked over at him.

"Kid's going to have to learn how to defend herself sooner or later, and Ajuga is getting to that age to start teaching her combat training," he commented.

"She's barely two," Karin protested.

"In human years. In hollow years she would be hunting with the pack already," he commented. "And Hana would make a good training partner," he mused. "Clearly Starrk and Ukitake are slacking in her training and she has a half decent pool of reiatsu. They should have started training her a few years ago. Lazy bastard," he grumbled.

"You would do that?" she asked surprised.

Grimmjow had never really shown much interest in Hana-chan other than to accept the fact that she was one of the Estate's cubs and his daughter's friend. Karin supposed that it did kind of make a bit of sense, a lot of pack creatures took on the joint responsibility of raising the young.

"It will be good for both of them and Ajuga will need a training partner her size and level."

"If you think so," she agreed reluctantly.

"I learn to fight?" Ajuga asked happily, bouncing in her mothers arms. "With Hana-chan and Lili-chan? I can be strong like Mama and Papa?"

"Very strong. You are my Daughter," Grimmjow smirked at her.

Karin sighed, but couldn't bring herself to argue with him in front of Ajuga. Sometimes it was difficult to remember that he was a hollow, and in many ways so was their daughter. Their ways were still alien to her at times and she was just pleased that he seemed to understand that most of the time and was willing to patiently explain the things about their culture she didn't understand.

(POV)

Orihime sighed in contentment as the soft, feathered fur rubbed pleasurably against her bare skin. Her hands were tangled in the furry feathers at the base of his impressive wings and clenched them tightly as he deepened the kiss they were sharing.

Eventually she needed air and he broke the kiss off. She panted lightly for breath and moaned softly as another soft stroke into her body left her toes curling with pleasure. It was unlike Ulquiorra to take her slowly and sensationally. He was astonishingly more into the quick and heavy, and usually either not released at all or only in his first form, but she was not going to argue against this.

She could never get over the feel of that feathered fur of his second release against her bare skin, and for the first time ever they were not even at the house, but rather out in the woods past the city gates on a low, seclude plateau.

Briefly she was worried about Szayel's defence grid watching them, but with the skilled hands of her lover working her flesh, such thoughts were soon long gone. His thrust into her body were firm and slow, allowing her to feel the slide of his length in and out of her body.

Orihime had never figured Ulquiorra for being sentimental, and if anyone had told her just five years ago that she would be happy to lay beneath him on the grass under his wings as he thrust gently into her body, she would have thought they had gone crazy, or been replaced by evil robots.

"Ulquiorra," she breathed softly in pleasure and let out another moan as the friction of another deep thrust finally had her walls clamping round his shaft and she arched her back with a cry of pleasure as her fluids gushed around him.

He sighed into her and with a sudden sharp jerk, she felt him begin to fill her. She sighed softly and nuzzled against him as he continued to give little soft spasms as he let out several spurts of his cum into her body.

After the last spurt was milked from him he rested against her under the cocoon of his wings as he regained his breath and composure. Once he was back under control of himself his feathered fur and wings slowly glittered away and he returned to his normal form, Murcielago reforming beside them.

He pulled out of her and adjusted them so her back was to his chest. He nuzzled her neck tiredly and simply held her. She reached out and brushed a hand down the zanpakuto's hilt while he pulled the blanket they had been laying on over their naked bodies before resuming his nuzzling of her neck.

"I have always wondered," she mused aloud several minutes later, "does Murcielago-kun speak to you the way Shinigami Zanpakuto do?" she asked curiously.

"Of course not. Our Zanpakuto are merely our true power and forms sealed to conserve reiatsu," he answered.

"Oh," she frowned. "Does he have a sentience at least?" she questioned.

"Why would sealed reiatsu have a sentience?" Ulquiorra asked confused.

"Why not?" she countered. "Technically you are nothing more than reiatsu," she pointed out. "And I know he likes me so therefore he must have an intelligence," she stated matter-of-factly.

"How can an inanimate object like someone? To believe such a thing is foolish," he scoffed.

Orihime just chuckled as opposed to taking offence. She was long use to his scepticism by now and no longer took offence. Instead she took it as a challenge to try and make him understand, to become well, if not more human than at least less of the emotionless monster he had once been.

"You use to say that about the heart too," she pointed out, "and I know he likes me, watch."

She brushed her hand along the hilt and slowly up the blade, a small trail of reiatsu coming from the Zanpakuto followed her fingers, cackling pleasantly and warmly against her skin in a way that almost tickled and earned a giggle out of her.

"He's always so warm when I touch him," she sighed contently.

Ulquiorra sighed in frustration behind her.

"That is not intelligence, but traces or my own emotions in my reiatsu reacting to your reiatsu's presence," he explained with the slightest hint of exasperation in his voice.

"But since you are essentially composed reiatsu, doesn't that mean you and he are technically the same? And since you are clearly intelligence, what's to say he isn't either? Just because he can't speak doesn't mean he isn't alive, that's like saying a tree isn't alive because it can't speak either," she argued.

"I fail to see how this is important."

He reached out to gather up his zanpakuto, and blinked as the reiatsu that had been following the trail of Orihime's fingers zapped him.

"See, now you made him upset," Orihime chuckled, pulling the Zanpakuto to her chest in a hug while he stared at his fingers in surprise. "There, there, mean old Ulquiorra didn't mean it," she soothed the blade.

"Onna, you never cease to confound me," he sighed, turning his attention from his fingers back to her.

"If I didn't I would hardly be interesting now would I?" she chuckled. "That would make life pretty boring," she pointed out

"Indeed," he reluctantly conceded.

They lay in comfortable silence as they watched the winter sun set. Orihime's fingers continued to trace the Zanpakuto laying beside them while his simply held her close.

"Ulquiorra."

"Hmm?"

Orihime turned slightly in his grasp to look up at him and smiled softly.

"You hold my heart in the palm of your hand, just so you know."

"And you mine," he answered softly.

She smirked and kissed him, nestling against his warmth once more and noticing that a certain part of his anatomy seemed to be rather interested in her body. With a chuckle she turned in his grasp to face him and offered a smile.

"You know, I do love the feel of your feather fur against my skin," she smirked at him.

"You do not find the sight of my second release repulsive?" he questioned curiously.

"No, why do you think that?" she questioned confused.

"Your eyes always remain closed when we mate," he answered.

"That's because closing my eyes increase my sense of touch and I can pay more attention to the feeling of our joined bodies instead of being distracted by the signals coming from my sight," she assured him. "If anything, your second release reminds me of strength and power."

"I see."

In a whisper of words and a flash of light he changed before her once more. The release of his power so close took her first breath away and the feel of furry feathers against her skin took the second.

He settled between her legs and rubbed himself against her before lining up and penetrating her again. This time he did take her fast and hard, dragging shocked cries of pleasure from her as his reaitsu invaded her body, reminding her just how powerful he was and who she belonged to.

(POV)

Matsumoto sighed softly as she rested comfortably on her stomach on the front porch, feet swinging lazily in the air behind her as she casually flipped through one of the magazines Tatsuki had manage to bring for her. The chain on her ankle tinkled with the movement, but she hardly noticed it anymore and today the tinkling almost reminded her of wind chimes.

The weather was colder now that winter was here, but they never really saw snow here unless Toshiro was in a really bad mood. On the coldest nights they would get some frost in the morning, but otherwise the sun still had some heat to it as long as you were out of the wind.

She flipped to the next page, humming as she read the article on various shades of nail polish and which shades to choose with what other colours during the winter season. A shadow fell over her and she looked up in surprise to see Nnoitra staring down at her.

"Nnoitra-sama," she acknowledged, flipping the book closed to give him her attention.

"I feel like going out," he commented.

"Nani?" she asked confused.

"I said I feel like going out. Go put something nice on. I know Tesra picked out a few outfits for you," he ordered.

She stared at him in shock for a moment before nodding her head and standing up. She headed up to their room, the chain dragging on the floor behind her. She looked through her clothing and quickly pushed most of it to the side until she reached the two kimono's hiding in the back that Tesra had provided for her years ago.

One was the one she wore to the Claim Meetings, the other was one she had never touched before. She ran her hand over the fine silk and had wondered why Tesra had provided her with such a thing when he had presented it to her.

She pulled it out of the closet and set it on the bed before retreating to the bathroom to clean herself up a bit.

"Oi, what's taking so long?" Nnoitra called from the bottom of the stairs after ten minutes.

"Just a minute, Nnoitra-sama, I am almost done," she called back.

She came down the stairs slowly, mindful of the flow of the kimono about her. He looked up at her speechless for a moment before a wide grin covered his face.

"Fuck, Tesra sure can pick em out," he commented.

Despite herself, Matsumoto found herself blushing lightly at the crude comment. He unlatched the chain from her ankle and then held the door open for her, offering her a light bow.

"After you," he said surprisingly politely.

"Thank you, Nnoitra-sama," she whispered demurely and stepped through the door.

He closed it behind them and took the lead. She followed beside him half a step behind, but still almost level with him. They definitely garnered looks, most of them her way. She had to agree with him, Tesra had good taste.

She honestly thought he was going to get jealous of the attention being given to her, but his smirk just widened and if anything his arrogant strut got even more arrogant. Eventually they arrived at one of the local bars, be it a more upstanding one.

Once more he held the door open for her, he even helped her sit first before taking his place across from her. A nervous waiter walked up to take their orders and she remained silent while he ordered for both of them.

Once the understandably nervous waiter wandered off he turned his smirk back at her. She felt her heart flutter in a mixture of fear and anticipation as he poured them both a cup of sake before handing her one. This was a behaviour she had never seen from him and it put her on edge.

"May I ask what the occasion is, Nnoitra-sama?" she asked slightly nervous.

This odd behaviour from him had her a little unnerved to say the least. He had never taken her out, hell she had never been permitted away from the house except for the Claim Meetings and the few times he had permitted her to visit Karin. Needless to say, she was rather confused.

"What? You have been a good girl for quite a while now. I am just rewarding your behaviour," he answered dismissively.

"I see. Thank you, Nnoitra-sama," she bowed her head.

Despite the fact that she kind of felt like he was treating her like a prize dog at a show, she couldn't help the little smile of appreciation that touched her lips. It had been so long since she had received praise from anyone really that the giving of praise, regardless of who it came from, left her feeling warm inside.

"I am sorry we are late, Nnoitra-sama,"

Matsumoto looked up in surprise as Tesra and Tatsuki joined them at the table. Like her Tatsuki was also wearing a rather pretty Kimono and shared a smile with the other woman.

"I am afraid it is my fault. Ulquiorra-sama requested I do some last minute things for him," Tatsuki apologise with a bow.

"Che, whatever. Sit down already," Nnoitra ordered dismissively with a wave of his hand.

Tesra helped Tatsuki sit down beside her before taking his own seat.

"You look beautiful, Rangiku-chan," Tatsuki smiled at her.

"You too, Tatsuki-chan," Matsumoto returned with a smile.

The girls talked to each other while the boys did the same. Tatsuki hesitated only briefly when Matsumoto offered her a cup of sake before shrugging and taking a sip. She made a funny face at the taste.

"You have never drank before?" Matsumoto asked surprised.

"No. I just came of age and it's not like Ulquiorra-sama provided alcohol for Orihime-chan and I. I have only ever really touched the stuff to cook with," Tatsuki admitted. "I think it will take some getting use to, but it's not that bad," she shrugged.

Dinner was served and they ate in what Matsumoto actually felt safe referring to as companionable silence. After dinner they once more deviated into their two little groups. Tatsuki told her all about how the training was going on with Orihime and Karin while she filled the young woman in on the latest fashions, compliments of the magazines.

Eventually it was time to go. Reluctantly, the girls bid each other farewell. Matsumoto watched Tatsuki follow Tesra out before turning her attention back to Nnoitra. He was finishing the last shot of sake.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Hai, Nnoitra-sama."

He held out a hand and helped her up. Surprisingly he didn't lead her back to the house, but rather to one of the many parks. They meandered down the trails in silence and she took the time to enjoy just being out of the house.

"You miss it, don't you?" he said randomly as they walked.

"Miss what, Nnoitra-sama?" she asked confused.

"Fighting," he answered.

She stared at him in surprise before letting her eyes fall to her hands. She hadn't even realized she had clenched them at his question.

"Hai," she answered sadly. "But more than that, I miss Heineko and the freedom to see my friends," she admitted softly.

It was ironic really. Her and her Zanpakuto had argued so much, almost like sisters. Now that she was gone Matsumoto missed her so much. She would even love to hear Toshiro yelling at her for sleeping on the job again and coming in hung over after a night partying with Kira and Hisagi, both of whom hadn't survived the war.

She felt tears threaten her eyes as she sank into despair before she forcefully blinked them back, determined not to show him any weakness. He hated weakness and the day was going too nicely to ruin it by upsetting him.

"I can't do shit about your sword," he grunted. "But….."

She looked up at him in surprise as he trailed off before sighing in exasperation.

"Aizen-kami hinted that the forces are stretched a little thin and asked if we were willing to let our pets join the field," he admitted reluctantly.

She stared up at him hopefully.

"So, do you want to fight again?" he asked sharply.

"I would be beyond happy, Nnoitra-sama," she answered.

"Tsu. Don't think this means you can get out of your other duties."

"Of course not."

"Good. Come on. We are going to have to get you a weapon to fight with, and something else to wear."

"Hai, Nnoitra-sama," she cheered, following behind him with a skip in her step that she hadn't had in years, since sometime before the war.

"_I can__'__t believe it. Things are finally starting to look up," _she smiled happily. _"__And just maybe he will let me train with Karin-chan, Orihime-chan and Tatsuki-chan," _she thought hopefully.

* * *

Dear lord, I never realized how long it's been since I updated this. Sorry for that, for the few that actually read this. Honesty it is such a hassle updating so many stories on separate sites that I am tempted to just stop updating the ones that get so little feedback and save the time, which would be unfortunate because as far as I am concerned, this one is, by far, my best work. Ah well


	50. Hunting the Heir

Hunting the Heir

"Mama, I wanna play," Ajuga complained.

"Not until after your chores are done," Karin said firmly.

"But I wanna play now," Ajuga pouted.

"I am sorry hun, but the chores won't do themselves," Karin sighed. "You want to help me with the laundry instead of cleaning your room?" she offered with a smirk.

"No," Ajuga scowled at the water.

Like her father Ajuga detested the stuff. Getting her in the bath was a war each and every time. Her claws were sharp enough now that Karin made Grimmjow do it, and they both always came out soaked, miserable, and looking like drowned cats.

It was one of those things that had her laughing silently to spare their bruised prides. But they were rather cute in a sad way.

"When is Hana-chan coming home?"

"In two more hours after school," Karin answered.

True to his word, Byakuya had found an instructor for the girl. Because they had no idea when Starrk would be coming and going, Hana went to the instructor instead of the other way around.

Nanao would drop her off on the way to work and Karin would pick her up when the lessons were done. So far the girl seemed to be absolutely thrilled with the lessons, at least the math lessons. She detested everything else.

"I wanna play now," Ajuga pouted.

"You can play when your chores are done," Karin said firmly.

" 'kay," Ajuga said dejectedly and darted off.

"And I don't mean you can hide your toys under the bed where you think I won't find them. I mean cleaned MY way missy," she shouted after her daughter.

Karin sighed once more, wondering where Ajuga got so much energy from. She grabbed the next piece of clothing and started to grate it against the wash board.

"Maybe I should get Szayel to make a bloody washer and dryer. Doing this by hand is a bitch," she groused, looking at the baskets of everyone's laundry still left. "They got cell phones and other crap, and the stove and fridge work just fine, granted they don't seem to have conventional plug-ins."

She dropped that thought before she could drive herself bonkers trying to figure out how half the crap in this world worked. She settled on 'magic' and left it at that. But still, getting Szayel to make a washer/dryer was definitely on her to do list. She knew he could pull it off.

Two hours later the laundry was hung up to dry and blowing gently in the breeze. Karin cracked her back and stretched, going through one of the warm-up exercised Grimmjow had pounded into her to loosen up her stiff body from being hunched over the basin of water.

"Ajuga-chan, it's time to go pick up Hana-chan," she called once she felt her muscles had loosened.

Her daughter didn't answer her and Karin sighed.

"You would think by now she would know no one can beat mom at hid-n-seek," she groused. "Or she has prey is sight. Her room had better be spotless."

Karin looked about, and then again, and a third time. There was no sign of her daughter's reiatsu anywhere on the estate.

"Ajuga," Karin called, the faint stirrings of panic starting to take form in her chest.

She closed her eyes and concentrated, slipping effortlessly into Jinzen, but still no spark of her daughter's reiatsu made itself visible to her. Now she really was ready to panic.

"Maybe she went to meet up with Hana-chan," Karin forced herself to remain calm. "She did want to play with Hana-chan after all," she reasoned.

Her daughter was clearly not at the Estate and she was damn sure if her daughter had been attacked she would have instantly felt and seen her daughter's flare of reiatsu.

"She's at that age where she's curious. She's part cat after all," Karin chanted to herself as she launched into Shunpo, racing to the house Hana was having her lessons.

There wasn't a trace of Ajuga's reiatsu. Hana was waiting for her on the front step of the house her instructor lived at. It was a rather upscale house, not nobility but clearly upper class.

"Karin-obachan," Hana waved and trotted up to her. "Where is Ajuga-chan?" Hana asked curiously.

"I don't know," Karin admitted.

That panic was starting to rise again. Clearly Hana hadn't seen her which meant Ajuga hadn't found her way here. She still couldn't see Ajuga's reiatsu anywhere.

"_Think, think, where could she have gone. She said she wanted to play. Play!__"_

"Come on, Hana-chan, I think I might know where the brat ran off to," Karin picked Hana up and launched into Shunpo. "And even if she isn't there Szayel will be able to track her with the bracelet."

The staff greeted her as she whirled into the building. She didn't bother to ask where Szayel was, she could see him. To her increasing anxiety, there was still no sign of Ajuga. The little girl wasn't here.

"Karin-sama," Szayel greeted her with a bow as she entered the room.

If she hadn't been so worried about her daughter she might have laughed at how his hands unconsciously went to cover his rear as if he feared another spanking.

"I need to find Ajuga-chan. She wandered off and I can't find her," Karin said, only a hint of her fear getting through.

"I see. That should be no issue," he smiled at her reassuringly and moved to one of the larger computers.

He typed away quickly and a rather detailed map of the city and it's surroundings came up. After a moment a blue dot popped up on the outskirts of the city.

"How did she get so far?" Karin gasped in worry.

"There is nothing to worry about, Karin-sama. She is well within the boarders. With her innate Hierro, nothing out there could possibly harm her," he assured her.

"Other than another Arrancar," Karin hissed.

"Well, Aizen-kami made it quite clear she was to be left alone. There would be no mistaking who she is, there aren't really any other Arrancar children running about."

"Forgive me for having little trust of the majority of the hollow race," she growled.

He shrugged helplessly before his hands once more rested ever so innocently behind his back.

Szayel was right though. Ajuga was well within the Defence Grid boarder and no wild animal could get through her Hierro. If anything, Karin realized she should be more worried about what kind of dinner Ajuga was going to bring home this time.

"C'mon Hana-chan. Let's go retrieve the brat."

With a destination in sight, Karin launched into a Shunpo once again, heading for the boarder of the city. She felt a lot less anxious now that she knew where Ajuga was.

(POV)

Szayel watched Karin dart off before sighing and returning to the project he had been working on. He had almost broken the molecular code of the fluid those giant beetles spewed out and was definitely feeling giddy about reproducing it. Such a powerful substance would be an impressive upgrade to his arsenal.

"Now then, where were we," he typed away on the keyboard, bringing the main monitor back up to the data he was working on. "Ah yes, perfect. Excellent," he purred as the information scrolled past.

He was so caught up in his work that when the Perimeter Alarm blared, it caused him to jump slighting in surprise before growling in annoyance.

"I swear if it's another herd of deer…" he trialed off as he switched the monitor back to video fed, and froze.

"Nemu, command the forces until I return. I need to get to Karin-sama, or more importantly, Ajuga," he ordered with a shout as he bolted out of the room.

Karin was moving fast, but the Swarm was moving faster, and heading right for where Ajuga was. If Karin ever learned he had been responsible for her daughters death due to his own lack of action he had no doubt that in her grief his own life would end terribly, assuming Grimmjow didn't get to him first in his grief.

He raced towards the front line, the flashes of battle just starting to rise as the newly built city alarms blared in warning. Despite his desperation to get to where he was going, he was pleased to see the Academy Students in position evacuating the civilians, not that he cared about them but such perfect efficiency was always something to be admired.

"Nemu," he called once he was closer to the front lines.

"Hai, more to the east, Szayel-sama," Nemu's voice reported calmly through the head set.

He nodded and changed course. He could feel Karin's distressed reiatsu slightly off and to the North, but his focus was on getting to Ajuga first and foremost. Karin could fend for herself. Judging by the loud buzzing noise that was starting to grate on his ears, the battle line was quickly shifting their way.

(POV)

"Ajuga-chan," Karin called, moving through the woods quickly in her search for her daughter.

"Ajuga-chan," Hana called from a small distance away.

Karin figured sound might travel further than her sight, especially given Ajuga's sharp sense of hearing. She cursed herself for not getting Szayel to hand her a hand held device or something to track the bracelet. Ajuga could already be half a mile away from where she had been when Karin had looked at the monitor.

She cursed herself over and over as she looked for her daughter, and cursed her daughter for ignoring her.

"_I swear if she is ignoring me because she is stalking something I will tan her hide like no tomorrow, and then tan her father__'__s for giving her the instinct in the first place," _ Karin snarled to herself.

Despite her anger though, she was still afraid for her daughter. Granted there really was nothing that could harm Ajuga out here, at least as far as local wildlife went.

"Ajuga-chan. Come on out so we can play," Hana called again. "Maybe we should split up to cover more ground, Karin-obachan," Hana suggested.

"No, I don't want to lose you out here too," Karin quickly denied.

"What if we set a meeting point? Like, the lake there in ten minutes," Hana suggested, pointing down at the small lake. "If I find her or get in trouble I'll just flare my reiatsu," Hana added.

Karin bit her lip, but admitted Hana did have a good idea. Other than the bugs the woods were generally safe, especially for someone as smart as Hana. And in ten minutes there was no way Hana could get too far that a flash of reiatsu would go unnoticed.

"Alright, but be careful," Karin finally relented.

Both of them continued on their search, calling out for Ajuga. Karin was making her way towards the lake when she froze, sensing danger but not being able to see it. And that frightened her more than anything.

"Who's there?" she demanded, falling into a defensive stance and looking about for the unseen threat.

"Zee, zee, there zhe iz. Pure ztill," A buzzing voice commented from her right.

Karin spun about and froze, staring at the three creatures standing before her.

They almost looked like humans if it wasn't for the obvious insect like wings on their backs, the clear shinny, black carapace instead of skin, and the fact that their legs also looked like they belonged on a bug. Each had a sort of single ponytail that reminded her of Yammy, one white, the other two flanking it black.

"Yes, she does smell pure. Not tainted like the other one," White knot commented. Unlike the first one to speak, his voice lacked the buzzing noise and sounded deep and distant.

"Let me guess, Swarm Brains?" she asked coldly.

"We are Generals of the Swarm, as you say," White knot answered. "I see there is still hope. You are the descendent of the Royal house yes?"

Karin frowned, but didn't answer.

"Zee dronz have tazted your blood. You are zee royal one," Lefty said firmly.

"I don't know what you are talking about," she denied, but inward her mind was racing.

How the hell did these things know about her royal lineage, and more importantly, why the hell were they interested in it?

"We can put her on zee throne," Lefty commented in something resembling a happy chitter.

"Rezore balanze," Righty added.

"What throne?" Karin asked, more to get them to talk then because she didn't know they obviously meant the royal throne if they knew she was a member of the royal family.

"The balance is gone. The world borders fall. With no Royal Blood to sit upon the throne and maintain balance, the worlds grow unstable," White Knot answered. "Come. You will make them stable. You will sit on the throne."

"Aizen sits on the throne," Karin pointed out.

"No. Aizen," the creature spat the name with as much loathing as Karin had ever heard, "draws only a fraction of the power. He is not Royal Blood, can not be Royal Blood, unless he is chosen as consort or bares an heir of blood to sit on the throne, thus changing his blood to Royal."

Suddenly a mystery had been solved. Jushiro told her the Noble houses had Royal Blood in them, and as far as she knew Unohana's house, while lesser nobility, was still nobility. The next words from White Knot confirmed her growing horror.

"Aizen wishes to take the throne. But if he does, all balance will be gone. He is un-pure. You will take the throne, and balance will be restored."

"And if I take this throne, what? Aizen will just peel over and die?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"No. The power and the dimension will be no more his. He will once more be locked out and balance can begin to be restored once again."

Karin stared at them as if they were mad, and she honestly believed they were. Clearly they were insane. In fact, she went ahead and told them such.

"Are you fucking insane? All that would happen is he would lose a bucket of power from the ocean he already has. And then, he will go massacre another city to make another key, bust down the doors to the dimension a second time, and slaughter me, or worse. I will not be responsible for thousands of people being massacred," she said firmly.

"Balance must be restored," White Knot insisted.

"Not at the cost of thousand of lives. Go talk to Unohana-san. At least she has the strength to maybe fend him off for a day. Aizen would crush me like a bug the moment he arrived, and he might just murder my family in retribution," she snapped in anger.

The loud noise of buzzing started to fill her ears, and she looked up at the sky in horror just as the distant sound of the alarm finally reached her ears.

"Karin!"

She snapped her gaze to Grimmjow as he arrived. Without even realizing it she had been flaring her reiatsu in anger and distress, those same emotions coursing through their Claim and summoning her mate.

"What the fuck are these things?" he snarled, glaring at them.

"The brains of the operation," she answered. "They were trying to kill me,"

That was all he needed to hear as he roared and charged at them.

"Karin-obachan," Hana cried, running up to her.

Karin had totally forgotten the children in her argument with Lefty, Righty and White Knot.

"Hana-chan," she swept the girl up in her arms, and frantically began to search for any sign of Ajuga, panic really welling in her being now that there really was a danger.

She briefly turned her attention back to Grimmjow. He was hacking at the two Black Knots and there was no sign of White Knot.

"_Coward probably fled as quickly as he could," _ Karin thought viscously before turning her attention once more to finding Ajuga.

Her mate clearly had things under control here, and Karin bolted off, searching desperately for Ajuga. She felt a flare of reiatsu to the west, a reiatsu that definitely shouldn't have been out here. Without hesitation, she changed course and raced towards it.

(POV)

The sound of buzzing was in his ears was becoming exceptionally annoying. He knew he had to be close to Ajuga now.

He dodged to the side as one of the Swarm came barrelling through the trees, flying about haphazardly and letting out a high pitched squeal of pain that drowned out the snarls of it's attacker.

It crashed to the ground and Szayel watched amazed as Ajuga leaped off of the creatures ravaged head to land on all fours a small distance away, growling and with an intensity in her deep, blue eyes that could only have come from her father.

"Bad bug," she snarled.

He was still in shock and almost didn't react as another one flew after the little girl. Ajuga snarled and launched herself at it, attacking it like a feral cat; her claws ripping through the carapace as if it was rice paper and her fangs tearing out chunks of flesh.

While she grappled with that one he fired several quick burst of bala at the other six that had entered the clearing. All six exploded in a spray of guts with chucks of carapace raining down.

"Szay," Ajuga cried happily, the explosion drawing her attention from the now dead bug.

"Ajuga-chan, come on," he called.

She darted towards him on all fours, leaping happily into his arms and nuzzling into his chest.

"Szay came to play with Ajuga?" she asked innocently. "Bugs are no playing fair though. They come many at time," she hissed angrily at the corpses.

"The bugs are bad," he agreed, flaring his reiatsu and feeling a small sense of relief as he felt Karin race his way.

He had felt her flare up and wondered what could have possibly angered her so. He had briefly feared she had found Ajuga's corpse and that the trail he had been following had been the thing that had killed her with the bracelet stuck to it. Nemu had assured him Ajuga's life signs were still strong and steady and hadn't dipped in the least bit to indicate she had been harmed and the bracelet transferred owners.

Still, he felt a great sense of relief that Ajuga was in his arms and safe, even if she was hissing and growling at the growing swarm approaching them.

He turned about and started to Sonido back to the city, altering his course slightly so he and Karin would cross paths.

"Szayel," Karin shouted, and he could hear the relief in her voice.

"Karin-sama," he returned with a smile.

"Mama," Ajuga squealed happily.

The buzzing became exceptionally loud and glancing behind them they realized the swarm was nearly on top of them.

"Take Hana-chan and get back to the city," Karin ordered, handing Hana over while Ajuga moved from his arms to perch on his shoulder. "Go with Szayel Ajuga, and stay with him, okay?" Karin ordered.

"Kay," Ajuga agreed.

Karin turned about and the sky lit up in a net of electricity as her Kido went off, frying the Swarm unfortunate enough to touched it into burnt carcases.

Szayel took the distraction she provided and didn't slow down in the least as he raced back to the city, intent to get back to his lab as quickly as he could. If he didn't start doing his job Aizen might notice his absence and punish him for insubordination. Unlike Karin, Aizen wouldn't be satisfied with a simple spanking.

"Szay," Ajuga cried out in warning shortly before launching herself from his shoulder and colliding with the creature coming at his left.

He spun about and drew Fornicaras, slicing the other two that had come at his right nearly in half. Hana yelped in shock, having been switched from a two arm hold to being carried under one arm as he freed the other for his Zanpakuto. Ajuga launched herself off of the corpse of her kill back into his shoulder.

"Hold on tight," he ordered shortly before launching into a Sonido.

He yelped in pain and nearly careened into a tree with the shock of it when Ajuga's claws dug into his shoulder as she obeyed his command. Blood poured from the puncture marks to stain his uniform and he cursed as he corrected his step.

"Not that tight, Ajuga-chan," he protested.

"Sorry, Szay," she apologized ashamed, her claws pulling out of his skin.

"It's okay," he assured her as he took another step of Sonido. _"__Considering how easily her claws were rendering through those bugs carapace, I should have expected them to be so damn sharp. When I have time, it might be interesting to test their strength," _ he noted to himself as the city wall finally appeared and he raced over it and towards his lab.

He dropped the brats off with one of his attendants with orders to keep them entertained and safe before heading to the main monitor room. He had a job to do.

With the kids safe Karin threw herself into battle. All of her anger and frustration at the callous attitude of the so called 'Generals' was being given a rather convenient outlet. How dare these things demand such a sacrifice from her, her family and her world, for such a pathetic thing as temporarily cutting off a pebble of Aizen's power?

It made her furious that anyone, or anything, could disregard that many lives so easily. She took that anger out on the bugs before her, and before long she was soaked in their gore.

She had never been so furious in her life. She felt another presence to her left and spun about, fist leading the way. A hand wrapped around her wrist and spun her about, pulling her shocked into his grasp.

"Fuck you are so sexy like this," Grimmjow growled into her ear.

"Language," she snapped, elbowing him sharply in the side.

He growled and tightened his grip, grinding against her body and licking up her neck. Despite herself she shivered as his strength and power suddenly enveloped her, calming her down with the warmth of its embrace.

"Fury is good, but channel it and don't leave yourself so open," he lectured, whispering in her ear and gaining another shiver out of her. "Let it strengthen your fist, but don't let it cloud your mind. And with that strength, destroy all who would look down upon you," he roared, suddenly separating from her as Pantera sliced through four more bugs in quick succession.

She stared after him for a moment before chuckling weakly and racing towards her next target. She tore through them, carapace exploding about her in a spray of guts as her reiatsu infused strength impacted with their bodies.

When the space was available she fired out the more violent Kido spells she knew. Unconsciously she tracked Grimmjow as he danced about her centre. She couldn't help but to smirk as he showed off.

Had he desired it no opponent would have reached her. But she knew he just enjoyed watching her dance in death, just as she enjoyed watching him. The way his reiatsu brushed over hers with clear pleasure left her tingling. Before long they were surrounded by nothing but bug splatter.

He moved so quickly she barely had time to face him before she found herself pinned to a tree. His mouth was over hers and when she tried to open her mouth to protest she found herself silenced by his tongue.

His body grated against hers and she heard the thump of Pantera as the Zanpakuto hit the ground at their feet before both of his hands started to remove her clothing.

"Oi," she protested weakly when her mouth was finally free of his.

He said nothing, but buried his head in her neck and continued to remove her clothing with his hands while laying kisses upon her neck. She could feel the heat from his reiatsu, through the claim, and from his body rush about her as he penetrate into her.

She resisted only a second more before surrendering and her hands started to return the favour of removing his clothing. He took her fast and furiously, and she returned the attention.

They lay entangled panting afterwards, soaked in the blood of their opponents and the sweat of their passionate lovemaking. Her mind was clear of confusion and emotions from what she had learned today. She felt a slight smile touch her lips as she realized that had been exactly what his intent had been; all be it an interesting method of comfort, but one she appreciated all the same.

She snuggled closer to his warmth, sighing in pleasure. It wouldn't hurt to leave Ajuga and Hana with Szayel for a while. What's the worse that could happen


	51. God's Displeasure

Warnings: mentions of violent rape.

Black Fox did some majoring editing on this chapter and should be credited with about half of it. I am going to try and get this version caught up with the Adult version so expect a large slew of updates. Hopefully.

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God's Displeasure

Aizen watched the flashes of Kido over the current fray from the balcony of his private suite. He frowned, listening intently to the chatter on the lines as well as watching everything. He was Kami; everything under the sky was visible to him.

Unfortunately, he only had half of the power of Kami. He could see the majority of the battle, but he could not discern what was going on within the forest itself. The reishi that made up the trees blocked him from seeing the entirety of the fight against the Swarm, and his aural knowledge of what his minions were doing was limited to the lines that his Espada and the Shinigami forces had set up between themselves. He was not yet all-seeing nor was he yet all-hearing, and that fact irked him beyond measure. Nemu's stoic voice gave calm instructions to the troops as battle between the Squads and the Swarm began in earnest, and Szayel had _still_ not appeared after disappearing into the trees.

Aizen was not pleased at all with the researcher. Everyone had their orders should battle be joined, and Szayel's job was to perform the task that he'd now foisted off on Nemu, for some reason. The fact the Arrancar had clearly abandoned his station, and thus duties, during the attack only increased his current irritation.

He took another sip of his tea and watched the proceedings, putting aside the matter of Szayel's abandonment for the moment. He _was_ impressed with Nanao's organizational skills regarding the citizen volunteers. The efficiency she brought to each task set before her was commendable and he had to admit that Jushiro had been quite correct to recommend her for her current position. She'd proved so successful in her work that he nearly regretted having to discipline Jushiro for speaking up. It would seem that she had blossomed into a truly competent leader, without a chronically inebriated, deadbeat Taichou slowing her down.

Finally, he caught sight of Szayel as he came out of the forest and into the city. A faint smile touched his lips as he noticed both Ajuga and Hana were in his grasp. It suddenly made sense as to why the Espada had abandoned his post. He had, after all, made it quite clear how very important Grimmjow's daughter was to him. It would be very inconvenient if the very first hybrid produced between Hollows and humans were to expire before she reached her full potential.

A moment later Szayel's voice took over the radio. Aizen leaned back and watched as his army fought with the creatures that dared to invade his domain. Truthfully, he wasn't quite as annoyed as he made himself out to be. If he was honest with himself, things had been boring of late and this at least provided some entertainment.

It was the whole reason he hadn't really bothered sending out a team to chase down the few malcontents that had escaped him. The adopted Kuchiki brat, that meat-for-brains Kenpachi and his simpering lieutenant, a couple of the flawed 'experiments' that marked his first attempts at 'Hollowfication', the former 3rd Espada, a noblewoman who had thrown title and position away once he had framed and exiled Urahara Kisuke… they amounted to nothing more than a sideshow that occasionally made him snicker with their pathetic attempts at 'rescuing' their former comrades and family members.

The only one that might have truly challenged him, truly tested him had been the biggest disappointment of them all. Speaking of family… Aizen had laughed when the report came in regarding Karin's rejection of her brother's offer of freedom in favour of the 6th Espada and their Claim. It had been a mitigating factor in deciding to let the loss of the girl's twin slide.

Yuzu had been far weaker than her sister anyway; her absence hadn't forced him to change any plans, at any rate. He would have loved to see the boy's face when Karin scorned him. Not that she really had much of a choice in that, but still, even in defeat, he found some amusement in Ichigo's struggles.

In a way, he found the escapees a source of much-needed entertainment; the fact that he did not have full control over their actions gave him something to look forward to as far as the chaos they generated. Surprises tended to be few and far between these days. They couldn't really do him any harm and much like watching a pet mouse run on its wheel, he found that pondering what action they might take next an amusing game.

It wasn't as if there were many places to hide, here, in Hueco Mundo or in the World of the Living. Anyone who might have helped them try to retake the Soul Society had either been disposed of during the War or neutralized via Claims and an overwhelming fear of his wrath. He would let the escapees enjoy their illusion of freedom as long as they continued to hold his interest and provide a distraction from the boredom that occasionally came with the job of Ruler. At least, he would do so until he finally tired of their antics and brought them to heel, permanently.

He brought the teacup to his lips to take another sip and frowned as he realized his cup was empty. Now this was truly vexing. Aizen turned his eyes to the silver-haired man kneeling beside him, pot in hand. Gin was busy staring off at the battle, but soon flinched as he felt the gaze on his body, and quickly moved to refill the empty cup before returning to his subservient position.

Aizen would punish him later for his lack of attention to Kami's needs. It was rather unlike the boy, really. He looked back up to the battle to see if he could figure out what had distracted the man. A flash of red-gold caught his eye and he focused his vision in on it.

Ah, Rangiku was fighting. That would definitely catch Gin's attention. Nnoitra was not too far from her so Aizen assumed she had been permitted to fight by her Master's side. He noted, with some pleasure as he scanned the field, that it appeared that ALL of his Espada had allowed their pets to fight, even Grimmjow, despite the fact Karin was a mere human. His 'suggestion' had been taken well to heart then.

However, even with the extra help, his forces were bearly holding the line, not so much because they were being overpowered, but simply because they were being overrun. There were simply too many opponents and his forces were unable to kill them fast enough.

Aizen frowned and contemplated the options he had before him regarding not just the battle, but the entire conundrum the Swarm presented. He could easily annihilate the Swarm with his own power, but to do so would be like dropping a nuclear bomb on Seireitei itself. The Swarm would be defeated, but everyone in the city would also die under the weight of his power.

While he did not care about the welfare of the citizens of Seireitei as individual souls, he did have to consider them as a group; such an action would throw the balance of the realms off-kilter to the point where the effects might not be reversible. Not even _he_ would survive if the various worlds broke apart, with his grip on power only partially complete. Thus, dealing with the Swarm directly did not seem a reasonable option.

There might be other solutions, however, and he gave each of the other choices some consideration. Nanao's recruitment of the civilian forces was a great success. In fact, many had come forth to sign up for the Academy now that there was glory to be gained once again. In another ten to twenty years they might even be back up to eight divisions out of the original thirteen.

But sadly, none of the current students displayed much potential as far as becoming seated officers. Those that had the potential had been Claimed, for the most part, by his Arrancar. It was, he admitted, an unfortunate side effect of permitting the Arrancar to Claim whomever they wanted, as long as they weren't either slaughtering one another for Claiming rights or attempting to place a Claim on another's property.

Anyone with high levels of reiatsu ended up being Claimed, and was therefore subject to the whims of that particular Arrancar. The case of Nnoitra's Claim on Matsumoto Rangiku was a prime example of how a potential asset had been locked way and nearly rendered unusable thanks to the very possessive, animalistic traits of the Arrancar. It simply wasn't in their nature to relinquish or share their toys with anyone else. It was also a factor which led to yet another problem: the potential for insubordination on the part of any suitably disgruntled Arrancar.

Aizen kept the Shinigami population under control via their Masters. He kept their Masters under control via the two things that Hollows of any class understood at a fundamental level: fear and power. While swift punishments were necessary for any infractions lest the rest of them decide he could be challenged for supremacy, he knew better than to try to remove one of the benefits they had grown accustomed to as his willing followers: the right to Claim property. Ordering them to give up that property would simply result in more unnecessary disputes and challenges from upset and aggrieved Arrancar intent on taking back what they considered theirs. He had better things to do than deal with an Arrancar insurrection.

As he watched the battle progress, and his combined Shinigami and Arrancar forces incrementally beat back the latest incursion of the Swarm, a better idea presented itself. It wasn't without risks, but given the current restraints on the Shinigami population, it was one he was willing to take as long as he carefully closed any imaginable loopholes that the subjugated could use to slip their leashes. Perhaps it was time to truly get those pets back on the battlefield, regardless of their collective Masters' private desires.

It was also time to remove the hobbles from the Claimed Shinigami, he concluded. A sword with a dulled blade wasn't as effective as one that had been well-maintained and kept at the ready; any seasoned warrior knew that much. Taking away their powers had been necessary, of course, after the War.

When he'd first risen to power, he'd ordered the Zanpakuto of anyone Fukutaichou-class and higher taken and sealed away to prevent any form of resistance that might have developed, despite the mass Claiming. Those that weren't kept in check by a Claim _would_ be kept in check if a piece of themselves were held hostage. It was a simple tactic and an effective one, up until this latest bout of trouble cropped up.

His seat now relatively, if not totally, secure, he knew that at least as far as the subject Shinigami were concerned, those who had a Zanpakuto that might prove even remotely problematic were the most tightly tied down. Given the nature of the Swarm, having an army half-full of blunted blades was simply unacceptable. If Aizen's memory served him correctly, and it usually did, Byakuya's Senbonzakura would be of particular help in swatting these annoying bugs. It, and the other Zanpakuto, might also buy more time for those in the Science Research Lab to determine the Swarm's purpose and what, or who, was behind it.

"Yes I believe it might be worthwhile," he declared aloud.

The thought of the Science Lab brought him back full circle to the subject of Szayel, and he sighed, seeing no reason to put what had to be done off any longer.

"Kami-sama?" Gin questioned.

"It's nothing, Gin," Aizen stated flatly. He finished his cup of tea, and then stood.

The battle was almost over and there was no need for him to watch any longer. The majority of his Arrancar were already starting to disappear back into the city with their pets. He would give the lot of them two hours to calm their instinct before calling them in for a meeting.

He had much to discuss with them, some more than others. While he understood Szayel's need to rescue the children, most particularly Ajuga, he could have sent one of his many lackeys. Nemu or Renji would have been more than capable of retrieving the girls.

"Gin," he felt the other stiffen beside him, "…inform Szayel I wish to speak to him immediately and then wait for me in the basement."

The other trembled slight, and his 'Hai, Aizen-kami' displayed his nervousness and fear quite clearly.

Aizen smiled softly and walked off to his throne room to await Szayel's arrival. He left instructions with his staff to make sure his wife got something to eat. He knew she would not leave the Fourth until the injured had been dealt with.

He could, of course, order her home, but if he did so she would just be distracted. Considering how thinly the Divisions were spread, her presence was better served at the 4th Division, making sure that his army was properly cared for. He admired people who were that dedicated to their work; it spoke well of their character and sense of purpose. Retsu was probably the most reasonable, level-headed and practical woman he had ever encountered and he had been extremely pleased that he hadn't been required to kill her after his Victory.

He was barely settled on his throne when the pink-haired Espada arrived. He was still looking a fair bit younger than Aizen recalled, but shrugged it off as the possible effects of one of his experiments gone wrong, or possibly right.

"Kami-sama," Szayel bowed deeply, a hint of worry in his posture and voice.

"My dear Szayel," Aizen said gently, and smiled at him.

He could practically see the nervous sweat start to roll down the Arrancar's forehead. He knew he was in trouble and Aizen took great pleasure in watching his victim squirm. He studied the bowed head of his target, noticing that other than his age there were some other things different with his Espada.

"You have done something different with your hair," he noted.

"I felt it was time for a change, Kami-sama," Szayel answered.

Aizen was not so foolish as to believe him. He stood up and walked up to the kneeling Arrancar, watching in pleasure as his body stiffen. Aizen cupped his target chin and forced him to look up; soft brown eyes gazed into fearful gold. With his free hand he brushed the pink tresses to the side.

What met his eyes definitely answered the question to the scientist younger appearance. The cracks in his mask were as clear as day and explained much.

"I see. When did this happen?" Aizen asked, running his thumb over the cracks.

"Some time ago, Kami-sama," Szayel admitted reluctantly.

"It seems you have been able find a way to dam the stream. Interesting. How?"

Szayel's mouth opened and closed several times, but he didn't answer. Aizen narrowed his eyes and felt the other swallow nervously.

"Answer me," he said coldly, all traces of reasonableness gone.

"I... I discovered that being Claimed dampened the outflow and permitted my reiatsu to pool again," he answered in a stammer.

Aizen vaguely recalled Yammy mentioning something about Szayel's experiment involving Claims, and it did explain the odd looks the others had been giving him during the last few meetings.

"Who Claimed you?" Aizen ordered sharply.

Szayel opened his mouth several times, but no answer was forthcoming. Aizen's frown deepened and his grip on Szayel's chin tightened.

"I asked Jaegerjaques-sama to do it," Szayel finally whispered, utterly terrified now.

"Grimmjow?" Aizen asked with a raised eyebrow. "I find it odd _that_ individual would be bothered with something like this," Aizen said with narrowed eyes, not quite believing the Espada.

"Well, G…Grimmjow has Karin…" Szayel said haltingly "and really isn't interested in anyone else," Szayel pointed out. "We figured, given the circumstances…" Szayel trailed off, as if his throat had closed up in fear.

Aizen mulled the explanation over as the Espada cowered in his grasp. Grimmjow did make sense now. The Sixth hardly cared about laws or orders, even his, so the 'no Espada Claiming another' law really meant little to him. And if Szayel had requested it, then there really was no issue. He could see that the arrangement would be mutually beneficial to the two Arrancar; Grimmjow got to keep someone who could look after Ajuga's special needs if necessary and Szayel retained the shape of an adult. For his own part, the Claim meant he wouldn't have to try to find another skilled researcher. It would have been annoying to have to replace the Arrancar.

"And _your _pets?"

"I will recast my Claims before submitting again, at least until the damage is fixed or I find another way to stem the flow."

The fact Grimmjow had Szayel Claimed also explained why the Scientist had retrieved the brats himself. He would definitely not want to anger his benefactor and Grimmjow was well known for his temper. Szayel would be hard-pressed to survive being Claimed by Starrk, and neither Nnoitra nor Halibel would touch him, given their respective 'tastes'. Barragan and Yammy would have let him regress unless specifically ordered otherwise, as altruism wasn't their forté. Ulquiorra might have Claimed the scientist simply because his Kami 'needed' the man, but that would have been the only reason; the Fourth was known for his solitary nature, not his sense of philanthropy or any feeling of obligation to his fellow Arrancar.

Szayel must have guessed where his thoughts had wandered because he answered his next question before he could ask it.

"Jaegerjaques-sama was on the scene when the incident occurred and time was of the essence before I significantly regressed."

"I see. Be that as it may, you still failed to be at your post during a crisis."

The other paled even further and started to tremble slightly.

"Did your Master order you to retrieve the children?"

"No, Kami-sama," Szayel answered in a terrified whisper.

"I failed to hear that, speak up please," Aizen requested politely.

"No, Kami-sama," Szayel said, slightly louder, the trembling still prevalent.

"So you left your post on your own violation," he stated more than asked.

The other nodded his head weakly and swallowed nervously. Aizen shook his head at that and tilted the Espada's head up, looking the scientist in the eyes.

"Without order there is chaos. Insubordination is not order. Chaos leads to destruction of the ordered world. I do not like destruction in _my_ world."

The other was practically soaked in sweat now and visibly shaking. Aizen had to admit he was slightly surprised Szayel had managed to maintain his kneeling position; for each word he spoke was accompanied by an increase in spiritual pressure.

"Do you not agree?" he asked graciously, as if they were having a pleasant conversation about the weather, a book of poetry or a training technique.

Since Szayel was unable to speak, as he was too busy panting for breath under the immense pressure, he settled for nodding his head weakly in agreement.

"Very good, I knew that you would agree. Come along then, I do not want to get blood on the floor. The maids do detest cleaning it up. In addition, the metallic odour has a tendency to linger for a few days."

Aizen walked past the trembling body, still in a kneeling position, releasing the pressure as he did so. The other remained crouched for a few extra seconds to catch his breath before staggering to his feet to follow him silently without a whimper of protest.

It truly was a shame that his concerns about his main scientific researcher had proven true. For once, he would have liked to have been surprised when it came to his Espada.

Szayel was perhaps the only Arrancar that Aizen actually deemed dangerous, not because he was strong in any sense of the word, but because he was far too crafty, much like his old nemesis Urahara Kisuke. Or for that matter, that distasteful freak Kurotsuchi.

Brawn was something that could be countered immediately with more power. Strength was a straightforward thing and predictable. But an intellect capable of deception and intrigue… now _that_ was something no leader could allow to go unharnessed and unfettered.

Szayel could never dream of beating him in combat, even with all of his current toys, but Aizen was no fool. He wouldn't put it past the scientist to find _some _way to harm him if left to his own devices for too long. This was the only Espada that he made sure feared him down to the very cells that made up his marrow.

He was satisfied to see Gin already waiting for him in the dungeon, exactly as ordered. It was obvious that their last session down here had left the kind of lasting impression upon the boy, in body and in spirit, which he intended. Aizen briefly toyed with the idea of torturing them separately, but that would take longer and there were other things he needed to attend to today. He was Kami after all and he had things he needed to do, a meeting he had to call and oversee. No, no, it would be best to punish them at the same time. The process would at least alleviate the tedium for a short while and provide him with some afternoon amusement.

The slight smile that touched his lips had both victims shuddering in terror about what the next little bit was going to bring them.

"Now than, let us get started, shall we?" he asked them with a warm and generous smile.

Both let out beautiful whimpers, but gave an obedient nod of their heads as they awaited his instructions. This was going to be fun, perhaps even fun enough to delay the meeting another hour.

(POV)

Szayel had no idea how he had survived the last few hours, let alone made it back to his chambers. It was all a pain-filled haze. He had to admit that Aizen was very clever and no two punishments were ever the same.

"Szayel-sama, Karin-san has been looking for you," Nemu reported as he stumbled into his private chambers.

He let out a grunt in response to his pet's statement; it was all he had the strength for. He could really use a shower right now. In fact, the shower was more tempting then passing out. His body was covered in dried sweet, blood and other fluids he would sooner forget about and his uniform was ruined, absolutely ruined. Despite himself he shivered.

Aizen knew neither man would have any qualms torturing the other, but what had basically been nothing more than consensual rape… that was a different story. To use the other as some sort of perverted sex toy and be forced to beg for punishment as if they were sexual masochists crossed a lot of lines, even for Kami.

"Szayel-sama?" Nemu said, this time a hint of worry.

He felt so dirty. Despite the pain and exhaustion, he decided that he desperately needed a shower. He had never been the one to receive, at least as long as he could remember. It had not only been extremely uncomfortable, but had hurt considerably. His lower back was killing him and his rear felt shredded. He had no idea why on earth anyone would ever want something like that on a regular basis!

"Szayel-sama?" Nemu called again, and this time he could feel her anxiety through the Claim. She moved to approach him and he reached out through the link to stop her.

"I am fine Nemu. I will be taking a shower," he said flatly, brushing her off with a wave of a bruised hand.

She hesitated a moment, and then nodded her head and left the room, no doubt to prepare dinner. Szayel stepped into the bathroom and let his clothing fall to the floor, wincing as the cloth rubbed against the many welts and stripes covering his rear and thighs. He stood there, for how long he could not guess, staring at the results of Aizen's discipline in the mirror.

The blood from the cuts had coagulated and dried, staining and soaking the insides of his clothing. There was dried blood in his hair, caked under his nails and fresh blood trickling from parts of his body he didn't want to dwell on right now. He hissed in pain as the some of the wounds that had started to scab over reopened with movement. The crack in his mask seemed to stand out all the more when his hair was clumped, snarled and matted with dried blood and he could already see several bruises darkening below his neck.

He looked, he decided, like utter hell.

Some days he wondered why he bothered following such a voyeuristic, egomaniacal bastard. Hollows might toy with their food a little bit, might enjoy the thrill of the hunt, and to use power as a means of overwhelming and selecting both prey and mates was understandable. But the rules of Hueco Mundo were thus: consume or be consumed, kill or be killed, Claim or be Claimed and so forth; they did not include the desire to torture or draw out pain beyond what was needed to secure a Victory or a meal. It did not encompass the twisted, sadistic joy in his subordinates' powerlessness against him that Aizen exhibited towards those unlucky enough to draw his ire or make a mistake.

He looked at the door, beyond which lay the beautiful lab and the pets he'd been presented with as a reward for his loyalty during the War. He also recalled just how much power Aizen had at his disposal. When he'd accepted the terms he'd thought that a small bit of pain now and then didn't seem to be such a steep sum.

Perhaps he'd been a little too hasty in his assessment of the risks of following Aizen. Not that there had truly been much of a choice. When the Shinigami had entered Hueco Mundo, he'd nearly destroyed Barragan, the only one foolish enough to sit on a throne and declare himself King of the Dead, until the Second Espada had sworn his fealty. If someone as powerful as Barragan could be subjugated after refusing to do business with Aizen, he knew he had little choice but to throw his lot in with the others.

Szayel peered more closely into the mirrors and winced at his reflection. His entire back and chest were covered in gashes from Kami's whip. His thighs and legs were covered in welts and marks caused by a variety of different… instruments. The cuts and deep bruises on his rear ensured he was going to go _another_ couple of weeks, perhaps a month, of being unable to sit.

"Seriously, what kind of fascination do people have with my rear? Granted, it is exceptionally formed, but still…" Szayel complained, and then laughed faintly, the sound having a tinny, hollow quality to it.

No that the adrenaline was wearing off his mind was quick to relive what had been done to him. He could feel nausea rising in his gut and a coppery taste in the back of his mouth.

He tried to ignore the dried blood and semen caked to his thighs, but the mere thought of it was enough to cause him to shiver in revulsion, the sight of it made him want to throw up.

In fact, he did just that after he managed to stagger to the toilet, falling to his knees in a mockery of the position that Aizen had trapped him in to interrogate him about his absence from the laboratory. He retched, throwing up whatever was left of his noonday meal and other, nastier things he'd been forced to take in this afternoon. That thought kept him vomiting, periodically, as he recalled the worst of the events.

His rear had not been the only part of him to receive the liquid, and not all of it had come from Gin. He shivered as he clutched the toilet and heaved into the bowl again. The worse part of the whole thing had been that Aizen had forced them to take each other from the front as if there were mates!

From the standpoint of an Arrancar, that was the most disgusting and un-dignifying act of all. He didn't even take Nemu in that way, despite the fact he knew she would probably be pleased to be viewed as a Mate by him. Not even Nnoitra would lower himself to forcing himself on others from a mate's position.

Szayel ran blood-crusted fingers through his hair, pressing his head against the cool porcelain to try to regain control over his aching abdominal muscles.

Yes, he had Claimed Renji, but he hadn't forced the other to beg for it, nor had he tortured the man while Claiming him. Yes the redhead had cursed at him with that formerly vulgar mouth of his, but he had got the Claim over and done with and had never forced himself on the tattooed young man again, except to refresh the Claim.

If he could find a way to cast Claims without touching the person he would use it in the case of Renji without hesitation. Nemu was a willing participant in his Claim, an enthusiastic one even. Force was hardly necessary to recast a Claim with his second pet. But like Renji, he would feel wrong about performing such an act with her. A Mating Claim was a Mating Claim, was meant to be a mutual thing… not a form of humiliating punishment.

He forced himself up from the toilet, rinsed his mouth out with some mouthwash and turned the large shower's tap setting to 'scalding hot'. Then he grabbed the washcloth hanging from a hook near the soap dish. No matter how hard he scrubbed he could still feel the sticky fluid of blood and semen on his skin, could still feel it pooling inside his stomach and anal passage. With his raw wounds opening as he desperately scrubbed the filth from his body, the water that flowed down the drain had a continuous stream of red in it.

He leaned forward until his forehead touched the tiled wall and shivered despite the heat. Maybe it was the pain of trying to get every trace of cum, blood and gore off of him, maybe it was the delayed effects of shock setting in, but he found himself fighting back a desperate sob. Then another, and another after that, until he was weeping uncontrollably. He never wanted to go through that again, ever! Granted, every punishment of Aizen's was always unique, memorably so, and not something any sane being would want to repeat.

He turned about and put his abused back to the wall, ignoring the agony and sliding down it until he was seated on the shower floor, shaking. He buried his head in his knees and hugged them close. All he could see were the dull grey eyes of his equally unwilling and unhappy 'partner'. All he could hear in his ears was the soft yet firm voice of Kami calmly instructing them on just how to rape each other and his own sobs.

"Szayel-sama?" Nemu called tentatively, walking into the bathroom.

He hardly heard her voice. The curtains to the large shower were suddenly shoved violently aside and he jumped in surprise, letting out a whimper and curling on himself some more, bracing himself for an attack that never came.

Nemu stared at him in shock, her mouth open in a surprised and frightened 'O,' hands flying up to cover her mouth with her fingers.

"Out of the way," another voice ordered.

He looked up in alarm as Karin, scowling, came into view over Nemu's shoulder and a set of female hands firmly moved his pet aside. The young woman gave a sharp intake of breath at the sight of him before her frown deepened.

Despite himself, he whimpered again, emotionally caught between two separate places; here in the shower and back in Aizen's dungeon staring into Gin's misery-filled grey eyes.

"Shit!" Karin cursed, reaching in and turning the water off, hissing at the heat of it and shaking her hand as the hot water scalded her.

He flinched as her shadow fell over him and tried to cover himself, his head, his face, in case the next thing to touch him included a blow.

"Stand up," she said softly.

No, he didn't want any more punishment. Not today. He curled up tighter and whimpered pathetically, seeing nothing but the weight of dull, grey eyes filled with boundless pain, suffering and hopelessness as they stared back into his own.

(POV)

"Bloody hell!" Karin cursed under her breath as her eyes fell upon the pathetic figure curled up in the shower.

She had felt Szayel's emotions running rampant through the Claim sometime after she had left Grimmjow behind (he was expect to assist with the cleanup) to pick up the kids. Szayel was long gone by the time she made it to the Science Building and parenting duties required her to stay with the children, despite her growing worry.

Ajuga had been perfectly fine and exceptionally proud of herself for defeating several opponents. Hana was a little shaky, but otherwise alright, more startled than afraid. Karin hadn't seen or heard Szayel come back until the tsunami of pain, fear, loathing and sorrow hit her.

"What is wrong with him?" Nemu asked worriedly, bracing herself against the tile.

"Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder from whatever the hell Aizen did to him," Karin answered, trying to keep her temper under control. "Nemu-san, I need you to be as calm as you can. Right now your own anxiety is feeding his."

Nemu nodded in understanding and stepped back, demurely folding her hands in front of her, as expected of any good assistant.

"Szayel," Karin called softly.

Dull, gold eyes met hers, but they didn't appear to truly see her. He shivered and buried his head between his legs again with a small snivelling sound. There was still a thin stream of his blood heading to the drain and Karin found herself in full nurse mode, not even noticing his nudity.

While she could force his body to obey through the Claim, she couldn't control his emotions. Right now she knew if she used the Claim to get him to respond it might make things worse. She couldn't risk that until she knew what had put him into such a state.

"Karin-san?" Nemu questioned.

"I have never had to deal with PTSD before. That was Yuzu's specialty. Get a towel, a large one. And a first aid kit. I am going to try and get his mind out of whatever hell he's been dragged into," she ordered. "_Sadly enough, if he was still fully adult we probably wouldn__'__t be dealing with this right now, but as it is, he__ is__ the equivalent of an emotionally imbalanced eighteen-year-old," _she cursed to herself.

Since trying to reach him verbally wasn't doing the trick, Karin tried a different tactic. She calmed her reiatsu down and settled it about him without penetrating him as she would have if she were re-enacting her Claim.

"Szayel," she called softly, moving to sit beside him and ignoring the fact her clothes were getting damp. "Shh. Shhh," she hummed softly.

Slowly he uncurled, but his eyes still showed very little sense. She closed her own and hummed an old nursery rhyme she vaguely recalled her mother use to sing them before she had been murdered.

It took some time, but after a while, Karin could feel him slowly calming down and the hysterical edge to his reiatsu dulled a little. She decided not to try touching him. After all she had no idea what the hell Aizen had done to set him off in the first place and she did not want to trigger another attack. The physical damage alone might have been enough to cause this, but she had the sinking feeling that the wounds, bruises and marks were only part of the story.

Slowly his breathing even out and she opened her eyes to see sense was returning to his own.

"Karin-sama?" he questioned, confused.

"Welcome back," she smiled softly at him. "It's not quite heaven, but I hear the weathers nice around here."

He rolled his eyes at her and tried to stand, before cursing and letting out a loud hiss of pain.

"Don't move just yet, you have been in that position for some time and your muscles have cramped up," she ordered softly.

"What happened?"

"PTSD," she answered honestly.

He scowled and once more forced himself to his feet, this time succeeding, although he did need to lean heavily on the wall. Karin handed him the towel Nemu had brought earlier. He tied it around his waist with shaking hands to cover his nudity, trying not to look her in the eyes as he did so.

"Let me see what I can do for those wounds," she offered.

"They are not to be healed," he declared weakly.

She frowned in displeasure, but recalled the same decree had been given for the stripes Aizen gave Jushiro for suggesting Nanao's promotion.

"Define 'healed?'" she commanded.

"Neither our own innate abilities, nor any other form of healing via Kido is permitted," he recited weakly.

"What about manual things, like cleaning the wounds and bandaging them?"

"That is permitted. It would be foolish to die from a lousy infection" he answered bitterly.

"So I can stitch up those rather large rents in your back and spread a salve on them?" she asked.

He blinked at her in surprise. Whether it was because he was embarrassed the idea wasn't his or because he was surprised she was offering, she didn't know. They were deep gashes and they were still bleeding, leaving small trails of red down his body.

"I see no reason as to why that would not be permitted," he admitted.

"Good. Nemu-san," she called.

"Hai, Karin-san?"

"Get me a suture needle, thread, fresh bandages, antiseptic and some of that cream you gave me after I gave birth to Ajuga," she ordered firmly.

"Hai," Nemu bowed and departed.

Szayel stared at her in surprise.

"Why?" he finally asked wearily.

"Because I take care of my property," she smirked at him.

He scowled at her, but at least he appeared to be relatively together at the moment and had overcome whatever Aizen had done to him. At least for now. She was well aware that most cases of PTSD lasted at least three months or more, but considering that Aizen was the source of the pain, the mental trauma might last much longer than that.

"Stay there a moment," she ordered and left the bathroom before returning with a stool.

They folded several towels for him to sit on to take some stress off his abused rear. Nemu returned with the tools and Karin set to work, starting with sterilizing her hands.

"Itai!" he hissed as she cleaned the first wound across his left shoulder blade.

"Oh suck it up, Hime-chan," she laughed gently at him.

He tossed her a glare over his shoulder before she tapped him on the head and he went still once more.

"Your skill with a needle is exceptional," Nemu commented as Karin expertly stitched up the first stripe.

"With a hot-headed older brother and an entire troop of kids playing soccer at my command, I learned how to close a wound real fast," she admitted with fond memory.

All but one of them were dead now, but she didn't let her mind focus on that as she started on the next stripe after rubbing some of that cream onto the bound wound. She worked her way down his back until she reached his rear before ordering him to take the towel off so she could see his thighs.

He hesitated and a blast of fear and, shockingly, shame slammed into her. Karin frowned and ordered him to remove the towel again. This time he complied, fingers trembling. Since he had been sitting down when she had found him, she hadn't seen the damage done until now.

His rear was covered in welts and bruises and a small amount of blood still trickled down his leg from what was obviously internal bleeding. The towels on the stool were stained with a small pool of blood.

Karin gritted her teeth and forced herself not to fly into a rage. She shivered and closed her eyes, forcing herself into Jinzen and making a mental note to thank Jushiro for introducing her to the technique.

There was no doubt in her mind that this was the signs of violent rape and definitely explained the blasts of terror and humiliation that had been slamming into her from him earlier.

"Nemu-san, can you go make some tea, black, very strong? This is going to take a while," she requested as neutrally as she could.

Nemu bowed her way out, leaving the two of them alone.

"Karin-sama?" Szayel asked, his voice on the edge of breaking and she knew he was probably about to have another episode.

"It's alright," she assured him. "I am NOT mad at you, just at the sick bastard who would order something like this," she said as calmly as she could.

Once more she wrapped her reiatsu around him, settling it about him like a blanket of calm.

"We both know this… needs to be tended to. What would be the most comfortable position for you?"

She could feel his nervousness. She left the decision up to him since she knew if she ordered him into one of the positions he had been violently raped in it would definitely trigger another attack.

He leaned over the stool, spread his legs, and refused to look at her. For her part, Karin simply focused on remaining composed and stayed in that meditative state the best she could as she began to clean the cuts done to his rear. She slathered the cream on generously, working her way slowly towards the hole that was still letting out a trail of blood.

His inside passage was shredded and he whimpered in agony as she worked at spreading as much of the cream as deep as she could. It took every shred of her self-control not to fly into a rage at what Aizen had ordered done. Her hand was covered in blood and excess semen by the time she was finished.

It was a relief to them both when she completed that task and worked her way down the back of his thighs and legs. These cuts were less deep and merely needed to be cleansed and wrapped in bandages, as were the ones on his chest. There was some bruising to his manhood, but she left that for him to cream on his own.

Other than some bruising to his lips and rather deep bite marks on his neck, his face was the only part of him that seemed to have escaped assault. The atmosphere became much less tense as he sat once more on the stool while she wrapped thick bandages around his torso.

She was just finishing up and taping the ends off when Nemu returned to inform them that the tea was ready. Karin nodded and began to clean up while Nemu helped Szayel into a loose-fitting yukata.

"Is there anything of importance as far as information that I should know about that happened?" Karin asked.

"Just that I implied Grimmjow was the one to have me Claimed when questioned," Szayel admitted in a tired voice. "It was all I could do not to disobey your orders and yet answer Kami."

Karin nodded. So far, the only ones that knew about her Claim on him were the three of them standing in this room, and possibly that female Arrancar hanging out with her brother, Nel wasn't it?

He curled up on the couch, wincing as he tried to find a position that wouldn't aggravate his abused body. Nemu handed him a cup of strong tea once he settled in. Karin sat in one of the chairs and poured herself a cup as well.

"Were the girls well-behaved during the battle?" she asked.

"They stayed out of trouble," Nemu answered. Karin gave silent thanks, at least, for that bit of good luck.

"That is good to hear. I was worried they might have been upset over what happened, but they both seem fine. Ajuga-chan was actually bragging about her kills," she said, smiling fondly.

"They are just bugs, granted bigger than normal. Do _you_ feel remorse for swatting a fly?" Szayel asked with a sniff. He turned his cup around and around with his fingers, toying with the vessel as if his hands sought something useful to do.

Karin smirked and shook her head. They kept with the small talk until she could tell he was struggling to stay awake and seemed back to his old self. The simple distracting tactic seemed to have worked as he was completely distracted from what had occurred.

"You should go to bed and get some rest," she finally ordered, tugging ever so lightly on the Claim.

He nodded in agreement and a moment later Nemu returned to inform her he was sleeping peacefully.

"Good. He might still have nightmares. Come get me if they get out of hand or you can't wake him up," Karin ordered.

"Of course, Karin-san," Nemu bowed. "Shall I show you the way out?"

"No, that's alright. I can find my own way out," Karin replied, and waved the offer off. She thanked Nemu for the tea and left the Science Building. After the gates closed behind her she took a few deep breaths to clear her head.

This evening explained so very much about Szayel's initial reaction to her questions as far as the research he'd conducted on herself and Ajuga was concerned. Never in a thousand years would she have thought to take a punishment that far and in that direction. Even trying to wrap her mind around the whole situation caused her temples to throb.

She should have asked for an aspirin or perhaps another sort of painkiller to head off the headache she felt forming behind her eyes. Tucking a strand of black hair behind her ear, she started walking back to the Estate. She could have used Shunpo, but that wouldn't have given her the time she needed to process what she'd seen in that bathroom, or give her the opportunity to try to analyze it properly. And she did need to try to make some kind of sense out of it before she could rightly sleep tonight.

What in all of the worlds had Szayel done to merit anything even close to a punishment like what he'd received at Aizen's hands? It made absolutely no sense to Karin. All he'd done was retrieve her daughter and Hana himself. He'd left the Science Building, but honestly, Nemu seemed more than capable of instructing the Squads as to where and when the Perimeter had been breached.

Her father had once told her that he'd given her some of the more minor cases that had walked into their clinic because he felt he could trust her to do those jobs, leaving him free to deal with the more complicated trauma work. It had been one of the few times she hadn't wanted to smack Old Goatface silly for his antics, the compliment given during one of his more serious moods. Delegation was normal in any organization; if Szayel had trusted Nemu enough to take over for him, and the Divisions had handled the battle without too much trouble, why punish an underling for making a decision?

Karin shivered a little and ran her fingers through her slightly-damp hair; the bathroom had been filled with steam from the hot water and the time spent sitting in it had slicked her hair with moisture. The winter evening's breeze was downright cold with wet hair, even if her clothing had dried out. At least, she reasoned, she'd be dry by the time she got home.

Soul Society, Karin decided, was in the iron grip of an utter psychopath. A very powerful, very intelligent, very dangerous and from what she'd seen tonight, one with no sense of restraint or grasp of reason save for his own twisted code. Oh, she'd known that he was a megalomaniac, and power-hungry enough to destroy thousands upon thousands of lives for his own gain. It wasn't that she didn't understand the need for clear duties.

She and Yuzu had grown up in an urgent-care clinic and knew exactly how order helped minimize problems, especially when a true emergency came in. But to treat any and all attempts at flexibility in dealing with unexpected issues as an opportunity to partake in some kind of sick, twisted form of sadomasochism? To Karin, handing over the reins to see to something like this, to assure the survival of a child that Aizen himself had declared 'extremely important', was merely delegating responsibility.

If this was how Aizen treated any of the Espada that dared to try a different way of problem-solving, then no wonder Szayel had shown such fear when she'd confronted him about the half truths regarding his research. If this was what the scientist was use to when it came to punishment…

She froze in her tracks, the breeze playing with her clothes and hair and stared straight down the street, looking at nothing as she followed that thought to its logical conclusion. If this was considered a 'light' punishment, what would Aizen dish out for something that he might truly consider an affront to his authority?

With an inward shudder, she recalled all of the times that Grimmjow had cursed Aizen out in private for some command his superior had given, especially during this last autumn when the length of the patrols had become almost too much for the Espada to handle. What, given Aizen's seemingly insane set of standards, would he consider a punishable offence? Her mate wasn't the most subtle at expressing his displeasure about anything he found burdensome or a waste of his time.

Hopefully, Grimmjow knew where the lines were and kept from crossing them. To her knowledge, he'd never been subjected to the kind of 'discipline' Szayel had endured today. Now that she knew what Aizen's preferred method of 'correction' amounted to, she resolved to have a discussion with her mate about taking any reckless chances with 'Kami's' potential ire. As it was, she would have to explain why she'd sent the girls home ahead of her and she wasn't entirely sure how he would take the news about the Claim she'd cast upon Szayel and the revelation that Aizen now considered Grimmjow Szayel's 'owner'.

That, she thought, might lead to a discussion regarding what the Generals had revealed to her today and she stifled the panic that rose in her as quickly as she could, lest Grimmjow feel it over their link. Karin didn't want to think about how much jeopardy she and Ajuga might be in if Aizen learned of that conversation, about how much jeopardy they were in right now.

It was bad enough that she had to hide the fact she could cast Claims and she thanked whatever entity might be watching over her and her little family that Aizen had apparently believed Szayel when the latter had said that Grimmjow cast the Claim that saved him from regressing. That was something else that she now had to reveal to Grimmjow, lest her mate's potentially unwitting actions towards the researcher reveal the truth to Aizen somehow. She doubted any of them would be spared for something of that magnitude.

Unfortunately, it was one more deception she would have to remember and keep track of, one more problem she'd have to solve lest Aizen's wrath fall on her or Grimmjow, or worse, her daughter.

She was suddenly very, very tired, in a way that she hadn't been in a very long time. What had happened to Szayel today, the time she'd spent cleaning up the aftermath… the words 'long day' didn't seem adequate to describe it. From learning of the Swarm's Generals and uncovering the whole Royal Throne mess, the impromptu wild lovemaking with Grimmjow in the aftermath of the first wave of the battle and, finally, dealing with a brutalized, teenaged Espada suffering from PTSD, it wasn't a day she wanted to repeat anytime soon.

Well, she reconsidered, the part where Grimmjow had taken her after the initial fight was something worth repeating, but she could do without the rest of it. Karin began walking again, then began to run and finally launched into as Shunpo with a renewed eagerness to get home and assure herself that everything there was as it should be, that there were no nasty surprises waiting for her.

By the time she made it to the Estate and through the gates she barely had enough energy to check to see that Ajuga was safely asleep in her room and then crawl into bed beside her mate. He snorted and stirred briefly as she joined him, pulling her into his grasp and nuzzling her neck affectionately. For a moment it was all she could do just to breathe in his scent and relax against him.

"Where have you been?" he asked sleepily. "The girls were brought home hours ago..."

"I'll tell you in the morning when you are coherent enough to remember," she promised, leaning over her shoulder to kiss him before she turned, curled her exhausted body into his warmth and promptly passed out.


	52. Girls and Babies

Girls and Babies

Karin sighed as she finished setting up the field for the day's training session. Ajuga lounged on one of the leafless, lower limbs of one of the garden's dormant cherry trees and Hana nibbled on the end of her brush as she worked out the math equations her Sensei had given her.

She spotted the girls approaching and blinked as she noticed there were four reiatsu signatures approaching instead of three. She recognized Tatsuki, Orihime and Tesra right away, but the last one took her a second.

"That's strange. I think that's Matsumoto," she said, a little surprised as she turned to the main entrance.

Sure enough, her abilities hadn't lied to her. It _was_ Matsumoto, wearing a simple white training outfit and carrying a katana. They shared a hug before Hana and Ajuga assaulted the woman, the first just pleased to meet her again and the second curious about the tall woman with the red-gold hair.

"Nnoitra gave her permission to train with us after that attack a week ago," Tatsuki answered Karin's unspoken question with a grin.

"That's awesome! Of course she is welcome!" Karin exclaimed, grinning happily. "Will you be staying as well, Tesra?" she asked. The Arrancar paused and shook his head politely.

"I am afraid I have other obligations," he declined. "Aizen-kami has called a meeting and ALL Arrancar have been ordered to attend."

"Grimmjow mentioned the meeting, but he failed to mention that all of the Arrancar had to be there," she said, frowning at the idea that Grimmjow hadn't informed her about something that important.

She had been relieved the day after the last attack that he'd listened to her explanation about Szayel without too much fuss. Miraculously, he hadn't been upset when she broke the news that he was supposed to have Claimed Szayel. In fact, once she'd laid out exactly what had happened with the researcher during her brother's last incursion into the Seireitei, Grimmjow had stunned her by telling her he found it damned hilarious.

Of course she had explained about her ability to Claim by touch first. She had a feeling his reaction would have been far different if she hadn't made that point very, very clear before letting Grimmjow know the details of what had occurred during the fight.

While he was interested in the fact that she could cast a Claim by touch alone, he also didn't argue with her about the necessity of keeping her ability a secret. In fact, he seemed to relish the idea that Szayel was now 'his', if only to possibly lord it over the scientist.

When Karin pointed out that Szayel had kept his mouth shut about her abilities, thus protecting both herself and by proxy, Ajuga, Grimmjow had sat back, a rare thoughtful look on his face, and had agreed that he would keep his mockery of the less powerful Espada in check.

As interesting as the conversation was, it was Orihime's strange reiatsu that caught her attention. Something was off with her. Maybe 'off' wasn't the right description. More like 'split'? Or like there was more….than…one…

"_Oh dear_," Karin thought.

"Orihime-chan," Karin called, motioning to the young woman.

"Hmm?" Orihime asked, smiling at her.

"Can I talk to you a moment?"

"Sure!"

The two girls walked off a small distance and watched Tatsuki rope a rather surprised kiss from Tesra before the Arrancar left for the meeting, blushing furiously. Karin noted that Tatsuki seemed extraordinarily pleased with herself and that Matsumoto was actually giggling behind one hand.

"What is it?" Orihime asked, now concerned.

"Probably nothing bad, but I want to check it out anyway. Your reiatsu looks different, I would almost say split, and I got a good suspicion as to why."

"Split?" she asked nervously.

"Yeah, and the split is around here," Karin explained, pointing her finger and drawing a circle around Orihime's stomach. "Would your healing shield be able to diagnose if you were with child?"

Orihime's eyebrows shot up and her mouth opened, but no sound came out for a few moments. When she finally managed to speak, she stammered out, "I… I don't know, but I can try."

She touched her fingers to her hair clips and in a burst of light all of the fairy-like creatures came out to hover around the two of them.

"Oh no…This looks like it's going to be female crap again," Tsubaki cursed as soon as they finished phasing in.

"Ajuga-chan is over there," Karin pointed to her daughter, offering the little being a distraction from all things 'womanly'.

"Heh," Tsubaki took off, bad intent written all over what little face was visible above his bandana. A moment later the delighted squeal of her daughter reached their ears.

"What can we do for you, Orihime-chan?" Ayame asked, shaking her head at her fellow creature and bowing politely.

"Is there a way to find out if I am with child?" she asked nervously.

"Of course," Shuno said, making it sound as if there was nothing to it.

"You know what to do," Ayame added, smiling down at them.

"Soten Kisshun," she whispered.

The shield snapped up around her and she felt the warm energy penetrate her soul. It was comforting, like standing in the warm glow of the sun on a spring afternoon. After a moment the shield snapped down and the two little winged creatures hovered before her.

"Well?" Orihime asked in a whisper.

"Definitely," Shuno nodded. "Most definitely with child."

Orihime and Karin both stared at the fairies in shock and then Karin's practical side took over.

"How far along is she?" Karin asked them.

Orihime said nothing, still clearly in astonishment's grip.

"Not long. Maybe a week…" Ayame answered, "…or two."

"This is great news, Orihime-chan!" Lily cheered.

"Ulquiorra will probably be pleased," Karin noted, and then frowned. She waved one hand in front of her friend's face, trying to get the other to snap out of it

Orihime blinked a little, nodded and the tension Karin felt eased as a bright smile suddenly lit Orihime's face. The fairies looked at one another and tittered a little, and then vanished as quickly as they'd appeared.

"Do you want me to tell the others, or do you want to do it, or do you want to let Ulquiorra know first?" Karin asked.

"I want to tell him first. We can tell the others next week," Orihime answered without hesitation.

"Alright," Karin agreed, respecting her decision.

She had to hand it to Orihime; it had taken Karin over a month to confess her own pregnancy to Grimmjow. Of course back then they had no idea on how anyone was going to react. They both knew that if it wasn't so far beneath him and out of character, Ulquiorra would be jumping and screaming for joy about his impending fatherhood.

"We should get Szayel to monitor the pregnancy just to be on the safe side. I didn't have too many complications but that doesn't mean there might not be any, Szayel did mention that the hollow's base creature had an effect on such things," Karin warned.

"Oh? Is that why you were only what, four months?" Orihime asked hopefully, a hand resting on her stomach as she stared at it in wonder.

"Well, about that… Do we have any idea on how long a…" Karin paused, "What is Ulquiorra's base form anyway?" she asked curiously.

"A bat," Orihime replied, still staring at her midsection.

Karin winced.

"What?" Orihime asked concerned.

"Sorry, it's just that, well, I did a research project on bats for the fourth grade science fair and, well, some bats can stay pregnant for up to six months," Karin scratched her head nervously.

"You mean I could have a six-month pregnancy?" Orihime asked in disbelief.

"Yeah," Karin said reluctantly. "Panthers are pregnant for three months and I went four months with Ajuga, so I am betting you will be seven or eight, or possibly even the full nine."

"I hate you," Orihime growled somewhat playfully.

"Don't hate me! Hate the one who knocked you up," Karin protested, and held out her hands in mock defence. "And anyway, that's the longest gestation period for all bats. Some kinds of bats have much shorter pregnancies than that. It depends on the species."

The two girls sighed and Orihime's gaze dropped to her stomach once again.

"Well, shall we get back to training?" Karin asked. "The others are starting to look restless."

"Is it safe to train?" Orihime asked.

"Oh definitely," Karin smiled wistfully suddenly. "In fact, Grimmjow once told me that being pregnant wasn't an excuse to get out of training. By the way, as hard as this is going to sound, a lot of bats are actually very social creatures so don't be too shocked if he starts getting cuddly."

"You have no idea how cuddly he already is, but you never heard it from me," Orihime smiled sweetly, and then turned to run back to Tatsuki and Matsumoto.

Karin chuckled, knowing exactly what Orihime meant. Grimmjow would be furious if she let it slip that beneath his tough boy attitude he was a big attention suck who likes to nestle, nuzzle, and cuddle just like any cat, not to mention being scratched behind the ears, Kami forbid **that** tidbit of information get out.

The two women rejoined their fellow combatants. It was time for some serious training. Karin couldn't wait to see what new routines and information Matsumoto could give them. None of the three humans had shinigami training and Nanao had been too busy with work to do more than give them some basic pointers.

"So, Matsumoto," Karin called as they closed the distance, "ready to have your brain picked by three poor women trying to be something they aren't?"

"Speak for yourself," Tatsuki snorted. "Granted, after all the training Grimmjow gave _you_, you really can't claim to be incompetent."

"Oh, and you and Tesra do nothing all day?" Karin asked with a raised eye.

"He has taken the time to show me a few sword techniques," Tatsuki confirmed. "However, Tesra's style of fighting doesn't really fit me any more than sword fighting fits you," Tatsuki pointed out. "Hand-to-hand was always more my thing."

"Please, call me Rangiku. Matsumoto makes me sound so old!" the taller Shinigami laughed. "And you want to learn some sword work, Tatsuki-chan?" Rangiku asked with a grin.

"I have gotten rather rusty over the years of inaction," Tatsuki admitted.

"So have I, but fortunately Nnoitra-sama has seen fit to arm me again," she indicated her own blade, "and I could definitely use a sparring partner."

"Sweet! I call shotgun," Tatsuki smirked.

"Shotgun?" Rangiku asked confused.

"It's an old American Western Term. The one who rode next to the driver of the carriages was the man in charge of holding the shotgun to defend it. It became a term used to indicate who got the passenger seat in a vehicle and further corrupted to mean 'me first'," Tatsuki explained.

"How do you know that, Tatsuki-chan?" Orihime asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"Literature Class. One day we were discussing strange terms and where they came from,"she shrugged. "Half of them were American anyway, so I'd only heard them a few times."

"Interesting. Shot… gun," Rangiku mused. "Well, let's get to it," she said after a moment, drawing her blade and jumping off of the porch.

"I may not be a Shinigami, but I am no push over either," Tatsuki warned her. "Just none of that Shunpo crap."

Rangiku stuck out her tongue and then snickered as the two women squared off.

"Well I guess that leaves you and me," Karin smiled at Orihime. "And the best part is, you can't use Tsubaki," she smirked.

A look of horror crossed Orihime's face as they both turned to where the 'fairy' was running from a happy Ajuga. She was getting fast and Tsubaki had a hard time dodging her now. He was still capable of teasing the little girl, but when he turned around to stick his fingers in his ears and wiggle his fingers in mockery, he barely missed hitting the trunk of a tree as Ajuga suddenly pounced.

Then again, maybe Orihime was better off not relying entirely on the little guy, Karin thought.

(POV)

Orihime simply could not stop beaming. She thought she would be nervous about telling Ulquiorra such a tremendous thing, but ever since Ajuga-chan had been born the desire for a child of her own had grown. Karin was so happy with her family and Orihime had seen how the little girl had brought Grimmjow and Karin closer together.

She had no doubt that Ulquiorra would be pleased with the news. He had refrained from bringing up their agreement about children since her argument with him ages ago, but she knew it was always on the back of his mind.

Training had gone well, and as tired as she was afterwards, she found that the nervous energy she had was too much for her. A shower, dinner and time spent pacing the corridors hadn't managed to dispel it. In the end, she'd decided to wait up for him, nursing a mug of tea and reading one of the books on pregnancy that Karin had received from Unohana as preparation for own childbirth. Orihime was busy reading the nutritional section on the need for a proper pre-natal diet and vitamin supplements when a deadpan voice surprised her, nearly making her jump out of her chair.

"I have informed you that you are not required to wait up for me."

She let out an eek of surprise and dropped the book to the floor.

"You startled me," she accused, picking the book back up to mark the page before setting it down beside her, cover down.

"Obviously," he pointed out dryly. "It is very late. Why are you still awake?" he questioned, green eyes blinking.

"Because I have something important to tell you," she replied, lips curved up into a smile.

"I am sure that whatever it is, it can wait until morning," he sighed, peeling off his jacket.

"I couldn't sleep anyway, it's too exciting!" her smile widened and she jumped slightly in excitement.

"What could possibly be so important as to warrant such an emotional display?" he questioned irritably.

Orihime could tell he was exhausted. Aizen's meeting had run late and he had been fighting for half the day.

"Wellllllllllllllll…" she drawled out her answer, just to irk him a little.

"Out with it, Onna!" he barked.

"Ayame and Shuno were able to confirm that, well…"

She could feel how testy he was, but she couldn't help but to torture him just a little. It wasn't often she got one up on him and she was going to savour the moment.

"I am pregnant," she finally announced happily in a near squeal.

"And this warranted wai…" he stopped and his green eyes grew larger as his exhausted brain finally processed her message. "Say that again," he ordered, taking a step towards her.

"I am pregnant. About two weeks in so I am guessing the day on the hill. You know, where you tried to convince me Murcielago-kun was just a mindless…"

She never got to finish her sentence.

The next thing she knew he was kissing her. Deeply. Passionately. Aggressively. It left her knees weak as she felt his reiatsu envelop her. She had never seen him so emotional in her entire life, or at least not since the day he had fought against Ichigo for her.

Orihime didn't recall them making it to the bed. She didn't notice that somehow they were both suddenly naked, nor did she remember whether her clothes had been taken off or shredded. All she remembered was the feeling of pleasure as he silently showed her just how pleased he was with the news.

An hour later she lay next to him, body tingling with the residual pleasure from his reinforced Claim and panting in exhaustion. He was already out like a light and she swore there was the barest hint of a smile on his lips.

"_I wonder if the baby will have his eyes?__"__ she_ pondered._"__Ajuga-chan got fur and panther-shaped legs from Grimmjow. Will our child have wings like Ulquiorra__'__s release? That would be so cute! And his feathered fur__…__ Ooooo!__"_

She instantly began to imagine all sorts of interesting, adorable ways her baby could look. She would consult the book tomorrow, but she doubted that it could provide the kind of information her imagination could readily supply her with. With thoughts of small, bat-winged babies with big green eyes fluttering through her head, Orihime drifted off to sleep.

(POV))

"Why do you look so smug?" Grimmjow asked.

"Can you keep a secret?" Karin asked, rinsing out her toothbrush.

"Depends on what it is," he grunted.

"Well, I will only tell you if you can keep it. I promised Orihime-chan I wouldn't tell anyone until she did."

She definitely had his interest now. Anything that involved Orihime had a good chance to involve Ulquiorra as well and while Karin hated to use the term 'like catnip' when it came to her mate, it was just so glaringly obvious that gossip that involved the Fourth Espada was something he craved. Particularly if it was juicy.

"Spill it," he commanded.

"Alright," Karin smirked and leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Orihime-chan is pregnant."

He jerked away from her as if she had burned him, jaw dropping far enough so that she could see a hint of his fangs.

"What?" he cried in shock. "You're telling me Ulquiorra is going to have a brat of his own?"

"So it seems. Orihime-chan is rather excited," Karin said, brushing out her hair in the mirror.

Grimmjow just sat back, with his arms folded across his chest against the pillows, suddenly petulant.

"Tsh. Bastard just couldn't stand the fact that I outdid him in something and gained his precious Aizen-kami's favour," he snorted.

Karin scowled at him and suddenly leaned over him, eyeball to eyeball with him, hairbrush underneath his nose as if the make her point.

"Regardless, she is very excited and this is good news for them. Remember, you can't say a word to ANYONE until Orihime-chan lets everyone know this coming Sunday."

He was still smirking, which never boded well.

"That includes Ulquiorra," she added firmly.

"Why not?"

"Because then they will know I told you. Damn it, this is a secret. You said you could keep it!" she growled back at him.

"I didn't realize it was this damn good!" he laughed.

"You're terrible," she groused.

"I thought that was why you loved me," he pointed out.

"I love you because…" she stopped suddenly and blinked.

"What is it?" he questioned.

"Sorry nothing. It just occurred to me that we have never actually said those words to each other," she noted.

"What? 'I love you?'" he questioned.

"Yeah."

"Does it matter?" he asked, looking uncomfortable.

The conversation was getting awkward. Did it matter that they had technically never said the words? It wasn't as if anything they had done was very conventional, at least as far as human standards were concerned.

"They are just words," she shrugged. "I was never really that good with words anyway."

She tried to tell herself it didn't bother her, but a small part of her, the small, repressed, female part, would have still liked to hear the words at least once.

He gave her a look that suggested he didn't quite believe her. He also looked a little ill and desperate to change the conversation. She was all for that.

"So, when do you plan on starting Ajuga-chan's training?" she asked instead.

"Tomorrow. I should have a bit of spare time. Have you spoken to Nanao?" he asked, clearly relieved at the topic change.

"I did. She was reluctant to agree, but admitted that it was best Hana-chan learn to defend herself. Once she is older she will have the same problems I did until you Claimed me."

He nodded his head in agreement. Ajuga was definitely going to be sought after and he was going to make damn sure that his daughter was able to fend off any unwanted attention. Not only was she going to be a powerful female, but a born one. It was a legend that Born Hollows were more fertile. Whether that was fact or fiction was debatable, as pure born Hollows were rare to begin with.

Hana would also be in danger as she aged. Once she was old enough to breed, her power would start to sing to the others as well. Not all of the Arrancar had used up their Claims as of yet, or had lost or dismissed their pet.

They were still a few years away from needing to worry about Hana, but the time would come that she would be in danger. The only reason Nanao wasn't hassled was because she had the power to defend herself and Aizen had made it quite clear she both belonged to Starrk and was not to be interrupted in her duties as Taichou.

"What was Aizen's meeting about? Tesra said all the Arrancar were required to attend," Karin asked a little peevishly.

"Aizen declared that his suggestion was now an order. Anyone with Shinigami pets still capable of fighting are to have them join one of the divisions immediately and out on the field. There will be a meeting tomorrow to assign them new divisions."

"I see," she frowned. "Does this include me, Orihime-chan and Tatsuki-chan?" she inquired.

"I do not believe so. He said 'Shinigami' and the three of you are not Shinigami," he pointed out.

"Good. I am not sure that I am ready to leave Ajuga-chan unattended just yet,e spcially given her perchance of getting into trouble," she grouched, recalling all too easily the panic and fear she had felt when Ajuga had gone missing.

Karin finished getting ready for bed and crawled under the covers. Grimmjow joined her a moment later, nestling up behind her. She leaned back against his broad chest, sighing in pleasure as his warmth invaded her.

An arm snaked around her and began to gently fondle a breast while he nuzzled her neck. She was long since use to his nuzzling and simply sighed in content. Sleep was quickly overcoming her.

"I love you," he whispered in her ear.

She jerked in surprised and looked at him over her shoulder. He looked at her silently with a strange expression on his face, one she had never seen before and couldn't read.

Her shock quickly turned into warmth and she couldn't help the smile that crossed her face as she felt her cheeks warm. That suppressed, female part of her soul broke free for just a moment to cheer until her normally tomboyish nature wrestled it back into submission and buried it where it belonged.

"I love you too," she responding, kissing him deeply before settling down one more. "Thank you."

He grunted, causing her to smile once more in amusement. He had definitely stepped out of his comfort zone for her, and that left her heart fluttering in a way she had never felt before.

She fell asleep feeling warmer than she had in ages. He didn't need to say it, she told him he did not need to. And yet he had, for her sake. She knew he hated mushy crap like that and had no doubt it had made him feel very uncomfortable, but he had still said it.

"_You have no idea how much I love you, especially when you do things like that,__"_she thought sleepily before drifting off.


	53. Returning a Part of Ones Soul

Returning a Part of One's Soul

"Oh you have got to be kidding me! I thought you said I wouldn't have to go because I am not a Shinigami," Karin complained as she put on the elegant Kimono she only wore during Claim Meetings.

"It's an official meeting and everyone is expected to bring their pets," Grimmjow snorted, explaining it to her again.

"Do the Taichou need to dress up or do they get to go in uniform?" she questioned irritably.

"We have to dress up as well, but we are wearing our haori," Jushiro answered as he entered the room. "You look stunning as usual, Karin-chan," he complimented warmly.

"Thank you, Jushiro-san. But I do hate wearing this stuff," she sighed in annoyance. "Who is going to watch the kids?" she questioned, clearly still looking for a way out.

"Lilinette-chan. She doesn't have a pet so her attendance isn't required," Jushiro answered.

"The horror," Karin chuckled. "Is there going to be anything left of the Estate by the time we get back?" she questioned.

"Oi!" Lilinette protested as she walked in with Starrk. "Everything will be fine," she assured them. "And it's 'Lilinette-sama' to you, Shiro-chan," she rounded on Jushiro.

"Hai, hai," came the white-haired Shinigami's good-humoured agreement, hands held up in a placating manner.

"Are we ready to leave?" Nanao asked from the doorway.

She was also wearing a Kimono just like Jushiro's with her haori on top. True she wasn't necessarily Claimed by Starrk, but it still denoted the fact that he 'owned' her. Karin wondered how much less of a hassle they might have gone through growing up, and more recently with Tatsuki, if they'd had something to denote ownership like an armband or something.

The group headed out to the top of the large hill that could be seen from anywhere in the city. They arrived via Shunpo/Sonido rather quickly and Karin spotted the other Espada and their pets as they approached the platform under a shattered arch.

There were an impressive number of Arrancar and their pets here. She hadn't realized just how many were under Aizen's command until she saw them all gathered here. There had to easily be over one hundred. If one were to add in their pets, there were well over two hundred people on the hill.

"Karin-chan, Jushiro-san, Nanao-san," Orihime greeted them warmly.

"Hey," Karin greeted back as they took their places.

Her eyes rested in the platform. The only thing on it was a table with a cloth covering it. There was something, or rather many things under the cloth that pulsed with a familiar power.

"_It can__'__t be,__"_Karin thought in disbelief.

Aizen walked up onto the platform and silence instantly fell upon the crowd.

"My dear Arrancar," he smiled at them politely.

"_Dear my ass,__"_Karin snorted mentally.

Beside her she swore Szayel flinched slightly as Aizen's eyes swept over the crowd and he launched into his speech. Karin ignored it, or tried to. Blah, blah, loyalty, obedience, blah, blah. He definitely had a silver tongue. It was too bad she knew him for what he was.

Her focus was on the table and what she suspected was under that cloth. Finally, Aizen said something that caught her attention.

"Since I know you will fight to defend the Seireitei as you have in the past, and since you have displayed such obedience to your Kami, I have a gift for you. Ukitake Jushiro. Step forth please," Aizen requested in his smooth voice.

Karin could tell Jushiro was nervous and she didn't blame him. Being called out in front of such a large audience by Aizen would make the most stalwart person balk. But still, he stepped up onto the platform and knelt before Aizen.

Aizen moved a portion of the cloth aside and picked up a katana still in its sheath. Jushiro's eyes widened in shock and Karin swore she saw tears in the corner of his eyes.

"Do you, Ukitake Jushiro, swear to only draw Sogyo no Kotowari in defence of Seireitei and Kami, to never use your Zanpakuto on anything but my enemies and the enemies of your Master?" Aizen asked.

"I swear, Aizen-kami," Jushiro answered an obvious catch in his throat as his eyes gazed upon Sogyo no Kotowari.

"So be it," Aizen held the katana out.

Hesitantly, as if afraid it was a cruel joke and Aizen would withdraw the weapon, Jushiro held his hands out and accepted the katana. He bowed deeply and descended from the platform as Aizen waved him off.

As he came closer Karin could tell there were definitely tears in the older man's eyes. She couldn't fully understand what the other was feeling; though having no Zanpakuto of her own, she _did_ comprehend what had just happened by utilizing her 'sight'.

From what she knew, it was as if Aizen had just returned a portion of the others soul to him. She could see the desperate merging of Ukitaki's reiatsu and that from the Zanpakuto. She had no doubt now that the blades were very much alive.

"Ise Nanao, step forward please," Aizen turned his attention to Starrk's other pet.

Nanao approached the platform and Karin swore the woman was holding back tears of joy and excitement as she kneeled before Aizen. The vows were repeated and she was handed a dagger instead of a katana.

It repeated through the ranks and even Byakuya had a hint of tears in his eyes as Senbonzakura was returned to him. Being unable to speak, he had simply nodded his head at Aizen's questions, as had the one called Soi Fon.

The only one skipped was Renji. He sat as he always did, silently staring off into space with that eerie vacant gaze unless Szayel gave him an order. Karin frowned at that, wondering why the redhead had been omitted. The others had gotten their Zanpakuto back, even Nemu, so why had Renji been passed over? She vowed to ask Szayel about it later.

(POV)

In the hell he'd been assigned to since their defeat and his enslavement, and with all of the pain, suffering and humiliation he'd endured in the years since, none of it matter at this moment as Byakuya held onto Senbonzakura.

The Zanpakuto was sobbing in his mind and he was hard-pressed not to break into sobs himself. Only his innate sense of dignity, born from decades of self-discipline as the head of the Kuchiki house and the expectations of a nobleman kept him from doing so in public.

The Zanpakuto had been able to feel his pain over the years, but had been unable to assist him. He spoke soothingly to the blade, but truthfully all he wanted to do was find a corner and weep.

Despite all that, like Karin, he also noticed Renji had been omitted and there was no sign of Zabimaru. To his shock the thought sent Senbonzakura into a full on fit of rage. Clearly the Zanpakuto knew something that he didn't, something that infuriated it.

Now wasn't the time for it though and he forced himself to pay attention to what was going on. The other Shinigami were called forth one at a time and assigned divisions, but he noticed the former Taichou and Fukutaichou were not.

After dismissing the lower ranks Aizen turned his attention back to them. It was difficult to focus, but he forced himself to listen to what the bastard had to say. They were not to be assigned a division, but to remain by their Master's side as their weapon.

They were dismissed and he followed Yammy back to the Estate, trying to ease Senbonzakura as their minds linked for the first time in almost eight years. The biggest concern was going to be releasing both his Shikai and Bankai.

Typically a phrase was required to unleash ones Zanpakuto, but he was unable to speak. He would have to learn to release Senbonzakura wordlessly. While not impossible, it required a deep connection with ones Zanpakuto and their years of separation already put a strain on their relationship.

Byakuya was pulled out of his thoughts roughly by a harsh slap to the face he should have seen coming. Senbonzakura cried out in his mind, but he did his best to reassure the blade he would be fine while also trying to give Yammy his attention.

"What did I tell you about getting that metal stick back?" Yammy snarled.

"_That it wasn__'__t an excuse to ignore you,__"_he silently answered. _"__Much as I wish I could.__"_

He bowed his head in way of apology and he could feel Senbonzakura's shock at his submissiveness to this horrid creature. He assured the Zanpakuto he would explain later. It was damned nice being able to 'speak' with someone again and have an answer.

"Chu. Lucky thing Aizen-kami informed us this was an expected reaction and to let your prissy ass get away with it. Go," Yammy growled. "Spend the day with your stick; but tonight you had better pay me back for letting you play with that toy or so help me I will snap that thing into four pieces and make you wear the shattered hilt like a necklace! Understand?" Yammy threatened.

Byakuya gave the other a nod of his head and bowed once more.

"Get lost then," Yammy grumbled.

Byakuya happily followed that order and disappeared in a Shunpo to retreat to one of the gardens near the back of the Estate. He settled against one of the trees in the lotus position, Senbonzakura lying across his lap.

It was the same tree he had used over his lifetime to speak to his Zanpakuto. It was here he had first learned Senbonzakura's name, where he had first achieved Shikai. He slipped into Jinzen and found himself finally back in his inner world.

It was a complete and utter wreck. He hadn't exactly been expecting it to look as perfectly ordered as he remembered it, but there was so much damage to his psyche that recognition did not come easily. It was a true indication to just how badly Yammy had broken him.

The once beautiful gardens and towering sakura trees were now nothing more than a rotted, putrid, diseased wasteland. The neatly laid stone walls that once lined the gardens were reduced to rubble and only recognizable by a slight rise on the ground.

In all of the dingy darkness of the place, only one small light shone. A single spec of green next to where the spirit of his Zanpakuto waited for him. The little light of hope that had come to him when Senbonzakura had been returned to him. It looked so tiny, so frail in comparison to the devastation around it.

"Byakuya," Senbonzakura greeted him with exhaustion and sadness in his voice.

"Senbonzakura," he returned, finishing the trek to his Zanpakuto's side.

Senbonzakura was wearing nothing more than a simple white kimono dressed with pink sakura blossoms. His armour lay beside him, rusted and in desperate need of repair. His long, black hair was left free to flow in the slight breeze and clearly also needed attention.

Byuakuya realized just how shattered his soul was as he looked at both his inner world and the state of Senzbonzakura. But there, right at his Zanapkuto's feet was that single sprout.

He knelt before Senbonzakura and cupped the little plant that struggled so desperately to thrive. A second later Senbonzaura's hands enfolded his, offering silent comfort. The little sprout grew half an inch, and with that half an inch Byakuya felt a very small portion of the burden on his soul lift.

He tried to remain stoic, but with the warmth of Senbonzakura at his side he failed. It started with a single tear escaping, and quickly escalated until ragged sobs racked his body. Senbonzakura said nothing, simply held him and rubbed his back as he cried like he hadn't done since he was a child. Even the death of his beloved Hisana hadn't caused this much weeping on his part, at least outwardly.

When he ran out of tears and managed to regain a small semblance of control, he told his Zanpakuto everything he had been through. From Yammy's violent use of his body to the lack of any support from his so called family. Senbonzakura remained silent and held him, just as he had the day Byakuya's parents had died, the day that Hisana had drawn her last breath, and the night before Rukia's scheduled, blessedly interrupted execution.

"You must think me weak," Byakuya said some time later, voice thick with pain.

Hands with ragged nails smoothed back his hair with strokes meant to comfort.

"Hardly. Few could have gone through what you have, and fewer still who could have survived alone. I am here for you now Master," Senbonzakura promised.

"Thank you," he whispered, his fingers tightening in his Zanpakuto's clothing.

It was good to hear his voice again, even if it was only in his inner world. Looking around, they had a lot of work to do putting it right again, if it ever could return to its former glory.

Somewhat recovered, Byakuya finally worked up the courage to ask the question that had been bothering him since the meeting. Why had Renji been omitted from having Zabimaru returned?

Miles away, Karin was asking a rather uncomfortable looking and slightly terrified Szayel something similar…

(POV)

"Okay, explain that again without the big scientific terms" Karin ordered crossly.

Szayel flinched at the obvious anger in her voice. True he was technically more powerful than she was, but all of that meant nothing under the weight of her Claim and the fact that she was the only one keeping him from regressing to nothing more than a blubbering child as Nel had become. Or worse.

Nnoitra had simply walked away from his regressed rival, leaving her for dead with her two useless, and equally mask-less fraccion. He doubted Aizen would show the same kind of mercy should he end up in a similar state.

"It was just another experiment. I wanted to see if affecting a Shinigami's Zanpakuto had an effect on the Shinigami. I did all sorts of various tests and came to some rather intriguing results," he explained.

Karin must have noticed him warming up to the subject because she quickly cut him short before he could get lost in excitement.

"Right, skip past those to the end again. I don't want to hear about all the things you did to a defenceless soul. Seriously, you might as well have gone about hacking limbs off of trees," she growled in agitation.

"The final test I did was to completely destroy the Zanpakuto. I had no idea at the time that when Shinigami go on and on about how their Zanpakuto are part of their souls they mean it literately and not as some mushy sentiment."

"So you completely destroyed his Zanpakuto?" Karin asked in disbelief.

"Yes. I have heard a lot of screams in my time, but the one he gave out when I did that was on a completely new level. When the power flux died down he was as you see him today."

"So you literarily destroy a fragment of his soul," Karin frowned in clear anger.

"I didn't know that was going to happen at the time," Szayel quickly defended himself.

His body was still in pain from Aizen's punishment and not all the bruises and cuts had healed as of yet. He did not want to suffer any more pain or humiliation and with how much anger Karin was giving off, another punishment looked to be forthcoming.

Then, as abruptly as it came, it went, folding itself into a different shape, one that felt more like disgruntled resignation.

Karin sighed and collapsed against the back of the chair she had quickly claimed as her own in his private apartment. She had been by a lot lately to check on his research on her blood and the wounds Aizen had given him. He might have called it 'hovering' if he'd had any references to motherhood in his own sketchy memories.

"Wonderful," she sighed, sounding as if his revelation was anything but that. "Just wonderful."

She grimaced as if she had a sudden headache and seemed to be deep in thought about something. Szayel, not being a glutton for punishment, left her to it. Finally, she focused on him once more.

"Go get the stool, tweezers and a pair of medical scissors, and bring them back to me," she commanded, rolling up her sleeves.

The small amount of equilibrium he had reached abruptly vanished at her orders as a thousand different tortures came to mind. There were many unpleasant things she could do with such equipment and the possibilities raced through his mind, some of which Aizen had done to him over the years.

He returned with the tools and Karin directed him to remove his shirt and sit. He did so, hands trembling slightly and silently waited for whatever punishment she was going to assign him.

He jumped as the cold metal of the scissors touched his flesh and the first snip reached his ears.

"Oh _relax_," Karin muttered. "I'm just checking the stitches. They should be ready to come out."

He swore there was a hint of amusement in her voice and when he glanced at her he realized she was clearly, silently laughing at him. What absolute Gall! Terror turned quickly into indignation and he let out a dignified, 'humph' before turning his attention forward again.

"Nemu is quite capable of tending to my needs," he said airily suggested.

"I don't doubt it," Karin agreed as she finished snipping the bandages wrapped around his torso off to reveal his nicely healing back. "But as I told you before," he could practically feel her smirk widen, "I take care of my property."

He bristled, but couldn't refute the fact. In the Hollow world she definitely owned him. He was just lucky he hadn't been demoted to being her pet or some similar degrading position. At least she let him continue on as if nothing had changed, other than the fact that she now required him to follow a semblance of a moral code.

Such an annoying thing, that moral code. Karin had requested that Unohana give him the 4th divisions Code of Ethics and then informed him he was expected to follow it to the letter.

It was a good thing they didn't really have a budget because the sheer amount of painkillers they suddenly needed to bring in would have blown it. Since when did test subjects have 'rights'? Thanks to Karin's meddling ways, half of their experiments had ground to a screeching halt.

The 4th division Code of Ethics was very well thought out and left very little room for leeway. It was frustrating as all hell. What was worse, Nemu had memorized the four encyclopaedia's worth of material in one read through and constantly warned him when they were approaching the boundaries of one of the rules.

"These are healing nicely," Karin commented as she removed the stitches.

"Of course they are. My products are all perfect!" he sniffed, affronted that any remedy his laboratory concocted could be anything less than flawless.

"So you like to keep saying," she agreed with an amused smile.

There was softer tugging on his skin as she skilfully removed the stitches.

"Where is Nemu, anyway?" Karin asked about halfway through her work, breaking the silence.

"Performing Jinzen. Aizen-kami instructed us to let them have the entire day to 'reconnect with their Zanpakuto' and they were 'not to be disturbed.'" he quoted.

"I see. They all looked about ready to break down into tears when Aizen handed them back. It was like they found out their long, lost, presumed-dead lover was suddenly alive. Even Byakuya-san looked ready to break down."

"From the understanding gained from my research, I believe they were basically returned a portion of their soul," he concurred.

Silence descended again as she finished removing the last of the stitches before applying more of the cream.

"Looking very good. They might not even scar." she mused. "You can get up."

He stood up and checked her work in the mirror. It would take a little longer to fully heal, but he was positive that any scarring would be minimal and he would be back to his full, perfect glory in no time.

"Well, I think I need to head home. Let me know immediately if anything turns up in the research."

"Of course, Karin-_sama_," Szayel bowed elegantly.

The slight twitch of her eye brought a small smirk to his face. Somehow he doubted she would ever get use to the formality.

(POV)

Karin returned home and quickly sought out Ajuga. She found her daughter in the back garden with Jushiro and Hana. A scan of the house showed Nanao was also in one of the gardens.

There were two additional presences next to Jushiro and the kids that vaguely reminded her of the white-haired Taichou. When she came into the clearing she spotted the two girls dancing with what appeared to be catfish, one made of water the other lightning.

They were the most amazing things she had ever seen. Hana was chasing the one made of water, giggling as her hand passed through the liquid and yet still came out dry. Ajuga was pouncing after the one made from what looked like liquid lightning. Lightning arched to her daughter when she got close, but it failed to hurt her in any way.

"Her innate Heirro," Jushiro answered her unasked question as she walked up beside him.

The girls didn't even notice her presence as they continued to play with the two fish.

"Sogyo no Kotowari I assume," Karin guessed,

"Yes," his smile widened ever so slightly.

Karin noticed the katana had changed into two blades connected by a rope with five charms.

"My Shikai," he explained.

"I see," she turned her attention to the girls and fish. "They are amazing and beautiful Jushiro-san," she commented.

"Thank you. It has been so long since they have played that I simply couldn't deny them."

Ajuga squealed in delight as she finally caught her fish, going right through the body of electricity and laughing louder as she came out the other side, residual energy cackling about her.

"She's warm and tingly," Ajuga cried happily.

The fish chuckled.

"Do they have separate names?" Karin asked.

"Technically no, since they are the same being regardless of the fact they are in separate bodies."

"So are Starrk-san and Lilinette-chan," Karin pointed out.

"True. But they are an entity that has split into two. Sogyo no Kotowari is still Sogyo no Kotowari," he explained.

Karin sat down beside him as they watched the girls and fish continue to play. The sound of joyful laughter filled the garden and Karin couldn't help the smile of contentment that spread across her face as she watched the antics. It was a perfect moment.

(POV)

When Rangiku finally came to bed that night, clutching her Zanpakuto as if terrified it would disappear if she let it go, he honestly didn't expect her to smile so warmly at him nor lean in to offer him a hesitant kiss.

"Thank you," she sniffled, on the verge of happy tears.

Like most men of any species, Nnoitra definitely didn't want to deal with a crying woman, even if the wench was bawling out of apparent happiness. He set himself to the default reaction of most males to any waterworks, which was nonchalance.

"It was Aizen-kami who returned them," he muttered.

"But it was you who said yes and let me fight again," she pointed out.

She placed Haineko beside the bed on her side before stripping and crawling under the covers to join him. She shuffled up against him and started to trace a hand up and down his chest.

Now _that_ was unusual. Nnoitra blinked in surprise. She _never_ instigated contact between them unless he ordered her to. He looked down to see her glowing face, joy dancing in her eyes and was momentarily struck dumb. It was amazing how something so simple as returning her weapon to her had such an effect. He almost wished he had thought of it sooner.

"I want to thank you," she whispered sexily.

That was about all it took to get his 'sword' up, looking at smouldering grey eyes that promised him heaven, with those breasts pressed up against his flesh.

"Well, I am all for being thanked," he smirked at her, turning on his side to face her.

"Then please, let me."

"I ain't holding you back," he pointed out with a lecherous smirk.

Kami she was sexy when she was being so wilfully obedient. Nothing like that know it all, 'I am better than you and you are just a mindless animal,' bitch Nel had been.

Her touch started out hesitant, as if afraid she would be punished for daring to touch him so familiar or without his permission, but when as he did nothing but smile encouragingly at her and make pleased noises, she slowly grew more bold and her touches became more firm.

The rest of the night passed by in a slow haze of pleasure and he made a mental note to reward her in the morning for paying such wonderful attention to him without needing to order her first. If this was how she acted when certain freedoms were granted, he wondered what other sort of voluntary reactions he could get from her for other small things.

"_She definitely ain__'__t like that bitch Nel,__"_ he thought pleased as he finally let them both drift off to slumber at the wee hours of the morning


	54. Accidental Confessions

Accidental Confessions

Orihime hummed happily as she looked at the sheet of paper in her hands, skipping down the street and drawing passersby' attention with her cheerful demeanour. The report in her hand, fresh from the 4th Division, confirmed she was indeed pregnant, two weeks along by the look of it.

Unohana, with a kindly, motherly look, had congratulated Orihime and informed her she was required by Aizen to share the news and information with Szayel. Orihime didn't have a problem with that at all. Karin had already informed her that Szayel would end up involved anyway and not to worry about his presence as Unohana's 'co-obgyn'.

Now, all that remained was informing the rest of the world of her news. As Karin and Ulquiorra now knew her condition, the next person on her 'Please inform' list was an easy one. The general announcement would take place tomorrow, but she knew that if she didn't inform Tatsuki of this newest development in person and as soon as possible, her best friend since childhood might take it as a slight. She doubted that Ulquiorra would begrudge her a little side trip on the way home from the 4th Division.

"What are you so happy about?" Tatsuki asked, looking up from wiping down the kitchen table as Orihime burst into the house the woman shared with Tesra.

The place was small, but Orihime found it charming. Tatsuki hadn't even bothered to pick up the few pieces of clothing Ulquiorra had provided for them over the years from the Fourth Espada's house. Instead, she had taken to wearing Tesra's old uniforms most of the time. In truth they looked better on her than the clothing she'd made do with so far; the dark indigo color, a shade that looked almost black, complimented Tatsuki's hair and skin.

"I wasn't going to tell anyone until tomorrow, but look!" Orihime beamed as she practically thrust the slightly crumpled paper she held under the other young woman's nose, forcing Tatsuki's eyes to momentarily cross.

Tatsuki shook her head, took it and scanned over the page, her mouth dropping as she read it. Coming to the end her gaze darted back up to her friend's face.

"Orihime-chan," she breathed.

"I know, isn't it exciting? Karin-chan was actually the one who figured it out first. She said she could see my reiatsu had split."

"Are you really happy about this?" Tatsuki asked apprehensively, a worried look in her eyes.

"Of course!" Orihime exclaimed, clapping her hands together, gray eyes sparkling. "Just think, soon I will have a baby all of my own," she squealed in delight. "And he or she could grow up with Ajuga-chan and they can play together," Orihime gushed. Her eyes seemed to glaze over a bit as the daydream she seemed on the verge of grabbed her full attention.

Tatsuki just shook her head again and smiled softly as her friend's imagination took off for the stratosphere as it was occasionally known to do. Eventually Orihime came back from her mental vacation to look at her friend, the dreamy smile momentarily fading from her face.

"You are happy for me right, Tatsuki-chan?" Orihime asked nervously.

"If you are happy, I am happy," Tatsuki assured her. "Does Ulquiorra know yet?" she asked hesitantly.

"I told him as soon as I knew," Orihime answered.

"Aaaaand?" Tatsuki continued, fishing for something more than just the fact Ulquiorra had been properly informed of his impending fatherhood.

Orihime blushed deeply as she recalled just how he had expressed his joy at the news. She had never seen him so… well, she really couldn't think of any good words to describe it. Tatsuki just shook her head.

"Wasn't it just yesterday you were trying to convince him NOT to get your pregnant?" Tatsuki pointed out, one eyebrow raised.

"That was almost two years ago now!" Orihime exclaimed.

They both blinked in surprise as they realized the truth of that statement.

"Wow, has it been that long already?" Orihime mused.

"I know. It seems like just the other day I was worried about studying for the next test, but that was almost eight years ago" Tatsuki frowned, folding her hands together and studying her nails.

The time certainly had flown by, more so after Karin had 'broken out of her cage' and dragged the rest of them along with her. It was amazing how much had happened in the last two years. From being locked in their respective houses without any freedoms, or safety for that matter, to Karin getting pregnant to the attack of the Swarm and Tatsuki's own Claiming, what had once been five years of living in an unbroken routine of housework, chatter and Ulquiorra's demands of Orihime's body had turned into a hectic, never-knew-when-battle-was-going-to-be-joined-children-popping-up rush of a two-year ride.

"A lot has happened since then," Orihime sighed wistfully.

"It has," Tatsuki agreed, and then changed the subject. "Do you love him?" she asked.

"Ulquiorra?"

"Yes."

"I think so," Orihime frowned. "I mean, it's not like the crush I use to have on Ichigo. This feels different. I think I am actually happy. He has tried so hard to understand me. And I know he loves me. Look at everything he puts up with!" she chuckled.

"When he eats your cooking without complaint, then I will believe it," Tatsuki snorted.

"Oi," Orihime protested.

Both girls laughed and subsequently missed the sound of the front door opening and closing.

"What about you?" Orihime asked.

"What about me?" Tatsuki asked.

"Do you love Tesra-san?" Orihime asked excitedly. Tatsuki held up her hands in protest at that, as if to ward off the question itself.

"Whoa! Hold it right there! We haven't even been together for that long."

"But you sleep together…" Orihime pointed out.

Tatsuki ran a hand through her hair and then laced her fingers together, resting her chin on her hands while propping her elbows on the table.

"Well yeah we do. I mean, he's doing me a pretty big favour and sleeping together seems like a small price to pay for his protection," she admitted.

"So, you don't like him?"

"No, I like him. He's a good person, but I think love is a little far reaching at this moment of time," she said, a little more defensively than necessary.

"So, you _could_ fall in love with him?" Orihime pressed eagerly.

Tatsuki rolled her eyes at that and made a face at her friend.

"I suppose. As marriage fodder around here goes, he's got more check marks than not in the 'plus' column."

"Alright, name six of them," Orihime demanded excitedly.

"Why?" Tatsuki asked suspiciously.

"Come one, just do it," Orihime wheedled.

Tatsuki sighed, but knew that once Orihime had her mind set on something there was almost no deterring her. She decided to surrender before the war could even start and answered the question.

"Well, one, he's a great cook, and I mean _great_. Two, he's clean, I mean, hell, I hardly even need to dust around here. Three, he's got good taste in clothing."

"Hence the reason you are wearing it," Orihime giggled.

"Indeed," Tatsuki conceded.

"That's only three."

"I know! Geez. You do realize you are going to have to name six great things about Ulquiorra after this, right?"

"Sure, sure. The other three, if you don't mind." Orihime pressed eagerly.

Tatsuki shook her head and sighed, but continued anyway.

"Four, he's polite, like a gentleman but without that domineering 'oh, you are such a helpless little lady and can't do anything for yourself' attitude. Five, he's loyal, almost to a fault. In fact, I've got a sneaking suspicion that even if a more powerful woman threw herself at his feet right now he would probably politely tell her no."

"That's five, and you didn't even need to think about them," Orihime giggled. "One more…"

"Trustworthy," Tatsuki shrugged after thinking about it for a moment. "He's definitely trustworthy."

"And six! Wow, are you absolutely sure you don't love him?"

"Ichigo was all of those things and I didn't love him," Tatsuki replied, a little crossly.

"But with time?"

Tatsuki shrugged again, and looked at the ceiling, as if examining it for cracks or other imperfections.

"Who can say? Can I see spending the rest of my time here with Tesra? Yes. Without a shadow of a doubt. If he asked me to have kids a few years down the road when I felt ready to have them, I might even agree."

Orihime gave her a knowing smirk.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Tatsuki demanded with a huff.

"You sound like I did two years ago."

"Well, see me in another two years. Anyway, your turn."

"I don't even know where to start."

A polite cough caused both women to jump in surprise. Orihime blinked at the intruder while Tatsuki's eyes grew larger as she realized that the majority of her words had been overhead. At first she blanched and then blushed deeply. Suddenly, her fingernails seemed very, very interesting.

"Oh, hello Tesra. How long have you been home?" she asked faintly, finally looking up at him through her lashes.

"A few minutes," he confessed with a blush on his own cheeks.

"Oh."

For a moment the kitchen was filled with a heavy, awkward silence as Orihime's gaze went back and forth between the two of them.

"Is there something you needed, Tesra-san?" Orihime was the first to break the strained mood.

"I need to do Matsumoto-san's shopping and I was just wondering if you wanted to come along," he admitted sheepishly.

Tatsuki looked about to decline, but Orihime smirked and cut her off.

"Go ahead. Don't hold back on my account. I can make it home without a problem!" Orihime winked at her.

"Could you be any less subtle?" Tatsuki drawled with a raised eyebrow.

Orihime just giggled.

Tatsuki sighed.

"I would be happy to go with you," Tatsuki said to Tesra. "Let me get a cloak and a basket. It's chilly out there."

He nodded and there was definitely a little bit of a sparkle in those eyes as he watched her grab her things.

"_You may not love him yet, but I can see he__'__s clearly falling for you,__"_Orihime thought to herself. _"__I hope I__'__m there to see your face, Tatsuki-chan, when you realize it as well.__"_

Everyone else had managed to find someone; it was only fair that Tatsuki had attached herself to someone as well, and Orihime could not think of anyone better than Tesra to take her hand.

Granted, the number of people they knew here was limited, and of those that they did know, most were taken, female or definitely not worth it. So yes, Orihime had to concede that even without six things Tatsuki could name about him, Tesra was, by far, the most eligible marriage candidate around.

(POV)

Karin stood in place while Grimmjow explained to the two girls what he expected from them. Ajuga wore a pair of gloves that Szayel had crafted specifically for her, made to cover her hands so that she wouldn't need to worry about her claws harming Hana.

It never ceased to amaze Karin how quickly Ajuga grew. For a two-year-old, she was already almost the equivalent of a human of four. Hana was still larger and heavier, but Karin wondered how much longer that would last and if Ajuga wouldn't out-age Hana soon.

Both girls listened to their instructor as he explained the move they were going to be learning. It was a simple parry; stepping to the side to avoid a punch and grabbing the opponent's wrist to use their momentum against them.

Karin couldn't help the inward smirk as she recalled using that move against Nnoitra. Grimmjow seemed done with the explanation and took his place across from her. Karin fell into the defensive stance he had beaten into her years ago.

They moved slowly so the girls could follow. He lashed out at her and she side stepped, grabbing his wrist with one hand and using his own momentum to send him past her. She could have kneed him in the gut on the way by, or even swiped his feet out from under him, but that was for another lesson. The basics first and then they would teach the girls to expand upon it.

"That was awesome, Karin-obachan," Hana cheered.

Ajuga agreed, ears pricked forward and tail moving from side to side in excitement.

"The best thing about this style of fighting is it will let you beat an opponent stronger than you," Karin commented.

"Really?" Ajuga asked sceptically, head cocked to the side.

"It's all about centrifugal force," Hana explained. "An object in motion tends to stay in motion, and this move utilizes that basic principle."

"A little heavy for an eight-year-old, but that's correct," Karin agreed.

"It's just math," Hana shrugged.

"It's one thing to doodle on a piece of paper; it's another to apply it to a real situation. Now, get into position!" Grimmjow ordered, blue brows drawn into a severe expression.

Both girls fell into the defensive stance that they had learned earlier in the day.

"Hana, you attack! Ajuga, you defend!" he barked the instruction.

Nodding, Hana threw a rather pathetic punch. Ajuga side stepped and did manage to grab her wrist, but it was not a good grasp and the two girls got tangled up as Ajuga lost her footing.

Karin couldn't help but to chuckle. Grimmjow scowled and the two girls apologized to each other while trying to stand back up and reset their stances.

"Was I that bad?" Karin asked her mate out of the side of her mouth.

Grimmjow paused, and shook his head at her question.

"No. But you were older and understood better" he answered. "Ajuga is also still not accustomed to standing on two legs," he grunted.

It was true. Ajuga was far more comfortable running about on all fours and looked unhappy standing on two legs. Grimmjow assured her Ajuga would grow out of running about on all fours when she got older and her legs outgrew the length of her arms.

"Reset and again," he repeated the command.

The two girls stood across from each other once again. An hour later and the two girls seemed to have the basics down. It was still a bit sloppy, but training would see them eventually get the move right.

"Alright, away with you," Grimmjow waved them off.

The two girls bolted off to find Lilinette. Karin chuckled as she watched them run off, happy to escape the lessons. She stretched and prepared to head to the kitchen to start on dinner.

"Where do you think you are going?" Grimmjow demanded.

"To make dinner," Karin said, as if talking to one of the children.

"Who said training was over? I sent the girls off, not _you_…" he smirked at her.

"Oh really?" she asked, crossing her arms. "And this has nothing to do with the fourteen different times you groped me while showing the girls how to do the move?"

"No," he denied. "And it was fifteen times," he corrected.

"Of course, how silly of me to have miscounted," she said sarcastically.

Despite her grumbling, Karin did fall into a defensive stance as he took his place across from her. He fell into his stance and gave a nod of his head, indicating the match had started.

Karin decided to end this quickly with a new trick she had learned last training session. She shrugged her shoulders and smirked as her top fell off, revealing her breasts. Grimmjow looked at her in shock and she took that moment of hesitation to wrap the strongest binding she could on him while leaping forward, knocking him to the ground and pinning him with her own body, breasts pushed up against his face.

"I win," she declared.

He laughed and broke through the binding with an ease that always left her in a bit of surprise. He wrapped his arms around her and rolled them over until he was on top.

"That was a dirty trick," he accused.

"All is fair in love and war, no?" she questioned as her hands started to undo the ties to his hakama.

"Fuck yeah," he agreed.

"Language," she glared at him and slugged him in the upper arm, hard enough to ensure he felt it.

He cursed lightly and she took the slight moment of distraction to roll them over so she was on top once more. With the belt finally loosened she pulled his hakama down to his knees before working on her own belt.

He made himself more comfortable on the grass under her and watched with a lecherous grin as she got her own belt untied and pushed her own hakama past her knees. She brushed his jacked off of his shoulders and ran her hands over his chiselled chest, sighing in appreciation at the muscles under her fingers.

"You gonna fuck me or what?" Grimmjow demanded after five minutes of her just admiring his body.

"Language!" she admonished again, reaching down and giving him a squeeze that had him gasping in pleasure and trying to trust into her hands.

"Sorry, you are just so damn hot," he growled lustfully.

She loved the sound of his voice when hormones started to rule his body. It sent a shiver up her spine and heat to her groin. She positioned herself before slowly sinking down onto him, sighing in bliss as he filled her.

Both let out a moan of pleasure as Karin adjusted before she started to ride him, hands snaking out to assault his nipples while he used his hands to grasp her hips and steady her.

The sound of their passionate lovemaking filled the training field before Grimmjow suddenly yowled as Karin's walls clamped around him, milking him for all he was worth. She let out a loud gasp of her own as his hot seed filled her.

They panted in sexual gratification before slowly untangling their limbs and pulling their respective hakama back up.

"So… dinner," Grimmjow finally broke the silence some time later.

"Shit," Karin bolted upright and cursed, darting into the house with a pause to snatch her top.

He remained flat on his back, chuckling in satisfaction.

"Language… my ass," he murmured, stretching out on the grass in the pale winter sunshine and letting his eyes drift closed.

He rested in pleasure for some time before it was interrupted by a bundle of energy that suddenly landed on his chest, earning a surprised 'oomph' out of him and causing him to bolt upright in surprise to glare at his errant offspring.

"Got ya Papa," Ajuga cheered happily.

"So ya did," he offered her a pleased smirk.

"Mama said supper was ready. Come on," She jumped off of his chest and darted several feet away before turning to look back at him expectantly.

"I am coming," he assured her, rolling onto his shoulders before flipping up to land on his feet.

Ajuga cheered at the display and he let his smirk widen at her excitement over his own physical prowess as he walked up to her. Once he was almost to her side she darted away again, heading towards the communal Dinning Room where the rest of the Estate was already starting to arrive


	55. Szayel's Thoery

Szayel's Thoery

"The results have once again come back negative. Unohana-taichou has decided to switch the hormonal medication to better suit my body's needs," Nemu reported, eyes downcast.

Szayel listened with half an ear. He hadn't partaken of Nemu lately due to his body's regression to that of a youth, followed by the rather humiliating spanking from Karin and, to top it off, the violent rape and torture Aizen had forced him to endure.

Sex was the furthest thing from his mind and something he simply did not feel up to dealing with at the moment, and yet of late, he'd been bombarded with it from all sides in the course of his duties. From Yammy's ridiculous request to splice his and his pets DNA together in a provided egg, something Karin had forbidden him from doing as it was clear Byakuya did not desire such a thing and thus tying his hands, to trying to get an increasingly depressed Nemu pregnant to learning that Orihime had somehow managed to conceive, Szayel was surrounded on all sides by reproduction in all its forms. Was it something in the water, he wondered? One would think it was spring come early, he thought irritably.

Granted, he had to admit the last one definitely had his attention. If he recalled, the last human woman here was also now in a sexual relationship. He would have to speak to her Master about trying to impregnate her as well, for it seemed that the innate human ability to 'breed like rabbits' was hardly hampered by the fact their male partners were not human.

Szayel almost regretted the fact the Quincy boy hadn't survived the War. He was curious to see if a human male would stand a higher chance of impregnating a female Arrancar. If human DNA proved to be the key factor in successful conception, he might be able to work with that to increase the fertility rates in both Arrancar and Shinigami.

Kami would reward him handsomely if he was responsible for finding a way to get his wife to finally conceive. Not to mention a large portion of the Arrancar population would be in his debt. Once word of Orihime's pregnancy spread, he had no doubt that rumours about successfully mating with human women would skyrocket.

Of course, there were bound to be a few snags. The majority of the human race, female or otherwise, would simply be crushed under the weight of an Arrancar's reiatsu during intercourse. Few had the fortitude to keep it under proper control on a regular basis, let alone during an emotional encounter.

"Have we set an appointment up for Orihime's first visit?" Szayel asked.

"Hai, Szayel-sama. Monday at noon," Nemu reported.

"Good. And the other human woman," he tried to recall her name and failed.

"Tatsuki-san," Nemu provided.

"Her Master is?"

"Tesra Lindocruz-san," Nemu answered.

"Ah, Nnoitra's fraccion. Let him know that I wish to speak to him tomorrow."

"Hai, Szayel-sama."

He turned his attention to his computer, pulling up the blank forms and opening new data file entries for his latest projects. It was definitely going to be interesting to see how Orihime and Ulquiorra's child would turn out.

He felt that giddy feeling bubble in his chest, something he hadn't felt since learning of Karin's pregnancy. Szayel had a feeling Orihime's pregnancy would last longer, and as such, work as a much better case study. Karin had quickly flown through hers and he hadn't had much time to study the various phases of the development of an Arrancar-human hybrid.

He didn't even notice Nemu leaving on her assigned tasks as he set up everything he would need to begin testing on Monday. He was going to have to be a bit more careful with Orihime than he had been with Karin.

Grimmjow might have been the more 'emotional' one during Karin-sama's pregnancy, but when it came to Orihime's wellbeing, Ulquiorra was the one he would have to keep an eye out for. If it was one thing he was going to make certain of, it was that there were enough safety precautions in place when the time came for the girl to deliver. Ulquiorra would rip his heart out before Szayel or Nemu even noticed that the Fourth Espada was upset. Such was Ulquiorra's stoic nature; there were no warning signs with Ulquiorra, just a sudden outburst of emotion followed by obliteration.

Despite his excitement over the case, Szayel shivered and vowed to ask Karin if she could ask that Stark _and_ Lilinette could be present in the delivery room. Perhaps he should also order more painkillers, if not for Orihime, then for the delivery room staff. He had a feeling that all involved would need them…

(POV)

The shopping experience had been a rather pleasant one and she found herself actually interested as they went from stall to stall. Unlike most of the Arrancar, Tesra's mask fragments could easily be mistaken as a simple head piece. As such, if he hadn't been wearing his Arrancar uniform he would have easily passed as just another soul.

Tatsuki noted the shop keepers didn't seem the least bit afraid of Tesra as she had noticed they were with several of the other Arrancar. She attributed half of it to his extremely human appearance and the other half to his demure attitude. He was always polite and she noticed several of the shop keepers were more than happy to share a casual conversation with him. Some even sent her a few sly winks, which left them both blushing and feeling slightly awkward.

They were just gathering up the last items on Rangiku's list when Tatsuki noticed the strange woman approaching them. Her dark braid fell to the middle of her back and her yukata had what seemed to be a scandalously short skirt. Tesra finally seemed to notice the woman approaching them. Tatsuki vaguely recalled her, having seen her around, but didn't quite know who she was.

"Nemu-san," Tesra acknowledged her.

"Tesra-san, Tatsuki-san," Nemu greeted them. "Szayel-sama requests to speak with you tomorrow," she said in that odd, understated way of hers, as if relaying a message, or in this case, an order.

"About what?" Tatsuki asked apprehensively.

"He did not denote a subject to me, but giving the context of the conversation at the time, I believe he is interested in an apparent higher fertility rate among human females."

Tesra blanched slightly while Tatsuki wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh or kill the pink haired freak. She had already made it clear to Tesra that she didn't mind sharing his bed, but she had no plans on getting pregnant.

"You may inform Szayel-sama I will see him tomorrow about his requests," Tesra finally said politely.

Nemu bowed and said a quiet farewell before turning and departing the way she came.

"My earlier statement stands," Tatsuki commented, casting Tesra a sidelong look.

"I understand, but I cannot ignore a summon from an Espada."

She nodded in reluctant agreement. There was now an awkward silence between them as they gathered the bags and headed back to Nnoitra and Rangiku's place. The former wasn't home yet and the later was in the kitchen getting supper ready.

Rangiku still wore the simple yukata and chain linked anklet while home. Tatsuki had a feeling that no matter what happened between the two of them Nnoitra would never let those two little fetishes of his go. Knowing Rangiku as she did, especially now that the older woman had come to train with them, Tatsuki couldn't help but wonder how she was still sane after being imprisoned in the house for so long.

Haineko, however, was nearby and Rangiku now had permission to remove the chain attached to her ankle and change into the provided white uniform during an attack, at which point she was to immediately find her Master and stay by his side.

"We are back," Tatsuki called.

"Awesome. Did you get that oyster sauce I asked for?"

"Right here," Tatsuki handed it over after digging it out of the bag.

"Perfect, thanks. How was shopping?"

"It was interesting. Orihime-chan did get her test results back from the 4th Division confirming she is pregnant."

"That's excellent news," Rangiku exclaimed happily. "Not that any of us doubted. Between Karin-chan's ability to see reiatsu and Orihime-chan's abilities, the chance of error is pretty marginal."

"I can't argue with that," Tatsuki agreed.

"Oh, Tesra, the bathroom sink is leaking again. Can you look into it?" Rangiku requested.

"Of course," he answered. Tesra headed to the bathroom as soon as the last bag was brought in, leaving the two women alone in the kitchen for some girl talk. Tatsuki put the groceries away while Rangiku worked on finishing dinner.

Nnoitra definitely didn't seem to mind her presence. Of late, she and Tesra found themselves staying for dinner, usually leaving an hour afterwards. Neither of them knew why, but neither of them was going to argue with the arrangement.

"There was one thing that happened today," Tatsuki finally admitted after most of the groceries were put in their rightful place.

"What might that be?" Rangiku asked concern, her woman's intuition picking up the shift in Tatsuki's voice.

"How much power does an Espada have over another's fraccion?" she asked worriedly.

"I am not really sure, but I am pretty sure it depends on the Espada and what the request is. Why?" Rangiku asked with a frown.

"Earlier today Nemu-san approached Tesra and informed him that Szayel wanted to talk to him. She said, that he might be interested in the higher fertility rate we human women seem to have."

"I think I understand. First Karin-chan and now Orihime-chan have both conceived, yet so far there have been no other known cross-race pregnancies. You fear he may try to get you pregnant next," Rangiku guessed correctly.

"I don't think it's a fear, I think it's a fact," Tatsuki sighed.

"Well, from what little I know, unless Aizen-kami or Nnoitra-sama ordered Tesra to do so, the only thing Szayel can do is run some basic fertility tests and request Tesra's assistance on the project."

"Great," Tatsuki sighed in frustration. "I do believe that Nnoitra and Szayel are actually on good terms with each other. I don't doubt Szayel could convince Nnoitra to get Tesra to agree to Szayel's requests."

"I see," Rangiku turned her attention to the younger woman, concern on her face.

"I am not ready for kids and I made that clear to Tesra already," Tatsuki continued.

Rangiku sighed, and then turned her gray eyes to the younger woman.

"I really don't want to be the one to play devil's advocate, but by Hollow Law Tesra owns you and if he wants to impregnate you there really isn't anything you can do about it," she pointed out softly, a hand going to her own stomach.

"There have been no successful breeding between Shinigami and Hollow yet, but both species have a low fertility rate in the first place, so that fact really isn't too surprising". Rangiku finished, giving the beef a half-hearted stir.

"I am pretty sure Tesra has more respect for me than that," Tatsuki said, as if trying to reassure herself, but she felt that little bit of apprehension grow.

If Nnoitra ordered it, she knew Tesra would obey that order. He might not like it, but he would obey. He was a follower who worshiped the very dirt Nnoitra walked upon, Kami only knew why. Tatsuki found herself fretting over what could happen should such an order come.

She had honestly never considered such a thing a possibility when she had requested the Claim. Granted, there was no telling if things would have turned out better had she stayed with Ulquiorra. There had been a fair number of battles lately and the chance of being forcefully Claimed was higher than not had she decided on the latter.

Also there was the chance that Szayel would have talked to Ulquiorra instead of Tesra and there was no telling what Ulquiorra would have done. She would like to think that he would have told Szayel no, but there was no telling with the Fourth. His concern was with Orihime, not her.

"Well, if you are done day-maring over events that are out of your control, can I sucker you into setting the table?" Rangiku asked, offering a half smile in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Tatsuki did her best to snap out of her funk, and gave the older woman a smile in return before reaching for the bowls and plates.

"Yeah, sure," she answered, setting the table.

Later that night she stared at herself in the mirror while getting ready for bed. She groaned in frustration and splashed cold water all over her face to try and clear her brain.

"_This is silly, I am fretting over assumptions. For all we know, Szayel might need Tesra for something completely unrelated.__"_

She tried to console herself. Still, the young woman couldn't help but feel afraid. If it was one thing Arisawa Tatsuki most definitely wasn't, it was a coward. She left the bathroom with another shake of her head and crawled into bed.

Tesra hadn't arrived yet so she settled in on her side of the futon. She could hear the shower running. Odd, since he didn't often shower at night. He hated going to bed with wet hair.

"_Perhaps the conversation bothered him more than I realized,__"_Tatsuki thought with a frown, and closed her eyes.

(POV)

Things were no better on the other side of the door. The conversation had bothered Tesra a hell of a lot. It had taken him seconds to fix the bathroom sink. It wasn't hard to tighten a lose bolt after all. As such, he had listened to the conversation Matsumoto and Tatsuki had shared in the kitchen.

What was it with women and kitchens? Did all of their intimate conversations have to occur in a space where anyone with business in the house was likely to eventually end up? Tesra wondered if he ought to sew some bells to his regular uniform, just to let people know via the noise they made that someone might actually be there and might be listening. Then again, one of his better skills was stealth. How else would he have found out that the woman he'd Claimed could think of at least six merits he possessed?

His forehead hit the tile in front of him, water dripping from his shower-drenched hair.

Tesra felt himself torn. He would do anything Nnoitra asked of him, but could he bring himself to force himself upon the woman? She had come to him, trusted in him. Could he betray that trust? The thought of raping a woman made him feel physically ill.

Yes, technically in the world of Hollows he owned her now and as such could do with her as he pleased. But he knew if he upset her to the point Orihime found out about it, she would complain to Ulquiorra and part of the agreement of being permitted to Claim her was that she would remain 'happy.'

She would definitely not be happy if he tried to force her to bear him a child. It wasn't as if he was in a rush anyway and she had already told him that in a few years she might be willing. That she'd made that offer at all still stunned him, that he had Claimed a female who might give serious consideration to bearing him a child of his own was something he didn't want to jeopardize by having force enter into the equation. A child was something he'd never contemplated for himself. Of course, circumstances had changed drastically, but he'd always been practical as well, and practicality dictated a different path for the moment.

A child would just get in the way of serving Nnoitra-sama and with the constant threat of attack the last thing he wanted to fret about was whether or not his child was safe. How Grimmjow was able to stand it was beyond him, but then Grimmjow was an Espada, his mate was a powerful woman, and his daughter apparently already showed signs of being an exceptional fighter. Could he still serve Nnoitra adequately and protect a family of his own?

This was getting him nowhere and the hot shower that was supposed to be relaxing his taunt muscles wasn't working.

"_Perhaps I am over thinking things. We still don__'__t even know what Szayel-sama wants. He could just want to inform me about Orihime-san__'__s condition. He does know that Tatsuki is charged to take care of her, and thus by extension, myself as well.__"_

That thought seemed to actually make sense and eased his worry a bit. Feeling better, he turned the shower off and stepped out, drying himself off with the towel that he had placed beforehand.

Clothes and towel made their way into the appropriate hampers before he headed to his room. Tatsuki was already in bed but he could tell she wasn't sleeping. He was still honestly surprised she was willing to share his bed. After all, that hadn't been part of the deal but rather something she had offered on her own.

He crawled under the covers and they lay together in the dark, staring up at the ceiling. He hated awkward silences, but he wasn't sure how to break it without upsetting her.

"You can come with me to meet with Szayel-sama tomorrow if you want," he finally said.

"I would like that, thank you," she responded, and he knew from the tone of her voice that he'd said the right thing.

Tesra swore she also relaxed slightly. He shifted to his side and tried to get some sleep, feeling slightly better. He felt and heard her shift as well and nearly jumped out of his Hierro-enhanced skin when her arm snaked around his waist and her body came flush up against his back.

He turned to look at her over his shoulder, surprised she even wanted anything to do with him after the day's events. Not that any of it was his fault, but women were not often known for rational thinking.

She was smiling softly at him and simply nestled against him more comfortably.

"You know, everything I told Orihime-chan earlier today was true," she whispered into his ear.

He blushed. Compliments were not something he was accustomed to receiving. Nnoitra sure as hell never gave him any, and he'd given up ever receiving any from the one he served. It seemed so odd that someone would find so many things about him to admire, as they were the sort of things that were simply a part of who he was.

"Good night, Tesra," she mumbled.

"Good night, Tatsuki," he replied, moving his own hand up to cover the one over his stomach.

She remained curled up against his back, one arm draped over him, as she drifted off to sleep


	56. Seated

Seated

Karin sighed in relief that the latest battle was finally over. It had been going on for several hours now. The Swarm continued to raid the city weekly, in ever-increasing numbers. So far, no one had been able to track down their base of operations, find where the creatures came from, or how they were able to even enter Soul Society.

Szayel had sent Nemu out to scan the lake, but so far there had been no luck. Either the portals showed up randomly or the things had established a base somewhere in Soul Society. Yet there was no overt sign of it anywhere.

Karin tracked Grimmjow's reiatsu as he approached her from his end of the battle. She could feel his emotions and reiatsu surging and held back a sigh. She honestly swore he just used the battles as an excuse to get into her hakama.

Today he would have to wait though. This had been the largest assault to date and the number of wounded and dying where phenomenal. Karin moved quickly to the nearest screaming man, noting the large slash in his gut and instantly went about returning his organs to his body.

Today was definitely going to be a long day. She hoped Szayel okay being saddled with the kids. They were becoming quite a handful and he had his own duties to perform.

The biggest group of casualties came from the Shinigami population, who lacked the much stronger Heirro the Arrancar possessed. While the Divisions were not decimated, they were not faring well either.

(POV)

"…as such I am now missing my top four seated officers with no good candidates to replace them," Nanao finished her report with a sigh.

Unfortunately, the higher the seat, the more likely it was to see combat, and none of these fresh recruits were accustom to fighting.

Aizen frowned at the report and there was a definite tension in the air. True, now that everyone had their Zanpakuto back, the field was better controlled. However, the size of the Swarm that had come at them today covered the field in black with their numbers.

Nanao hated to think what would have happened had they not had the devastating effects of zanpakuto like Senbonzakura to slice up the Swarm. This time they might have been overrun without it.

Karin had definitely been an asset, as had Tatsuki and Orihime. Nanao had to admit she had been surprised to see the human women on the battle field, and doing rather well at that.

"_If only there were more where they came from,__"_she inwardly wished.

Jushiro seemed to be following her line of thought, for he was the one who dared to offer a suggestion to the dilemma.

"Aizen-kami," Jushiro spoke up, drawing the attention to him, "do the noble families still have their own personal guards?" he questioned.

"They do," Aizen answered.

"Perhaps we might find suitable replacement amongst their guards," he suggested.

"They may be decent fighters, but they are not Shinigami," Toshiro objected.

"Neither are Karin, Orihime and Tatsuki, but they have been leaving their marks on the battle field when they participate," Nanao commended. "As have the militia groups we have stationed on the walls," she added.

"This isn't a fight about strength; it is a fight about numbers," Jushiro continued, "as well as coordination. Did Szayel-sama not say he believed the Swarm has a hive mind?"

"He did come to that conclusion," Aizen informed them. "I will inform the Noble Houses they will be giving up their personal guards. You are dismissed." With that, Aizen stood up and left.

Nanao walked back home beside Jushiro with a great amount of depression. There was no one to take her Fukutaichou position, and hadn't been for a very long time. The stress of running the division alone was starting to get to her.

At least when she had been running the 8th Division, there had been a collection of seasoned seated officers to assist her. Now, she was pretty much alone. There was no one trained enough to help her, and no one with enough experience to keep up with the paperwork, let alone handle training exercises.

"I wish I could afford to transfer someone over to assist you, Nanao-san, but I am afraid I am still short a Fukutaichou of my own and the few seated officers I have left, I need," Jushiro sighed.

"I know," Nanao sighed. "If only I could find even one person to take over the training so I could catch up on the administrative work. Fighting was never my strongest suit," she admitted.

They walked in silence for several minutes.

"Just someone to train the troops?" Jushiro asked.

"Please tell me you have an idea?" Nanao asked hopefully.

"I think so," he smiled reassuringly at her. "And I think you'll like this one."

(POV)

"Run this past me again, because I am not sure I understood you the first time,"

"I want you to take the position as my Fukutaichou. You won't need to do any of the division work, just train the troops and get them into fighting formation. It shouldn't be much different than your old role as team Taichou," Nanao explained.

Karin just continued to stare at her in utter astonishment. Clearly there must be something in her ear because she was damn sure she didn't just hear Nanao ask her to take up the position of a Fukutaichou

"But I am not a Shinigami," she protested. "I have never gone to your school and I have the children to care for," she pointed out.

"The schooling doesn't matter so much. You can already cast more Kido spells flawlessly than the majority of the population. The school teaches combat against Hollows, and these things we are at war with are nothing like Hollows," Nanao countered.

"True enough," Karin conceded, "but my sword work is extremely lacking and most of you use swords."

"They need teamwork and coordination more than they need sword work. I know you can do that," Nanao assured her.

"And the children?"

"I thought you had a babysitter already," Nanao smiled.

"Despite how much fun it is to torture him, Szayel does have a job to do," Karin sighed, _"not to mention that Aizen,"_ she mentally spat the name, _"seems to enjoy finding _any_ fault with him and using it as an excuse to torture him,"_ she thought bitterly.

"What about Hana-chan's sensei?" Nanao suggested.

"That might work. Let me think about it and talk to Grimmjow first. Ultimately, it is his decision," Karin sighed in defeat.

"Has he ever said no to you before?" Nanao asked with a raised eyebrow.

"He's denied my requests on several occasions. The real question is whether I listened or not. This is something big though. I'll get back to you later about it," Karin promised.

Truthfully, the thought of commanding a unit was something Karin felt good about. It was something she hadn't even realized she could do until Nanao brought it up.

Her true worry was that they wouldn't listen to her. She wasn't a Shinigami. She hadn't fought her way up their ranks to earn their respect. They had no idea who she was. She most definitely wouldn't feel comfortable wearing their uniform.

"What's got your tail in a knot?" Grimmjow demanded as she walked into the garden he was currently training Hana and Ajuga in.

"Are you almost done here?" she asked.

"I think so," he admitted, looking at her oddly before turning his attention back to the two floundering girls.

Karin suspected that Hana would be much better off with Kido like her mother. Ajuga was starting to get the hang of walking on two legs and the grace she inherited from her father was slowly starting to come to the fore.

"Alright brats! That's enough embarrassing yourselves for one day. Go pester Lilinette and Starrk," he ordered.

"Hai," both girls saluted smartly and bolted, wild grins on their faces.

"You had to send them after Starrk-san?" she questioned.

"Sleeping all day isn't healthy," he grunted.

"I am sure Starrk would disagree," she sighed.

"Kids are gone, out with it," he commanded. "Or is it a different kind of frustration you need me to alleviate?" he questioned with a lecherous smirk.

"No, it is not that kind of frustration," she glared at him.

"But it could be," he stalked up to her.

"No, it isn't. For Kami's sake, we just had some after the battle…" she pointed out in exasperation. Men! Was sex seriously the only thing ever on their brains? She swore it was, other than possibly fighting.

"That was four hours ago," he purred into her ear, coming up behind her to pull her into his embrace.

"Insatiable," she groused.

"Only when it comes to you," he growled lustfully and rubbed himself against her body.

She slapped his hands, causing him to groan and rub more strongly against her body.

"For the love of…! Can you take this seriously for a few seconds?" she demanded in frustration, pulling free from his grasp.

Ever since the battles had started and Ajuga had gotten older he had once more become a rather horny panther. Half of her wondered if he did it just to annoy her and the other half wondered if his breeding instinct wasn't kicking in now that Ajuga was old enough to 'leave the nest.' She settled on a bit of both.

Either way, it was becoming a bother. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy having sex with him. _That_ was great, but there was more to life then sex and fighting. Granted that was human thinking. Perhaps to a Hollow there was little more to life than that, other then maybe eating?

"What is bothering you?" he finally demanded.

"Nanao-san just asked me if I would be willing to step in as her Fukutaichou to train her division how to not end up as bug food," she snapped in irritation.

The look on his face made him look like he had swallowed a frog or something, but at least the lechery seemed to have dulled down a bit. It was a look that at least curbed her irritation with him slightly.

"You want to become a Shinigami?" he questioned with disgust.

"Hardly," she rolled her eyes at him, "but it would be nice to get to boss some kids around," she offered, knowing he would understand that at least.

His answering smirk let her know she was right, he understood the bossing others around part just fine.

"You want to?" he asked apprehensively.

She frowned. She felt rather uncomfortable with the idea, but it also gave her bit of a giddy feeling. It would be nice to be doing something with her time other than hanging about the estate, unless there was a battle going on or Sunday's Training.

It also wasn't that she didn't enjoy spending time with her daughter, but Ajuga was starting to become independent and it was long past time for her to find a hobby of her own. Besides, this way she would at least be doing something for the war effort.

"I would be nice to actually do something other than sit here all day. Cleaning the Estate has long since become boring. How the hell did Nanao-san not go insane?" she grouched.

"She isn't the warrior you are," he pointed out.

"Maybe," she conceded.

"Anyhow, do what you want. But if you do decide to go play with those pathetic Shinigami, there is one thing I demand."

"What, more sex?" she asked, crossing her arms in irritation.

"Tempting, but no," he leaned in closer and nuzzled her neck before whispering his demand in her ear.

"That's it?" she asked shocked.

"Well, I will take more sex as well," he smirked at her.

"You are impossible," she pushed away from him, but couldn't help the smile on her face. "But I can agree to that demand."

"Good, how about right now?" he purred and pulled her back into his embrace with a smirk.

"Not that agreement," she groaned, but relaxed into his embrace anyhow as he started to nuzzle her neck. "You are _such_ a spoiled house cat."

"I am not a house cat!" he growled.

"Of course not," she said in a very fake, placating voice.

His growl deepened and his hands worked their way under her shirt.

"I believe this belongs to you," Starrk's rather bored voice interrupted them before Grimmjow could take it any further.

Both turned to see the Espada holding Ajuga by the scruff of the neck. Ajuga looked more pleased with herself than abashed. Karin hardly noticed her daughter though; she couldn't stop staring at Starrk in shock.

Somehow the girls had apparently found a make-up kit, no doubt compliments of Lilinette, and had gone wild. His hair was done up in various braids tied off with pink and yellow ribbons. His cheeks were so red with blush he might as well have been sunburnt. Bright green eye shadow covers his lids and Karin wondered where in seven hells the girls had found nail polish and lipstick in such a striking shade of pink. Even more so, she wondered how the girls had managed to do that much damage in so short a time.

Grimmjow was the first to recover and broke down clutching at his sides, doubled over laughing. Karin tried to give her daughter a stern look but failed in light of what Starrk now looked like. She settled for putting her hands in front of her mouth to stifle the smile that threatened to spring out before she could stuff it back down where it belonged.

"Ajuga Jaegerjaquez," Karin said firmly in that voice only a mother could pull, the same voice that had sent Szayel trembling when she had giving him a spanking.

Now her daughter did start to look pathetic, as only a child who knew they were in trouble could do. Unlike Szayel, Ajuga knew how to do the 'puppy dog look' flawlessly. Fortunately, being a mother and not at all 'girly,' Karin was immune to the effects.

"What do you say?" Karin demand, giving her mate a kick in the leg as a warning to try and get his laughter under control.

He succeeded somewhat.

"We should have used blue nail paint?" Ajuga answered her question innocently.

Grimmjow broke back down again at Ajuga's response. Karin stared at her daughter and then her mate in disbelief.

"I am sure you will find it funny when she and Hana-chan decide _your_ face would make a good work station," Karin growled at him.

That certainly seemed to sober her mate up.

"Apologize at once, and then it will be straight to bed with you, missy," Karin scowled at her daughter.

"Without dinner?" Ajuga looked at her horrified.

"Yes. Apologize… Now!" Karin snapped.

Ajuga peeked up at Starrk, who was still holding her up by the scruff of the neck.

"Sorry, Starrk-ji," she muttered abashed.

"And?" Karin urged, giving her child what she hoped was a dirty enough look to drive her point home.

"We won't do it again," Ajuga added meekly.

"I hope not," Starrk set her down gently.

"Bed, now," Karin ordered sternly.

With her tail literally tucked between her legs, Ajuga trudged out of the garden and towards her room. Karin kept an 'eye' on her to make sure she made it to her destination.

"It is just too pathetic," Grimmjow laughed, holding his sides.

"Enough out of you," Karin growled at him, displeased he was doing NOTHING to help her discipline their daughter other than laugh. "I am sorry Starrk-san," she said contritely.

"Don't be," Grimmjow added. "If he really wanted to stop the brats they would never find him. Besides, we all know Lilinette put them up to it."

"No, you put them up to it," she pointed out, crossing her arms and glaring at him.

"I have dealt with Lilinette. If you will excuse me, a shower sounds better and better by the minute" Starrk sighed, and retreated.

"Now that it is just the two of us," Grimmjow smirked at her.

"A pity I can't send YOU to bed without dinner," she growled.

"I am sure you could find a way," he moved up to her.

"One that didn't involve sex?" she questioned.

"Let's not push it."

"Wrong answer," Karin snapped as she stomped off.

"Oi," Grimmjow called after her, confusion evident in his voice.

"At least one of us needs to be a good parent," she snapped at him in irritation. "And right now Ajuga-chan needs to learn to respect her elders before my own daughter can wipe the floor with my face," she nearly shouted.

Grimmjow frowned and looked at her in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded.

At that Karin rounded on him, lashing out with a fury that left him with his mouth hanging open. Her eyes blazed at him as she savagely jabbed a finger in the direction their daughter had gone.

"Her claws are already strong enough to punch through YOUR Heirro. She could shred my skin like a wet newspaper. She will no doubt be able to attain some impressive Sonido speeds when she gets old enough and her innate strength is already enough to cause Szayel to squirm," Karin snarled and then turned on her heel marched towards her daughters room. Grimmjow, after a moment of stunned silence, trailed after her.

"So?"

"So what's to stop her from ignoring me the moment she figures out she is stronger than me?" Karin demanded over her shoulder.

Grimmjow blinked at her in surprise.

"Would you listen to someone weaker than you?" Karin questioned.

"I listen to you," he pointed out.

She stopped her march and turned to offer him a raised eye.

"When it suits me," he added with a grumble.

Karin sighed in frustration, grinding the heel of her hand into her forehead as if she suddenly had a raging headache.

"Ajuga-chan is very much your daughter. If you do not follow a person weaker than you, she sure as hell won't either. This isn't the wild anymore, this is civilization. I will not have my daughter running amok simply because she refuses to acknowledge anyone she perceives as weaker. Right now, that is a huge portion of the population of the Seireitei; Orihime-chan and Tatsuki-chan for example.

"A child needs discipline and now is the time to teach her wrong from right. By letting her continue to assault Starrk-san like this, she is learning to disrespect her elders and that she can get away with anything she wants without repercussions."

"But…" he tried to interject.

Karin reached out and grabbed the sleeve of his jacket, drawing him closer so that he didn't need the use the Claim between them to feel the desperation underlying the anger in her next words.

"Starrk has tolerated the girls' actions so far, but there will come a time when he decides he's done with putting up with their pranks. Moreover, what happens when they decide to do something to someone else, someone like Yammy or Nnoitra? Do you think they'll put up with something like today without doing something to our daughter or to _us_ for allowing her to run rampant? And those two aren't the most powerful people around to potentially piss off…"

The name she _really_ wanted to say remained unspoken, but hung in the silence between them, Karin's dark eyes boring up into her mate's blue ones, daring him to deny what she spoke was true. Grimmjow's frown deepened as he considered her statement. When he failed to say anything, she snorted and brushed past him on her way to Ajuga's room.

"Karin," Grimmjow called out, his tone both conciliatory and serious.

She stopped, letting him catch up, arms folded across her chest and a scowl on her face.

"I'll deal with Ajuga. You go ahead and get something to eat," he offered firmly. "Go start dinner already."

"What?" she asked him in shock.

"Go," he insisted, giving her shoulders a little push back down the hallway. "This is partly my doing. I'll fix it."

Karin frowned at him, but sighed and nodded her head, turning about and heading the other way.

(POV)

Ajuga was definitely pouting when Grimmjow entered her room. She looked up as he entered and he could see the small streaks of dried tears. Obviously she had been crying and was doing her best to hide it as she wiped her eyes.

"Papa?" she questioned as he moved up to her.

Ajuga was curled up in her nest of blankets and pillows and, even without the tear stains, she looked simply pathetic. She was trying to look strong, but the young girl couldn't fool her father.

"Hey brat," he smirked at her as he sat down beside her.

"Is Mama still mad?" she asked.

"Yeah, she is still upset," he acknowledged. _"__Shit, this sounded easier to do in my head,__"_he cursed to himself while he tried in vain to think of a way to explain things to his daughter. "_The things I will do to get laid.__"_

Discipline had always been Karin's forte. What in all of Hueco Mundo made him think he was capable of pulling off something like this? And damn, his daughter was looking up at him with the brightest, bluest eyes he had ever seen; putting his own to shame.

"Did I do bad?" she asked, head bowed in a display of submissiveness.

He sighed. It wasn't really her fault. After all, he had been the one to send her off with the suggestion and Lilinette was not exactly a good role model. Karin was right though; Ajuga was going to have to learn to think for herself and not be a follower.

No daughter of his was going to be a pathetic follower. She would be an Alpha, not some pathetic Omega.

"Look, brat," he started, running a hand through his hair, "your mother is different from us. She doesn't understand some of our instincts…" he explained.

"So, Mama is confused?" she asked, peeking up to look at him.

"Something like that," he agreed.

Ajuga uncurled some more to sit before him. Clearly she expected him to explain everything to her in a way she would understand. This of course was no easy task, given the fact he wasn't human and didn't particularly understand the niceties of human behaviour and society either.

No matter how he looked at it, Ajuga had human blood running in her veins. The double instincts, one set telling her to do one thing and the other set urging her to do the opposite, must be driving the poor girl insane. The problem would only get worse when she hit breeding age.

Grimmjow gave an involuntary shudder at the thought of his daughter as a teenager. Between her Hollow instincts to chase off unwanted suitors and her human instinct to find a mate to breed, it was likely to be a right royal mess, one he would as soon postpone indefinitely.

And his daughter was STILL looking up at him, waiting patiently for him to explain her human mother's thoughts and emotions with a patience that definitely didn't come from him. It was one feature of her mother Grimmjow was beyond pleased his daughter had inherited.

"Do you know why we are Alpha's?" he asked.

"Because we are strong?" Ajuga answered.

"That is a part of it," he agreed. "But it is also because we are smarter, faster, and have presence. An Alpha leads the pack with a strong Beta at his or her side."

"And Mama is a strong Beta, right?" Ajuga chirped up happily, clearly pleased she was following along.

"That's right," he agreed. "An Alpha never takes commands from another unless that other is far stronger than him."

"Like Kami." Ajuga added.

Grimmjow grimaced. He hated being reminded how much stronger Aizen was than himself. The whole situation rubbed him wrong, but the kid had nailed it. He nodded, conceding Ajuga's point. Ajuga seemed pleased she had gotten it right.

"Another time an Alpha will defer to another is when they are on the other's territory."

Ajuga nodded in understanding.

"Right now we are technically on Starrk's territory."

For a moment his daughter sat and thought about this, and then he watched as understanding dawned in her eyes.

"I see," she cried with delight. "Mama was upset because we were pestering Starrk-ji when he didn't want to be pestered. We were disrespecting the Alpha whose lands we are on!"

"That's right," he agreed, surprised and pleased she had caught on so quickly.

Ajuga suddenly looked abashed.

"Why doesn't Starrk-ji stop us then?" she questioned.

Just when he thought he was home free, she just had to ask another question. He sighed and tried to find a way of phrasing things.

"There is a difference between playing and annoying. Starrk likes to play on occasion, and those times he doesn't mind when you play. After all, as a fellow Alpha, it's his job to make sure Hana gets the training she needs since her own father is gone and Starrk took her mother in as an Omega."

"Oh," Ajuga seemed to understand. "So it's like when we play?"

"Exactly," he agreed.

"I think I get it," she frowned. "Is Mama going to stay mad?" she asked nervously.

"Don't worry about your mother, I'll take care of her," he assured her with a confident grin.

"Okay," Ajuga jumped into his lap to hug him, taking him by complete surprise, before crawled into her nest of blankets.

"Night, brat."

"Night Papa," Ajuga called back.

He closed the door behind him and let out a sigh of relief. That had to have been one of the most difficult things he had to ever endure. He felt so exhausted it was almost as if he had gone five rounds with Kurosaki, and all he had done was talk to his daughter.

"_How the hell does Karin do that on a constant basis?__"_he couldn't help but wonder.

Grimmjow shook the thoughts from his head and made his way to the kitchen. Karin had her back to him, stirring whatever was in the wok. It smelled good, that was for sure. Perhaps one of the greatest joys about evolving into an Arrancar was the fact he could appreciate reiatsu infused food again.

Or rather, the plus of living here was the fact one COULD grow food. Hueco Mundo was a barren wasteland, not exactly a place that could easily grow food. The few 'farms' that existed were heavily guarded by the small villages around them, usually backed by a either a Vasto Lorde or an exceptionally powerful Adjuchas on the cusp of evolving.

He finished coming up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling her neck. Karin sighed, but relaxed into his embrace.

"So?" she questioned.

"I think I managed to get her to understand what she did wrong," he reported.

Karin gave another sigh, but this one sounded pleased. She set the spoon down and turned in his grasp to face him before offering him a peck on the cheek and moulding her body to his.

"You want to know a secret?" she whispered huskily into his ear.

"What?" he asked breathlessly.

"A good father is a very sexy thing," she purred.

He definitely got a rise out of_ that_. She grinned and pulled his head in for another kiss and took a step forward away from the heat of the stove. Surprised, and pleased, he took a step back. They continued like this until his back hit the wall.

She broke the kiss off and smiled up at him. He smirked back down and worked his hands up under her shirt to capture a breast, fondling it gently. She worked her hands under his jacket and ran her deft fingers up his back.

Forget the food; the only thing he was hungry for right now was her. He spun them about so she was pinned to the wall. What could he say? He was part cat and he generally hated being pinned down.

He sought her lips with his own and she let loose a soft moan as his other hand trailed under her hakama and gave her firm rear a soft squeeze. Despite her many battles since the invasion and lack of regenerative powers, her skin was still smooth to the touch and scar-free.

It didn't take long to get the fabric out of his way and Karin gasped as he took her against the wall, pouring his reiatsu into her to refresh the Claim, something he hadn't done since the first time.

Karin let out a cry of pleasure and her own reiatsu quickly invaded his body, sending him gasping for breath in pure bliss. He felt his legs weaken and he brought them to the kitchen floor before he lost his ability to stand.

Karin whimpered in pleasure beneath him and rubbed her body against his, trying to make as much skin contact as possible. He moaned himself and tried to sink through her as her reiatsu played over his, stroking it in a way no other woman he had ever taken could.

He felt that edge coming and his thrust became more desperate. Karin returned the favour with as much enthusiasm and the play of her reiatsu over his became more firm and desperate, he would almost say borderline painful.

He silenced the roar that wanted to rip from his throat as he came to completion by burying his fangs in her neck, drinking in their combined reiatsu with a mouthful of her blood.

Karin let out a gasp of pure pleasure as her body convulsed against his, her insides milking him dry and her reiatsu settling comfortably alongside his own. They remained in that position, as if time had briefly frozen around them.

As with all good things, it inevitably came to an end. Slowly and reluctantly he untangled their bodies. Karin was still panting lightly beneath him, a glazed look in her eye before horror suddenly caused them to widen.

"Shit, dinner," she cursed as she shoved him off of her, stumbling as she pulled her hakama back up and rushed to the stove, turning the element off and removing the wok from the heat. "I swear, you are insatiable!" she bitched at him, more irritated at the fact that dinner had burned than anything else.

"You started it," he pointed out, still lounging half-naked on the floor and looking up at her with a pleased, tired smirk.

He was exhausted and felt ready to pass out. Sex with her often left him shattered, and reinforcing a Claim drained that much more out of him. With the quick adrenaline burst over, Karin looked ready to pass out as well, looking ruefully at the blackened mess in the bottom of the wok.

"Forget dinner, let's just go to bed," he suggested.

"Why? So you can molest me again?" she muttered a little sullenly as she dumped the burnt meat and vegetables into the trash and grimaced at the dirty pan.

"Tempting, but you always know just the way to tire me out," Grimmjow smirked exhaustedly up at her. "Leave it, I'll deal with it. You go crawl into bed. After all, you got a big day tomorrow" he pointed out.

Karin sighed in defeat, and reluctantly set the pot of food down before staggering towards their room. He took a moment himself to gather his scattered wits about him before climbing to his feet and putting his clothing back in place.

He piled some of what Karin had made onto a plate before putting the rest away in the fridge. Then, as quietly as he could, he made down the hall to his daughter's room. Ajuga looked up at him in surprise when he entered her room, her eyes quickly darting to the plate of food and her stomach gave a loud gurgle.

"Papa?" she questioned.

"Shhh. Just don't tell your mother," he ordered as he set the plate down on the dresser beside her bed and gave her a conspiratorial wink.

"I won't!" she promised quickly, diving into the plate as if she hadn't eaten in months.

Sending a human child to bed without dinner probably wasn't a big thing since he knew Karin would never deliberately harm her child, but a Hollow child was completely different. Ajuga was still too young to be able to control her hunger for any length of time, despite how patient she was already proving to be. Grimmjow did not want to have to explain to Karin why their daughter had gone on a feeding spree and injured or killed residents of the Seireitei.

There was also the issue of pride. While he was sure one night wouldn't actually be too much for the little girl to handle, like hell anyone in his pack was going hungry when they didn't need to. It was something he wasn't sure Karin would understand, having never felt the insatiable hunger of being a Hollow and growing up with an ample supply of human food. His late, and only occasionally, lamented fraccion had never starved under his leadership. His child certainly wouldn't, he vowed.

Ajuga finished quickly and he gathered up the plate so he could hide the evidence. She crawled back under her blankets and was asleep almost instantly. He couldn't help the soft smile that touched his lips as he watched his daughter's ear twitch in slumber.

Karin was already in bed and breathing deeply by the time he made it to their room and crawled in next to her. He curled up against her and nuzzled her neck, sighing in content at the smell of his scent and the feeling of his reiatsu all over her.

"Mine," he purred sleepily. _My mate, my child, my pack__…_

Karin sighed softly in her sleep and unconsciously snuggled up against him


	57. Fukutaichou

Fukutaichou

Ajuga yawned as she woke up before stretching like a house cat and crawling out of her nest. She bounded out of her room and across the hall to her parents. Both of them seemed to be dead asleep.

Slinking low to the ground, she started to stalk her way over, carefully avoiding the floorboards she knew to be the squeaky ones from trial and error. Finally in position she settled in, getting ready to pounce.

"Don't even think about it," her mother muttered sleepily and yet with that warning tone of voice that all children knew to heed.

Ajuga huffed in annoyance, changed her stance slightly, and launched herself as Karin rolled onto her stomach.

"Bloody hell," Grimmjow growled as Ajuga collided with his now-exposed chest.

"Morning Papa," Ajuga cried happily while Karin just chuckled and shifted so she was facing the rest of her family.

Ajuga sat on her father's chest, staring down at him and positively glowing. She knew his irritation would last only a moment before pride would take over, and she was right. After he wiped the sleep out of his eyes he smirked up at her.

"Good one, brat," he praised her, ruffled Ajuga's hair. "You didn't get past your mother again though, did you?"

"No," she pouted, looking grumpily in her mother's direction.

Karin was already rising out of bed and throwing on a simple yukata.

"_You_ can't even get past me," Karin pointed out to him as she tied the belt.

"That's because _you_ cheat," he countered.

"Indeed," she agreed.

"Hungry mama," Ajuga complained, bounding off of her father's chest to bounce about her feet.

"Yes, I suppose you would be," Karin sighed. "Since I know you haven't had anything to eat since lunch, _right_?"

There was something in her mother's voice Ajuga couldn't identify, and strangely she got the feeling her mother wasn't even talking to her. In fact, her father seemed overly eager to change the subject.

"How about I feed the brat and you go take a shower. You have big day today."

"Indeed," Karin agreed.

Ajuga looked between her parents confused before shrugging her shoulders and bounding across the room to leap into her father's arms before settling on his shoulder. She was starting to get big and she realized she wouldn't be able to perch there much longer. A pity, because the view was always so great from up here.

"Food Papa," she said plaintively.

"Alright, alright, let's feed that hole of yours."

She giggled and settled in as he pulled a yukata on as well and they went to the kitchen.

"Mama knows, doesn't she?" Ajuga asked in a rather loud whisper once they were alone.

"So it would seem," he agreed with a grumble.

"I never say anything," Ajuga quickly defended herself.

"I know brat, I swear she has hidden spies all over this damn place."

"I'll find them," Ajuga promised, bearing her teeth.

"Find what?" Hana asked curiously, spoon poised in midair as they entered the communal kitchen.

"The spies," Ajuga answered, jumping down from her father's shoulder to bound three steeps before landing on one of the chairs.

"There are spies here?" Hana asked confused, looking from father to daughter and back.

"Yep, Mama has them hiding."

"Oh, I see," Hana nodded. "It must be a training test to find them."

Both girls missed their respective representative parents roll their eyes.

"Thank you, Grimmjow-san, for letting me have Karin," Nanao said respectfully and bowed to him.

"She presented a good argument," he grunted before taking his place at the table. "Quite the spread you got going on here," he waved a hand at the fully set up table. Large breakfasts weren't something the household did often.

"Well, I am afraid no one is as good as Yuzu-chan was at this sort of thing, but a promotion is a promotion and I wanted to thank Karin for coming to my rescue," Nanao answered.

"What's a pre-ocean?" Ajuga asked curiously.

"Promotion," Nanao corrected. "It means a rise in one's rank."

"Going from Omega to Beta," Grimmjow explained.

"Oh. Mama is already Beta though, and Papa is still here" Ajuga seemed confused.

Nanao gave Grimmjow an equally confused look, but her father gave a bark of a laugh and pulled out a chair.

"She is going from Omega to Beta in the organization," he explained.

"Oh," Ajuga said in sudden understanding, then smiled with happiness.

"She is going to be the Beta," Nanao stumbled a bit at the strange term, "of my Unit that helps defend our home."

"Is Papa an Alpha then?" she looked up at him.

"I am not a member of the Shinigami forces," he grunted in clear irritation. "But I am one of the Alpha's of the Hollow forces."

"Of course you are dear," Karin waltzed into the room, her hair damp from her shower and dressed in the Uniform she always wore when training.

Shortly after her arrival the other members of the Estate started to show up and they settled about for breakfast with everyone congratulating Karin on her promotion. For the first time that Ajuga could think of, her mother was going to be away from her all day, and not just today, but most days.

A part of her felt torn. Her mother had always been there, a constant presence at her side. It was rare that Karin wasn't there. But now her mother was going to be gone all the time.

It was depressing enough that Ajuga hardly tasted the food as they ate breakfast.

"You will keep an eye on the rugrats Lilinette?" Karin asked after everyone had eaten.

"Of course," she smirked.

"In ways I will approve of?" Karin asked with that tone Ajuga knew meant no nonsense or someone's rear was going to end up hurting.

Lily-chan pouted, but did agree they would stay out of trouble.

"Do you have to go, Mama?" Ajuga asked unhappily and tugged at the hem of her uniform.

"I am afraid so," Karin kneeled down and smiled warmly at her.

"Kay."

"You behave for Lily-chan now, alright."

"I will," she promised.

Her mother gave her a hug before nodding to Nanao and the two women left.

"Alright girls," Lilinette called their attention to her. "Since we can't pester Starrk today, who wants to go see what Szayel is up to?"

The pain of separation was instantly gone.

"Yay, let's go see Szay," Ajuga cheered, bounding away from her chair and towards the front door.

The three girls set out to visit the Scientist. It was always fun to visit Szay. He always had such interesting, pretty things, and his voice got so funny and high when they touched things, like the data console, the screens and especially the test tubes…

(POV) 

"So what do I do with this?" Karin asked as Nanao handed her a wooden chip attached to a band of cloth.

"You tie it somewhere on your Uniform, typically the left shoulder, but it can be worn anywhere. It shows you are the Fukutaichou of the 5th," Nanao explained.

Both women were in Nanao's office while the division gathered in the main courtyard. Karin really didn't have much knowledge on how the Gotei 13 worked, either before or after Aizen's conquest of the Seireitei.

Nanao assured her that was not an issue. The Divisions currently operated under War Time status and what she really needed was for someone to get her troops training underway. Learning things like paperwork would come with time.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Well, honestly, I was a little upset at first that you refused to wear our Uniform, but in retrospect, I think it's a good idea."

"Why's that?" Karin asked, tying the badge around her left shoulder.

"It shows them you are not trying to be something you are not."

"Taichou, everyone is assembled," a voice called out from behind the closed door.

"Very well, I will be right there," Nanao called back. "Nervous?" she asked.

"A bit," Karin admitted. "But I know what I am going to say and do."

Nanao nodded and the two women left the office. Karin stopped at the last corner leading to the training field while Nanao continued and stood before all one hundred and twenty some odd members of the division.

"_What have I gotten myself into?__"_ Karin wondered. _"__This is a far cry from my old soccer team. Still, it can__'__t be that much different, just more than one team making it larger. I just need to break it to smaller portions.__"_

Karin wasn't really paying attention to what Nanao was saying, as she studied the men and the few women in the Division, picking out the ones she figured might give her a problem.

The potential troublemakers seemed few and far between, and appeared to be among the younger Shinigami. Nanao had explained the gap between them, pre-Conquest and post-Conquest. Most of the current troops were pre-Conquest and Karin had never seen such a large group of whipped dogs in her life.

Yes they were paying attention to their Taichou, but their shoulders were slumped, they looked weary, and there was almost no life to them.

"_No wonder casualties are so high amongst the Shinigami ranks. Most of these poor bastards look like death would be a welcome companion.__"_

Grudgingly, she understood that her current perspective might be that she'd been spared most of the fallout of the Victory, being protected by Grimmjow at the time. She had only heard the horror stories after of the weeks of mass murder and rape. She couldn't blame them, really.

Karin put those thoughts aside as she noticed Nanao had nearly wrapped up her speech. She stood up tall, straightened her shoulders, and forced an air of confidence around herself.

"….and thus I introduce to you, the new Fukutaichou of the 5th Division, Kurosaki Karin," Nanao finished.

There was a large amount of stirring amongst the ranks, complete with whispers that only increased in volume and number as she strode firmly up to Nanao's side and they all noticed that she was wearing a modified Arrancar uniform instead of their own garb.

She looked out over the crowd before stepping down off the platform and began to walk down the clear line in the center of the two columns, like a general inspecting her troops.

"I am not a Shinigami. I am not an Arrancar. I did not go to your academy. Like my renowned older brother before me, I am a human. However…" she spun about and continued down a different path through the ranks, "… I have been personally trained by the Sexta Espada, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez."

There was a large amount of bristling in the crowd at her announcement and a few shocked gasps met her ears.

"Grimmjow's training is intensive. He fights no-holds barred, gives no quarter, and mistakes are paid for in bruises and blood," she saw several of them wince. "I have also received extensive Kido training from Ise-Taichou and participated in several lessons with the 2nd division. Is there anyone who wishes to question or challenge my battle prowess?" she suddenly demanded sharply, coming to a stop.

The group of gathered Shinigami shuffled nervously, but no one said anything to contradict her so far. She let the faintest hint of a smirk touch her lips before quashing it and continuing on her march through the ranks.

"What is the primary goal of the Gotei 13?" she demanded.

Silence descended once again in response.

She stopped walking.

"I believe I asked a question, I expect an answer," she said firmly, louder this time. "Let's try this again, and I had better hear a response or the lot of you will run one hundred laps around the Division, backwards."

Several feet shuffled uncomfortably at the threat, and she didn't blame them. Running backwards was a pain, but doing it for 100 laps would have left them unable to walk for a week.

"What is the primary goal of the Gotei 13?" she demanded again.

"To protect the souls of the departed and the balance between the worlds." The collective response was ragged and somewhat hesitant. The pre-Conquest Shinigami sort of mumbled it while the post-Conquest Shinigami were slightly more firm in their answer.

"Again!" Karin ordered sharply.

"To protect the souls of the departed and the balance between the worlds!"

The response this time was firmer.

"Again!" she snapped. "Let me hear you say it like you mean it. If you do not mean it, then why are you here?"

This time the response was roared at her in sync. Now she let the smirk that touched her lips remain.

"Then tell me, what has changed about that mission in the last hundred years?" she demanded.

Confused silence answered her question.

"You," she stopped before a random member.

He straightened his back at being addressed.

"What has changed about that simple mission in the last hundred years?"

"We were conquered," he answered hesitantly, clearly unsure of his answer so much that it sounded more like a question.

"And?" she pressed.

"Ah…," he stammered a bit.

"So because Aizen-kami is now the one in charge, he has ordered the Divisions to cease their missions?" she questioned.

"Well, no," he stammered.

"I see," Karin stepped away from him.

He sagged in relief now that he was no longer under the withering gaze she gave him.

"So I ask again, what has changed about that mission?" she demanded, of no one in particular.

"Nothing," one of the post- Conquest women answered.

"Exactly," Karin said in satisfaction as she looked at the one who had answered in approval. "Absolutely _nothing_ has changed about that mission. The only things that _have _changed are the enemies doing the majority of the threatening and the man sitting in the chair.

"All of which means nothing to the core goal of that mission and the beliefs behind it. Out there are the souls you all swore to protect, huddling in terror and unable to defend themselves. Your duty to perform konso on those souls, to help them move from the living world to this one, remains intact. Your duty to protect them and the Seireitei from these giant flying cockroaches is the same!"

"Yes, Aizen-kami's Hollow forces are gleefully slaughtering the bugs but do you think for even a moment that they care about those souls? Do you think they worry about collateral damage? Answer me!" she barked.

"No," The division answered.

She was pleased it was stronger than the first answer she had gotten out of them.

"So then, who is going to protect those defenceless souls? Who swore an oath, an oath I now swear before you all as my witnesses; to protect those who cannot protect themselves? To uphold the balance of the worlds? To teach these cockroaches what it means to threaten those weaker than themselves?" she ended in a shout.

"We, the Shinigami of the 5th division," the crowd answered.

"I can't hear you!" she shouted, cupping one hand behind her ear for emphasis.

"We, the Shinigami of the 5th division!" they answered louder.

"Please, my two-year old could do better," she taunted, giving the assembled troops a dubious glare.

"WE, THE SHINIGAMI OF THE 5TH DIVISION!" they roared.

Karin let a wide smile spread across her face as she turned to face a beaming Nanao while they continued to chant the answer.

"That's what I like to hear," she roared back, interrupting the chant. "Do not ever forget your mission, or that there are those weaker who depend on you to be strong!"

They cheered, and she let them do so for a moment before bringing them back down.

"Units five and seven remain for training, the rest of you sorry bastards, get back to your assignments. The new training schedule will be posted first thing tomorrow morning.

"If you are not going to show up expecting to give 110% of yourself, then the Division exit is right over there," she pointed to the exit. "Dismissed! Units five and seven, begin warm ups!" she barked.

"Hai, Fukutaichou!" everyone responded and the gathering dispersed while Karin walked back up to Nanao.

"That was brilliant!" Nanao exclaimed. "I have never seen so much life in a Division, not even since before the war started!"

"Indeed," Karin nodded her head and turned her attention back to the two units that had been selected to stay behind.

There was a bounce in their steps as they went through the warm-ups and smiles on several faces. The chatter was much more open and the atmosphere a lot less depressed.

"How many do you think will leave?" Karin asked.

"I do not know, hopefully none, but if they do leave then there was no place for them here in the end," Nanao said.

"Agreed. Will that be all, Taichou?" Karin asked.

"Yes. Keep up the good work and report to me at the end of the shift, Kurosaki-Fukutaichou."

Somehow, her family name didn't seem right. She had never really considered it before, and it had never really been brought up, but now that she was technically the Hollow equivalent of a wife, did she even have a right to her birth name anymore? It wasn't like Grimmjow had ever told her she had a right to his name, nor had he encouraged her to use it. Did Hollows even take one another's name with a mating Claim?

"Please, call me Karin-Fukutaichou instead."

Nanao looked at her for a moment, before nodding in understanding. Karin offered her a weak shrug in reply. No doubt Nanao had similar name insecurities having giving birth to Hana out of wedlock, which _wouldn__'__t_ have been the case had Shunsui survived.

"Very well, I will be in my office should you require assistance."

Nanao walked off, leaving Karin to turn her attention back to the two units doing their warm ups.

"Fall in!" she shouted.

The two units quickly formed up with their respective leaders at the fore. She walked through the ranks once, silently inspecting her charges before returning to her place at the front.

"Each warrior has their own specialty. Mine, regrettably, is not with weapons save for my own fists and feet. It is not your weapon skills I question, but rather your lack of confidence and teamwork."

"That said," she paused to offer them a genuine smile, eyes gleaming enthusiastically, "how many of you are familiar with the game of soccer?"

(POV)

"Soccer?" Nanao asked her in disbelief as Karin made her report on the walk back to the Estate.

"Well, it's not like I can teach them to swing a sword. Even Yuzu-chan was better at it than I was. Besides, as I've said before, fancy sword play isn't what is needed against these creatures. What the division lacks is teamwork and co-ordination."

Karin tugged at the collar of her uniform, loosening it a little now that she was no longer on duty.

"What better training tool than a team orientated game that also focuses heavily on physical prowess…" she questioned. "…as well as boosting company morale and encouraging them to work together as a unit while still relying on their own individual strengths?"

"I see your point," Nanao conceded. "As long as I see progress, I won't get in your way. Do with them what you think you need to."

"I plan to."

"There were no problems with anyone today?"

"No, but I think they were all a little on the shocked side. They didn't know what to make of me. We will see what their attitudes are like tomorrow, once they have had time to respond to the fact I am now their Fukutaichou," Karin answered.

"True enough," Nanao agreed. "So, what shape do you think we will find the Estate in?" Nanao asked.

"I don't even want to consider it," Karin laughed ruefully. "You don't know anyone we can trust to watch the brats, do you?"

"I wish I did," Nanao sighed.

They walked the rest of the way in silence as they both considered the dilemma.

"I wonder if Orihime-chan or Tatsuki-chan could watch them," she suddenly pondered aloud. "Now that Orihime-chan is pregnant, I doubt Ulquiorra will let her anywhere near the front lines much longer, if at all. And having the kids about should help prepare her for her own."

"Karin, you truly are a genius." Nanao said admiringly. "That's an excellent solution!"

"Well, it's a partial solution. The hardest part will be convincing Grimmjow it's a good idea to entrust his daughter to Ulquiorra's 'mate'." Karin said, some hesitancy in her voice.

"Wouldn't Ulquiorra-sama also be on missions?" Nanao questioned confused.

"Since when do men of any race think rationally when any female relative is involved?"

"Indeed," Nanao chuckled in agreement as they entered the Estate.

Karin didn't 'see' any reiatsu other than Starrk's in one of the back gardens. She frowned and headed towards her chambers, giving a sigh of relief when she found the note on the table in Hana's sloppy kanji.

"Bless that child of yours," Karin said as she handed the note over to Nanao.

"Are you going to go retrieve them?" Nanao asked, looking at the scrap of paper critically.

"And miss the opportunity to have five minutes to myself for once?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Touché," Nanao chuckled. "I do know where there is a hidden stash of some rather fine sake," she offered.

"Honestly, I have never had the stuff, but let's give it a try," she offered the other woman a wide smile and they left for the main kitchen


	58. Visiting the Science and Research Buildi

Visiting the Science and Research Building

"I am still so nervous about this," Orihime complained, the set of her shoulders betraying how tense she truly was.

"Relax, Karin-chan said there was nothing to worry about," Tatsuki assured her.

"I wish Karin-chan could be here," Orihime pouted, looking down at her still-flat stomach.

"She had to work," Tatsuki answered. "Man, I can't believe I just said that," she muttered and gave her head a shake. "To think she landed a job and we are still living off of others charity."

"Maybe," Orihime smiled at her. "But let's face it, Tatsuki-chan, you love living with Tesra-san."

"My stomach definitely does," Tatsuki agreed.

"Just your stomach?" Orihime questioned with a giggled.

s

"Unlike you and bat boy, we don't spend all our time in bed."

"I still can't believe we are coming here to see Szayel-san though. I much prefer, and trust, Unohana-san," Orihime said and sighed.

"Szay is fun though," Ajuga interjected from her place ahead of them as they made their way towards the lab.

It was impossible to say no to Karin when she asked if they would be willing to watch the girls while she was at work and Grimmjow was out on missions. Orihime was more than happy to watch the children. Ulquiorra, on the other hand, had to be talked into it. When she'd informed him that caring for the two would help her take care of their own child later, he'd acquiesced however.

Hana was already at school, meaning they just had Ajuga to watch most of the day. She definitely was a handful. The child had so much energy Orihime wondered how on earth Karin kept up with it.

"Come on, come on," Ajuga cried from her place in the lead.

"We're coming," Orihime called as they continued walking towards their destination.

It was a good thing they had Ajuga with them because in all honesty, neither woman had actually been to the Science and Research building. The child led them around a series of right turns along the corridor-like avenues of the Seireitei until they came to a large building that looked as if it was made entirely out of glass. It glittered like an ice sculpture, all reflections and refracted rainbows, in the pale winter sunshine. The sight nearly took both young women's breaths away.

"Wow!" Orihime exclaimed, shading her eyes with one hand to better see the edifice.

"And here I was thinking of something looking like a factory or perhaps even a dark cave," Tatsuki commented, a little awestruck herself.

"Hurry, hurry," Ajuga begged, tugging on Orihime's hand, bouncing in place. "Come on!" The child, in her eagerness, began to run toward the entrance.

"Slow down, Ajuga-chan," Tatsuki ordered.

Ajuga pouted, but did come trotting back their way before bounding forward again. Orihime still wondered how the girl could look so graceful and cute running about on all fours.

"Ajuga-chan," Nemu greeted the little girl as they came closer to the door.

"Neesan, Neesan," Ajuga cheered happily, dancing about the woman's feet.

Nemu just smiled softly down at the girl as Orihime and Tatsuki finished closing the distance to the entrance.

"Orihime-san, Tatsuki-san," Nemu greeted them both with a bow, looking every inch the composed secretary. Tatsuki thought that she wouldn't look out of place at any reception desk in the living world, medical or not. "This way please."

They followed Nemu into the building, and both women gasped as they looked about the interior. It was very bright, especially with the sun filtering through the glass. The place felt surprisingly warm and welcoming.

"This place is amazing," Orihime gasped. "Was this here before…?"

"SZAY!" Ajuga squealed and darted forward, and Orihime's question went unanswered.

They turned their attention forward to watch Ajuga leap off of the ground and into Szayel's arms.

"There's my favourite experiment," he greeted her warmly.

"Szay need more blood?" she asked.

"Not today. Today I need to see Orihime-chan."

Ajuga pouted.

"Don't worry, you are still my favourite experiment," he assured her.

Ajuga was beaming happily almost instantly.

"Favourite experiment?" Tatsuki asked as they finished closing the distance to the scientist.

"It has become a bit of a nickname, you could say," he explained as Ajuga crawled out of his arms to settle happily on a shoulder.

When Ajuga settled on his shoulder, her tail neatly curled around his bicep as an anchor, he turned his full attention to them.

"Now, now Orihime-chan, there is nothing to be nervous about. Come, come this way. We are going to use the same lab and equipment I used during Karin-sama's pregnancy, and she is obviously quite all right."

Orihime was too nervous to notice the suffix, but it didn't slip by Tatsuki. Her creep radar was pinging, but it wasn't giving a clear signal, almost as if it was confused as well. On one hand, Karin trusted him and Ajuga obviously liked him. On the other, there was something 'off' about him, something she couldn't quite put a finger on.

"About how long have you been pregnant?" Szayel asked as he led them down the hall.

"Just over a month," Orihime answered.

"Is there any chance of knowing the conception date?"

"Yes," she admitted, cheeks stained pink.

"Wonderful!" he exclaimed happily, Ajuga giving a cheer herself, even though it was clear the little girl didn't understand what had him so happy. "This is the room. Here is a gown for you to change into. I will be back in two minutes to begin the diagnostics," he promised, closing the door and leaving the two women alone. Ajuga, still clinging to Szayel, gave them a wave as the door closed.

"Should we have let Ajuga-chan out of our sights?" Tatsuki questioned uncertainly.

"I think it's alright. Karin-chan trusts him and apparently he watches her on occasion anyway. Karin-chan did say Szayel-san was Ajuga-chan's emergency contact if something were to happen to her and we couldn't contact either her or Grimmjow."

"Besides, did you see the way he looked at her? Clearly he cares for her" Orihime pointed out while she changed awkwardly into the gown. "I always hated these things. You can never do the back up properly and your butt always hangs out," she grouched.

"Here, let me," Tatsuki offered, doing up the ties in the back.

After precisely two minutes to the millisecond, Szayel walked back in with Ajuga by his side wearing a small lab coat with a stethoscope around her neck. For once the little girl was doing her best to walk on two legs. She was rather unsteady, but seemed alright.

"Test, test," Ajuga cheered.

"If you wouldn't mind lying on the table, we can begin with the basics," he smiled warmly at them.

Orihime hopped up on the lab table and was joined a moment later by Ajuga, who was hoisted up by Szayel. He grabbed a clip board and pen and turned his full attention to her.

"If we can start with your date of conception that would be wonderful," he requested.

Orihime answered automatically. "Around noon-ish," she added, blush darkening.

"Wonderful. If only others could be so mindful of the details."

"Hear heart," Ajuga demanded, holding up the business end of the stethoscope.

"Go ahead," he encouraged the child.

"Yay!"

Ajuga put the ends of the instrument into her ears before touching it to Orihime's chest, a wide smile on her face. The effect was comical, as the length of the ear tubes and the place where they joined the chest piece was obviously meant for someone with ears on the side of one's head. The result was that the bridge of the stethoscope just brushed Ajuga's upper lip, while the ends vibrated from the twitching of her cat-like ears.

"Ba ba doom, ba ba doom" Ajuga started to hum softly.

Tatsuki had to suppress her laughter, while she could tell Orihime was having similar difficulties swallowing her own giggles. Szayel's eyebrow twitched, a look of resignation briefly crossing his face before he returned to his list of questions.

"Any side effects so far? Morning sickness, loss or gain of appetite, hording, and nesting?" he questioned.

"Well, lately I have had strange hunger cravings," she admitted reluctantly

"Strange in what way?" he probed, jolting her answers down.

"Well yesterday, all I wanted was a bowl of plain udon noodles. With nothing in them!"

"How is that strange?" he questioned, eyebrow raised.

"How is it not?" she questioned.

That seemed to leave him at a loss, until Tatsuki interrupted.

"Because normal people don't put horseradish and chocolate in their udon noodles," Tatsuki deadpanned "They also don't top that off with marshmallows and dill pickles."

Szayel looked positively horrified, not to mention a little green around the gills, while Ajuga continued her 'ba ba doom' chant.

"But it taste so good that way," Orihime huffed, a little offended at the thought that such a concoction might not be palatable.

"I'll take your word for it," Szayel said faintly, a bit of his normal coloring returning as he adjusted his glasses. "So you are saying strange eating habits have become normal?"

"I suppose so," Orihime frowned unhappily. "I can't even handle the taste or smell of red bean paste right now," she complained.

"Some would consider that a good thing. She treats it the way Westerners treat ketchup," Tatsuki explained.

Szayel swallowed a few times. Tatsuki swore he was trying to suppress his gagging reflex.

"I see," he composed himself. "And what is Ulquiorra-san's base creature?"

"Bat," Orihime and Tatsuki answered at the same time.

"Excellent! Some bat species have a gestation period of up to six months," he practically squealed in delight.

"Yes, I know. I had this conversation with Karin-chan already," Orihime groaned. "Her prediction is I will be eight or the full nine months."

"A good prediction, indeed. Well, let's load up the ultrasound and see how things are looking in there."

He pulled a piece of equipment over and adjusted the view screen so Orihime could see it, whistling jauntily.

Ajuga finally stopped listened to her heart and sat excitedly beside her, eyes glued to the monitor.

Orihime flinched when the cold jelly touched her stomach shortly before the wand pressed down.

"Let's see how the little one is doing."

A field of colours popped up on the screen. Ajuga let out an impressed 'oooo' while the two women remained silent, watching the odd, pulsating hues.

"And there it is," Szayel smiled. "The fetus is definitely not nearly as far along as Ajuga-chan was at this point."

"What are we looking at?" Tatsuki questioned, eyes trying to make sense of the image on the screen.

"This here," he pointed to a small, black dot on the screen. "He or she is exactly as one would expect a human or Shinigami baby to look at this point."

"So I have to go through the whole nine months?" Orihime asked, sounding dismayed.

"Indeed. Isn't it wonderful? Karin-sama's pregnancy went too quickly to gather any real significant data," he said as if entranced. "If all goes well, we should be able to learn quite a bit from your child as it develops!"

"There is a baby in there?" Ajuga asked, looking at Orihime's stomach.

"Yes. It's very small right now, but soon it will grow bigger. When it is big enough to survive on its own, it will come out," Szayel explained.

"So it's hiding now?" Ajuga asked curiously.

"That's right, and you did the same thing in your mother's tummy," Tatsuki answered while Szayel cleaned up the ultrasound.

"My stomach still feels sticky," Orihime complained as Tatsuki helped her sit up.

"I will of course need some blood work done before you leave, and I will require you to wear one of these," he stated as he handed her what looked like a silver bracelet.

"What is that?" Tatsuki demanded, looking at it suspiciously.

"It will measure Orihime-chan's heart rate and reiatsu output. In fact, this is the same one Karin-sama wore when she was pregnant. If either of those readings exceed or stray from the acceptable 'normal' zone, it will trigger an alarm. That was how I knew she had gone into labour."

"Oh, well if Karin-chan wore it," Orihime held her hand out.

Szayel took it from her, touched a segment of it and the thing opened. He placed it carefully on her wrist, making sure the metal piece was over her pulse point. It was snug, but not tight or uncomfortable in any way.

"It's like mine," Ajuga chirped happily, showing them her bracelet. "Mine is from Szay too!"

"Yours is much prettier," Orihime smiled at her.

Ajuga giggled happily and touched her own, more intricate band to Orihime's with a small 'clink'.

They ran through the rest of the tests and questions, and despite the fact Szayel was the one conducting most of the tests, neither woman picked up anything funny. When he declared the tests 'finished', he excused himself and Tatsuki helped Orihime clean off the gel and put her clothing back on.

"I will expect to see you in two weeks' time. Tatsuki-san, is there any chance you might have conceived as well?" he asked, his tone a little too hopeful for the woman's liking.

"_Time to make my opinion on this as crystal clear as this building,_ Tatsuki decided. "I just finished my cycle two days ago, so no," she said firmly, crossing her arms to glare at him. "And if you even THINK about ordering Tesra to try and get me pregnant, I will personally rip off those glasses of yours, tear out enough of your pretty pink hair to braid a rope, attach said rope to said glasses, shove the glasses so far down your throat they come out your ass, than use the rope to pull them back and forth through your body until you scream, beg, whine and moan like a little kicked puppy," she threatened coldly.

Ajuga looked at her confused, Orihime was staring at her in utter shock, and Szayel looked positively mortified. In fact, Tatsuki swore she saw his knees shake a little.

"I would thank you to leave my hair as is, yes?" he responded, adjusting his glasses. "Such perfection should not be marred."

"Right... just remember what I said," Tatsuki continued to glare at him.

Honestly, both women found it slightly amusing it was the threat to his hair to which he took the most offence.

"Szayel-sama," Nemu called from the door, "Yammy-sama and Byakuya-san are here again," she called, worry apparent in her voice.

Szayel let out an exasperated groan and rubbed his forehead..

"Will that idiot just give up already," he groaned in frustration, eyes going to the light fixtures overhead as if in silent prayer.

"What does he want?" Orihime asked curiously.

"Patient confidentiality," he answered, with a 'tsk, tsk' and a finger wag.

"I am not sure I want to know anyway," Tatsuki commented.

Ajuga suddenly hissed and ducked behind Szayel, shortly before the door was kicked open with a very loud 'BANG!'

"Szayel, where are you?" Yammy demanded as the large Espada strode uninvited into the room.

Tatsuki, acting on instinct, put herself in-between the brute and Orihime, partly to defend her if necessary and partly to shield her while she finished with the last two buttons. Yammy's attention, however, didn't seem to be on Orihime; rather, it was fixed on Szayel, who looked utterly disgusted at the huge intruder.

"How many times must I tell you to keep your voice down and to stop barging in before your feeble brain understands?" Szayel asked in exasperation.

"What?" Yammy asked confused and for the first time, seemed to notice the other people in the room.

"Point proven," Szayel elegantly face palmed.

"Huh…Motion seconded," Tatsuki agreed with a snort.

Behind Szayel, Ajuga gave another hiss of annoyance, at least until Yammy finally moved aside and permitted Byakuya to enter the room. Ajuga perked up once she spotted him.

"Bya," Ajuga chirped happily, giving Yammy a wide berth as she made her way to the silent noble. "Can Hana-chan and I come play in the garden again?" she asked innocently. "It was so pretty," she said wistfully.

"I got the samples. Make it work this time!" Yammy ignored the girl and marched up to Szayel, handing him two vials of what looked like milk.

Szayel's look of revulsion seemed to double as he eyed the stopper vials and then looked back up at Yammy, golden eyes narrowed.

"I told you already, the chances of success were very limited. If what you want was so easy to do, do you not think I would have succeeded for myself by now?" Szayel pointed out. "Trying to create a viable specimen using two 'Y' donors just won't work!"

"Succeeded in what?" Orihime asked clueless.

"Maybe you just need some more motivation," Yammy threatened, clenching his fists and advancing on the scientist.

Suddenly, Tatsuki had the urge to grab Orihime and Ajuga and make a run for it before something truly bad could happen.

"What is wrong with you? Threats do not make science work, Yammy. Even a dimwit like you should know that. You might as well threaten the sky to make it rain on a sunny day."

"Szay can make it rain on a sunny day," Ajuga piped up helpfully.

"Indeed," he smiled at her affectionately, and then sneered as he turned back to Yammy. "But not even I can make the sky rain by shouting at it like an imbecile."

"Oh," she looked crestfallen before turning her attention back to Byakuya. "So can we play in the garden?" she questioned hopefully, tugging on his hand.

"Why not?" Yammy was the one who surprisingly answered. "Walks in gardens are good for pregnant women, aren't they?"

"I am not pwagant," Ajuga looked up at him confused, fur still bristling and ears flattened back.

Yammy wasn't looking at Ajuga though, but rather, Orihime. Tatsuki moved one foot back into a defensive stance and bent her knees. Maybe she might get a couple of good hits in to buy Orihime time to make a bid for the open door…

"Oh, you mean me?" the red-head questioned, grey eyes going wide. "Well yes, I am pregnant, but we don't have a garden,"

She looked at Yammy, apparently perplexed. Yammy gave an irritated grunt at that.

"And you call _me_ stupid."

"Hey," Tatsuki hissed. Yammy ignored that and hitched a large thumb over his shoulder.

"Go on, Chicchai-hime. Why don't you take the girls here for a little stroll through the gardens while I have a 'chat' with Szayel?"

"Yay," Ajuga cheered, in contrast to Szayel, who looked as if someone had spat on the clean floor tiles of his laboratory.

Orihime and Tatsuki looked to Byakuya, who merely inclined his head in agreement and stepped to the side, indicating the door with one hand.

"Remember, I'll see you in two weeks, Orihime-chan," Szayel reminded, setting his clipboard on the far desk, presumably out of Yammy's reach.

"Of course," Orihime answered.

They followed Byakuya out of the science division and towards what they guessed was his Estate, leaving Szayel to deal with Yammy.

"How have you been doing, Kuchiki-san?" Orihime asked pleasantly.

He pulled out a chalkboard and a piece of chalk from somewhere hidden in his sleeves and wrote a response.

'Well enough.'

"That is good," Orihime smiled at him. "I see you still have your Zanpakuto as well," she indicated the katana that was on his hip.

He gave a nod of his head.

"Something is bothering me," Tatsuki frowned.

"What is it?" Orihime asked concerned.

"Why would that brute suggest we go for a walk in the garden?" Tatsuki questioned. Byakuya seemed hesitant to answer that, but it was Orihime who piped up instead.

"Well, he was right about me getting exercise and fresh air, and I do know he looks up to Ulquiorra. Maybe he is being nice because I am carrying Ulquiorra's baby," she suggested.

"Maybe," Tatsuki conceded, but she didn't sound the least bit convinced.

Judging by the look on Byakuya's face, he had a similarly conclusion.

"Oh wow," Orihime breathed as they turned up the street that lead to the Kuchiki manor.

"It's impressive alright," Tatsuki agreed.

"Yay, we almost there!" Ajuga cheered. "Come on, come on!" she crowed with delight.

"Slow down, Ajuga-chan," Orihime called after her.

"But we are almost there," She pouted. "And the gardens are so pretty."

"The gardens aren't going anywhere," Tatsuki assured her. "And you haven't even thanked Kuchiki-san for letting us visit."

Ajuga looked suitably horrified, and hurried back to them, stopping before Byakuya.

"Thank you Bya-san for letting me come play in the garden again," she said awkwardly and bowed.

He gave her a gentle smile and nod of his head. Perking up happily, she once more raced ahead of them down the road.

"How does Karin-chan put up with her? She has so much energy," Orihime complained good-naturedly. "I hope my baby isn't that busy. I could never keep up with it."

"Ulquiorra is rather laid back and as flighty as you can be at times…"

"Oi," Orihime protested.

"…you aren't that energetic either," Tatsuki finished as if Orihime had never interrupted her.

The main gates came into view and the guards didn't spare them a second glance as they were escorted through. Ajuga finally calmed down slightly, whether because she had finally run out of energy and needed a nap or because the Estate had such a calming atmosphere, was up for debate.

Byakuya led them to one of the many courtyards. Within it was a patterned planting of waist-high juniper hedges. The silvery gray evergreens, with their thick branches and tiny bluish-gray hedges gave off a fragrant scent. Ajuga was quick to disappear into one of the hedge rows.

"Ajuga-chan, don't get dirty," Orihime called worriedly.

"Let her be," Tatsuki commented. "It's natural for kids to get dirty. You'll have to get used to it"

Someone had set a traditional table for them with teacups for three. There were also seasonal meat and fruit filled mochi, small pastries and a delicate evergreen bonsai arrangement, set just so.

"Oh, this looks wonderful," Orihime exclaimed happily, taking her seat on one of the cushions.

"Indeed," Tatsuki agreed, taking the other cushion.

Byakuya sat across from them and poured them all cups of piping hot, strongly-flavoured chrysanthemum tea. All thoughts of Ajuga and dirty clothing were long out of Orihime's head as she tucked into her food.

"Karin-chan was right, your garden is wonderful, even in the dead of winter" Tatsuki said, looking about.

Byakuya gave a nod of his head in thanks and looked into the garden. Tatsuki followed his gaze and caught the faintest trace of movement as Ajuga moved from one hiding spot to another.

'She will be an amazing hunter when she is older.'

"I agree," Tatsuki agreed after reading the message. "Karin-chan says Grimmjow started training her a few weeks ago. She is still uncomfortable on two legs though."

He gave a nod of his head in agreement and wrote out his reply.

'It will come with time. Her high energy is already tempered with a patience I have not seen in many children.'

"True enough," Tatsuki agreed.

"She gets that from Karin-chan," Orihime paused eating long enough to comment. "I mean, to put up with Grimmjow and a brother like Ichigo, you would need a world of patience, don't you think?"

Tatsuki laughed and Byakuya gave the slightest hint of a smile and a nod of his head to that assessment. They shared pleasant conversation, the subjects running from food to the flowers. Eventually Ajuga grew tired of stalking about in the garden and came to the table.

She ate a few of the chicken-stuffed mochi before promptly passing out on Byakuya's lap. He gave her a small smile and ran his fingers through her hair. Ajuga's ear twitched every time the fur was tickled by his passing hand.

"Sometimes, it is hard to remember she is a Hollow and her claws are sharp enough to slice through steel," Orihime sighed as they looked at the sleeping girl.

"Sometimes," Tatsuki reluctantly agreed. "But then, she is also still the little, human girl we see curled up," she added.

"Yeah," Orihime agreed. "I wonder what my baby will be like. Do you think it well resemble Ulquiorra's resurreccion the way Ajuga-chan resembles Grimmjow's?"

"We will just have to wait and see," Tatsuki answered. "It's possible"

Ajuga's ears suddenly perked up and she awoke with a start. Byakuya winced as her claws dug into his skin before he tapped her head in admonishment. She looked up at him sheepishly before her blue eyes narrowed and went back to the bush, as if seeking something.

Without a word, she launched herself out of his lap and disappeared into the hedge. The adults looked after her in silent astonishment, an astonishment that turned to alarm as the familiar sound of a frightened cat's squeal reached their ears


	59. When Children Surpass

When Children Surpass

The garden erupted into sudden chaos as a small black shape came bolting from the trees right towards them, Ajuga hot on its tail. Byakuya and Orihime stared while Tatsuki simply raised an eye.

"Ajuga-chan, stop it," Orihime suddenly cried frantically, rushing to her feet to intercept the little girl.

The cat leaped up onto the table, amazingly not disturbing a single platter of food or cup of tea, before leaping into Byakuya's lap and turning to hiss at Ajuga.

"Santen Kesshun," Orihime cried, fingers flying to her hairpins.

The golden glow sprang up before Byakuya and the feline suddenly sitting rather calmly, despite the situation, in his lap. Ajuga smashed head first into the shield, bouncing off of it to land with a loud thud on the wooden floor.

"Oh, Ajuga-chan, are you alright," Orihime cried worriedly.

Ajuga picked herself up and gave her head a shake before turning a hurtful and tear-filled gaze at Orihime. Orihime tried to get to the girl to make sure she wasn't hurt, but Ajuga darted out of reach, giving off a whimper.

"Ajuga-chan, I didn't mean to hurt you, but I had to stop you before you hurt her," Orihime tried to explain.

"I wasn't going to hurt it," Ajuga sniffed, still refusing to let Orihime near her.

She even hissed at Hinagiku, Lily and Baigon when they tried to get closer to her to add in their own apologies.

"Ajuga-chan come here," Tatsuki called firmly.

Ajuga darted past Orihime and dove into Tatsuki's waiting arms, still sniffing and glaring at Orihime.

"I still caught the spy," she said resolutely.

"Spy?" Tatsuki questioned.

"Funny I would be found out by a child," the black cat spoke in a rather masculine voice.

Tatsuki stiffened in surprise, but after having lived with the Arrancar for a while the novelty of a speaking cat really wasn't all THAT strange.

"Yoruichi-san," Orihime smiled at her sadly. "Please tell me the others didn't risk trying to come here."

The cat shook its head.

"Only I can cross without being detected, at least by most things." Yoruichi leaped out of Byakuya's arms to land on the table and looked at Ajuga.

Ajuga stared back at the creature curiously, but made no sign she was about to go after the woman in cat form again.

"Mama's even better," Ajuga declared.

"I bet," Yoruichi agreed. "I don't dare waste too much time least my presence be discovered by a more unfriendly force, but it's nice to know you are still stealing your sisters clothing," Yoruichi winked one of her moon-yellow eyes at Byakuya.

He glared at her in disapproval, visibly miffed.

"Yoruichi-san, that was mean. It's not Byakuya-san's fault Yammy makes him dress like that," Orihime admonished.

"But it's still funny," Yoruichi chuckled.

'Say what you have to say quickly, and then leave' Byakuya wrote out, frowning.

"Only _you_ could make text look intimidating, Byakuya-bo," Yoruichi taunted.

"The point," Tatsuki interrupted before they could get anymore waylaid.

"I was looking for more information on these creatures. The reason I'm here is to see if Szayel had learned anymore about them." Yoruichi sat down and looked at them seriously.

"Nothing new that I know of," Orihime frowned. "What about you, Kuchiki-san?" Orihime asked.

'Just the appearance of those larger beetles.'

"Yes, we have fought those. Nothing else?" Yoruichi asked.

"Well, he said they were a race of creatures with a hive-mind and he suspected somewhere there had to be something or someone in command, like a queen in a beehive," Orihime added. "But so far we haven't seen anything like that."

"Swarming seems to be their favourite tactic. They are not really that strong," Tatsuki added. "It's just that they have numbers on their side and it gets worse every week. The Divisions just can't seem to kill enough of them."

"I got some," Ajuga announced happily.

"Really?" Yoruichi looked at the little girl, appraising her.

"Uh huh. They interrupted my hunt," she hissed. "And one tried to get Szay, but I stopped it," she puffed out in pride.

"I can believe it," Yoruichi commented, and an involuntary shiver seemed to work its way through the cat. "You nearly had me there!"

Ajuga puffed out some more at the compliment.

"Will you say 'hi' to the others and let them know we are alright?" Orihime asked.

"I will," Yoruichi agreed.

"I don't," Orihime suddenly said.

"Don't what?" Yoruichi asked, head cocking to one side in inquiry.

"Regret my decision to stay. Things have changed and I am happy here. Let the others know for me please."

"I will," Yoruichi promised before turning her head to look at Ajuga again. "We haven't formally introduced ourselves. I am Shihoin Yoruichi," she said gravely and bowed to the blue-eyed child.

"Ajuga Jagerjack," Ajuga answered, bowing as well.

Yoruichi stared at the child, her feline features a little confused before she figured out the butchered family name and a mixture of distress and astonishment crossed her features.

"Then…" Yoruichi looked at the adults for confirmation to her fears.

"Yes, this is Karin-chan and Grimmjow's daughter," Tatsuki was the one brave enough to answer the question.

"How old is she?"

"I am two," Ajuga answered for herself. "Not like Hana-chan, she is older. She is seven I think." Ajuga seemed to muse for a moment. "Yep, seven, almost eight."

"I suppose since everyone else here already knows, you should know I am pregnant as well," Orihime admitted hesitantly.

Yoruichi's stunned gaze snapped to her.

"I am happy too."

Yoruichi was about to say more, but the oppressive feeling of Yammy's reiatsu approaching stopped her.

"Damn. That's my cue to leave. Ajuga-chan, can you promise me you won't tell anyone about the talking kitty?" Yoruichi asked with a wink of her eye. "After all, a spy that is caught isn't a very effect spy is it? It will be our secret!"

"Okay!" Ajuga giggled.

Yoruichi leaped from the table and darted away, disappearing in the brush and leaving the table sitting in a rather strange silence.

"Oh Kami, I didn't realize how late it was," Orihime gasped, as if suddenly aware of how late it really was. "We got to pick Hana-chan up from school."

Tatsuki checked her own watch and let out a soft curse of her own.

"I can take off ahead if you want," Tatsuki offered.

"Yes, please. She should finish in two minutes."

"Alright. Thank you very much for the hospitality, Byakuya-san," Tatsuki said in gratitude. She stood up and bowed politely. "Your Estate is most wonderful."

He gave her a nod of acknowledgment before she darted away.

"Yes, your garden is simply amazing," Orihime agreed.

"Can we come back tomorrow?" Ajuga asked innocently.

"I don't think so Ajuga-chan." Orihime smiled sadly at her.

"Pweeeeese," she begged, turning big, watery, blue eyes up at Orihime.

"It is not my decision I am afraid."

The sound of chalk writing over the board reached her ears and she turned to see what Byakuya had written.

'You are more than welcome to return. It grows tiresome to sit alone.'

"Thank you, Kuchiki-san," she smiled happily at him.

"Yay," Ajuga cheered. "We can come back tomorrow?"

"Maybe, if you behave," Orihime promised.

"I will, I will," Ajuga promised.

"Alright, let's go pick up Hana-chan than. What do you say?" Orihime asked.

"Oh right," Ajuga went to stand before Byakuya. "Thank you for letting me play in the garden and come back again, Bya-san," Ajuga bowed.

He offered her a small smile and a nod of his head. Yammy entered the garden at this point, smirking and approaching them.

"Come along, Ajuga-chan," Orihime held out a hand to the girl.

Ajuga jumped into her arms, glaring at Yammy as they passed him.

"I don't like him," Ajuga growled once they were further away.

"Well, no one likes everyone," Orihime said.

Ajuga shook her head.

"He is bad," Ajuga pressed. "He smells bad, not nice like Bya-san."

"Oh. And how do I smell?" Orihime asked.

"You smell good. Like Mama," Ajuga chirped.

"Well, I am going to be a Mama soon," she chuckled.

"Yep."

"Does Ulquiorra smell good too?" Orihime couldn't help but to ask curiously.

Ajuga didn't really have many dealings with Ulquiorra, but she had met him this morning when Karin and Nanao had dropped the girls off on their way to work.

"He smells okay," Ajuga admitted. "Not like Papa though. Ulcora smells kind of like food."

Orihime couldn't stop the laughter from bursting out at Ajuga's statement. She wondered what Ulquiorra would think knowing the girl though he smelt like something to snack on.

"Just so long as you don't try to eat him," Orihime commented as she got over her giggling fit.

"I no eat," Ajuga promised. "Honest."

"That's good, because I would be sad if he was eaten."

"Well I no eat," Ajuga promised.

"Speaking of eating, what do you say we get some ice cream on the way home after we pick Hana-chan up?" Orihime suggested.

"Yes!" Ajuga cried gleefully. "Yes, yes, yes," she chanted, and continued to do so as she jumped from Orihime's shoulder and raced forward.

"Slow down Ajuga-chan, I am not as fast as you."

"Come on, hurry," Ajuga called.

"Sometimes I wonder if those two words are the only ones in your vocabulary," Orihime chuckled softly to herself.

"Hurry, hurry," Ajuga cried.

"Point proven," she smiled.

(POV)

"Where are Ajuga-chan and Orihime-neechan?" Hana asked as Tatsuki met her on the steps of her tutor's house.

"They are coming. How are your lessons coming along?" Tatsuki asked.

"They went alright. Sensei didn't seem happy I corrected him again though." Hana reported and sighed.

"Again?" Tatsuki asked incredulously.

"He carried a 4 instead of an 8 and his answer was wrong," Hana explained and then a cloud seemed to cover her small features. "He said my kanji look like someone spilt ink on the page," she added with a pout.

"Well, I am afraid I would have to agree with him on that part," Tatsuki pointed out.

"Yeah, I know. I just don't find poetry interesting."

"Why not? You like math and there are lots of numbers in poetry."

"Yeah, but the words don't make any sense at all. It's all just random dribble. Sensei wasn't happy when I said that either," Hana admitted sheepishly.

Tatsuki laughed, knowing all too well what Hana was going through. She had hated literacy class as well. Orihime, on the other hand, had excelled at it.

"Tatsuki-neesan, how much longer is the war going to last?" Hana asked suddenly.

"I honestly don't know," she admitted. "Why, are you scared?" she questioned.

"No. It's just… I miss Mom, and 'take-ji and Starrk-ji. And I worry they will get hurt and maybe not come home," she admitted softly.

"Well, they are far stronger than these bugs, so I assure you that is one thing you don't need to worry about," Tatsuki smiled at her reassuringly.

"I know, but I still worry," Hana sighed.

"Hana-chan!" Ajuga shouted in joy as Orihime and Ajuga came around a corner."We are going to get ice cream!"

Instantly any depression Hana had been harbouring melted away at the promise of a cold treat.

"_Thank the heavens children are so easily distracted,__"_Tatsuki thought in relief _"__Mortality is the last thing any child should concern herself with.__"_

Karin held back a wince as panic sudden came ripping through the Claim and slammed into her. At first she felt the stirrings of fright herself thinking the jolt had come from Grimmjow, but quickly realized she had been wrong.

Her anxiety turned quickly to anger. It wasn't often she got strong surges of negative emotions from Szayel. She received the positive emotions all of the time. He was honestly as giddy as a fat kid in a candy shop when it came to his experiments.

The only time Szayel ever really felt large amounts of negative emotions was when Aizen was involved. Panic remained though and Karin tried to ignore it for the time being. It wasn't as if she could charge in there and stop anything anyway.

However, when his low grade fretfulness showed no sign of escalating after a few minutes. she permitted herself to relax slightly.

"_One of his experiments must have gone wrong,__"_she decided. _"__Or possibly right,__"_she added mentally.

While she'd insisted he act ethically when it came to his 'research' there were a few questionable projects he still had underway that might be troublesome if not kept under lock and key.

Eventually, the panic subsided only to be replaced with a large amount of irritation and at one point, stomach-churning disgust so profound that Karin almost became nauseous. For the most part, his emotions varied between giddy happiness, irritability and once, a sharp spike of fear and incredulity. So there was nothing life-threatening about what had just occurred. As such, Karin turned her full attention back to the troops at hand.

Their teamwork was definitely getting better, and they'd quickly developed an appetite for soccer once they learned the rules of the game. Right now units Three and Six were deep in the second half of a match, their Unit Commanders acting as team Taichou.

She had also noticed a sharp increase in their confidence as well as a huge boost in morale. The winning team would get a free round of sake and the points added to the board. The losing team ran laps. Karin had promised the entire Division that the team at the top by the spring equinox would get their own private party and the competition quickly became furious.

She had even caught the individual units out practicing in their spare time. She had no doubt that team spirit was at an all-time high, and Nanao couldn't stop praising her for it.

Not that all of the training time was taken up by playing soccer. They did other things as well, like various versions of capture the flag, bug hunt, track the target and other scenarios. Sometimes they would spend the time just sparing, but since her weapons skills were lacking she simply oversaw those sessions and left the barking of commands to the unit leaders.

She did work them through the various martial art drills she knew. She used the hand-to-hand training simply because it worked and toned their muscles. It wasn't as if she expected them to punch through the carapace of the Swarm, but one never knew when a skill would come in handy.

Terror suddenly slammed into her, albeit only a brief surge before anger quickly replaced it, mixed with not a little bit of derision and disdain.

"Shit!" she cursed and nearly stumbled.

"Fukutaichou?" one of the members waiting on the side line for their turn to rotate onto the field asked her worriedly.

"I am alright," she assured the concerned man. "One of the Espada is throwing a temper tantrum and I was looking in that direction," she explained, rubbing her eyes before pulling her shades down.

She had let the Division know she could physically see reiatsu, mostly to let them know that attempts at hiding or sneaking about to get out of any assigned chores or tasks was about as useful and doable as building a sandcastle on a beach during a typhoon.

"It was a brief surge, already done. Aizen-kami probably told them they had another living world mission," she explained.

The man shared a weak chuckle with her.

Karin doubted that the Shinigami would be comfortable with the Arrancar any time soon, an understandable situation. The poor saps might as well be preschoolers challenging high school students to a brawl.

A sudden thought occurred to Karin that nearly caused her a moment of panic. Ajuga liked to hang out with Szayel and she knew Orihime had an appointment today. Cursing inward, she quickly grounded herself, slipped into a light state of Jinzen, and sought out her friend's reiatsu.

She focused on Szayel first. The Claim made it that much easier to hone in on his already impressive pool of reiatsu. She found him in a snap, Nemu not too far away and the disgusting, powerful presence she recognized as Yammy, which definitely explained Szayel's irritation.

There was no sign of Orihime or the others near the scientist. Expanding her senses further, Karin finally tracked them down. She blinked in surprise when she realized they appeared to be with Byakuya at his estate.

"_Odd_," Karin thought before shrugging it off.

She knew that Orihime had been close friends with Rukia, Byakuya's sister, so it really shouldn't have surprised Karin that Orihime was friendly with him either. With Yammy nowhere nearby, Karin decided not to worry about her daughter's safety and turned her full focus back to the game.

She was the referee after all and it wouldn't do to have her daydreaming when she had a job to do.

"_I wonder how much more interesting this would get if I permitted them to use their Zanpakuto and had to dodge Kido bombs?__"_she mused. _"__While protecting certain key points,__"_she added.

The idea was intriguing, that was for sure.

"Goal!" she cried, blowing her whistle as one of the teams scored.

She checked the time and gave her head a nod. It was almost lunch.

"Alright you sorry jackals, Unit 3 wins. Unit 6, you all know the drill by now. Four laps around the field, first one jogging, next two power walking, last one at your own pace. Go!" she ordered.

Her orders were met with a chorus of "Hai, Fukutaichou!"

She cleaned up the little bit that needed doing on the field while the losing team went through their laps. She followed them to the cafeteria after they were done to let the cooks know that Unit 3 were the sake winners and to grab both herself and Nanao a plate of food.

She wasn't surprised to find Nanao in her office, buried under a mountain of paperwork.

"You know we could always just shove all that in a waste basket and claim a Kido spell went wrong," Karin offered as she set the plate of food down in front of her Taichou's face.

"Tempting, but since when did you or I ever do anything but perfect Kido," Nanao pointed out with an exhausted sigh.

"True," Karin agreed, taking her place at her spotless desk.

Spotless, because she had nothing to put on it other than training schedules and those were all neatly filed away. She settled quickly into her plate of food, devouring it like a starved animal.

Ever since Grimmjow had started training her what felt like a life time ago, her appetite had skyrocketed. She didn't sit idle during training either. She ran alongside her troops either doing the courses or refereeing the current game.

Grimmjow had been getting rather intensive in his training as well. He would never say it, but she knew the Swarm had him worried. She didn't have his Heirro and her Kido shields only lasted so long before they ran out.

Sometimes she wondered if the thought of finding her or Ajuga's mutilated corpses somewhere didn't keep him up at night. She still hadn't told him about what the Generals had told her. In fact, the only ones who knew were Szayel, Jushiro and Nemu.

The fewer people who knew the better. If Aizen ever found out she was of Royal Blood she feared what would happen to her and her family. Ever since speaking to the Generals and setting Szayel off like a rabid hound on any information he could find about the Royal Family, the information that had turned up left her stomach churning in horror.

They only reason Aizen was trying so hard for an Heir was to turn his line Royal. If he ever found out that she and Ajuga had Royal Blood, she didn't doubt he would take them both by force. Her first and then Ajuga when she was old enough. She already knew Aizen would kill Grimmjow to dispose of any complicating issue like a Claim, not that Aizen would care about such a thing.

If Unohana did manage to conceive, well, Aizen would probably consider her and her daughter a threat and kill the both of them outright. He might even go so far as to send a team into the living world to find and dispose of Yuzu and her brother…

Karin did her absolute best to remain injury-free on the field, or to at least keep any of her blood out of the Swarm's mouths. Since that one day she hadn't seen any of the Generals, nor had there been reports of any sightings of the creatures. If they were around they were keeping themselves well-hidden. Unfortunately, these things really didn't seem to have much, if any, reiatsu, so Karin couldn't spot them without deliberately looking.

Not that she was deliberately looking for them. She wasn't foolish enough to permit herself to become that distracted during a battle. Grimmjow would kill her if she let herself get maimed by such pathetic bugs.

A knock on the office door tore her from her thoughts before she could brood on them for too long.

"What is it?" Nanao asked.

"My apologies, Taichou, Fukutaichou, but Kami-sama is looking for the latest battle reports," one of the seated officers spoke up nervously.

"Damn it," Nanao sighed in annoyance and quickly rooted through her papers until she came up with the handful of reports.

"Don't even think about it," Karin stated as Nanao went to stand up.

"These reports need to be handed in by a high ranking official," Nanao protested.

"I qualify now, yes?" Karin asked.

"Yes, but…"

"Good. Give me those. You sit. If I see a scrap of food left on your untouched plate by the time I get back I will personally tie you to the chair and feed you like a baby. And you wonder where Hana-chan picked up her poor eating habits."

Nanao looked half-mortified, half-amused, and slightly exasperated.

Karin snagged the reports from her hand before she could think up an appropriate response and walked out the door, ordering the shocked seated officer to remain and make sure their Taichou ate


	60. Meeting Kami Again

Meeting Kami Again

Despite not knowing where the 1st Division's offices were, Karin was able to find them with ease. All she had to do was head towards the extraordinary powerhouse that was Aizen's reiatsu. She took a moment to silently thank Szayel for the reiatsu-defusing shades because without them she never would have made it past the front gates.

She honestly thought most of the Division would consist of Arrancar, but that assumption turned out to be incorrect, to her surprise. This was just another Division like the others, granted one overseen by Kami. She noticed the same slumped shoulders and defeated looks mixed with the more eager faces of the newer recruits.

"_I wonder how many years it will take for everything to settle down and seem normal?__"_she couldn't help but wonder.

Granted, when one lived the life she did 'normal' was an abstract concept. She had adjusted easily because she hardly knew the Hollow race, and she'd been taken in by Grimmjow as part of his 'quota' at such a young age. These people had been raised over hundreds of years to see Hollows as simple, mindless beasts to be eliminated and cleansed at best and mortal enemies at worst.

She couldn't fault them for still harbouring negative feelings towards their conquerors. It wasn't as if the change in government had gone smoothly. However, Aizen's conquest had some surprising results. For instance, she had heard the poorer, outer districts didn't even know there had been a change in government for the longest time.

Since the citizens of the Rukongai Districts tended to have low reiatsu levels, they never really drew the attentions of the conquering Arrancar, other than a few of the lesser Arrancar staking out territories for themselves.

The stronger ones and the Espada had gone after the larger properties and they tended to belong to Shinigami. The murders and rapes that had occurred outside of the Shinigami forces had been very few and very far between.

"_I need to stop thinking of such morbid things,__"_Karin sighed to herself. _"__It__'__s getting me nowhere and I can__'__t change any of it now.__"_

No one stopped her or questioned her presence and the Shinigami she passed gave her a light bow as they noticed the insignia on her arm. Once she was in the office building she didn't even need to see Aizen's reiatsu anymore to know where his office was.

It would seem the structure had the same layout as the offices of the 5th Division, and she suspected the same would be true for all the Divisions' headquarters.

"_No doubt so that any Taichou could be found with ease in the case of an emergency,__"_she guessed.

Karin reached the office door and was slightly surprised to see it was opened invitingly. Aizen sat at the desk, going through paperwork as if he was just another Taichou and not Kami. He even had a two baskets on the left side of the desk, one with the kanji for 'In' and another with the kanji for 'Out'. For some reason, it just made the scene a little more surreal.

Karin hesitated for a moment, wondering which title she should even address him by. Yes he was Kami, but right now he was also a Taichou. She made up her mind quickly and knocked on the door frame.

Aizen finished signing a paper before looking up to gaze at her. Soft brown eyes fell upon her standing form before a soft smile touched his lips.

"Kurosaki Karin, what a pleasant surprise. Did you perhaps come to ask for more tea recipes?" he questioned pleasantly. "Or is this business?" he added, nodding to the band on her arm.

"Business, Aizen-kami," she bowed politely.

"I see. Please, have a seat and a cup of tea while I go over those," he gestured to the chair on the other side of his desk.

She nodded and handed him the papers before settling on the chair. Someone, a seated officer she guessed, entered the room with a tray and a full teapot to pour her a cup and refill Aizen's before departing again without a word.

She took a sip and had to hold back a sigh of bliss. If it was one good thing she could say about Aizen, it was that he definitely had good taste in tea, as well as a wide selection of them. They sat in silence as he went over the reports. In fact, he didn't speak again until she was finished her tea.

It was actually a rather surprisingly comfortable silence. She settled into the old, worn chair and simply enjoyed the cup of tea while absently wondering how the seated officer knew when to come in to refill the cup.

"How is Ajuga-chan doing?" he suddenly questioned.

"She's doing well, Aizen-Kami," she answered with a faint smile after getting over her surprise at being addressed. She always felt a surge of motherly pride when she thought of her daughter.

"Who is watching her with everyone at home working?" he questioned.

"Orihime-chan and Tatsuki-chan," she answered.

"I see. Ulquiorra reported his pet was with child."

"Yes," Karin admitted. "I noticed the odd double layering of her reiatsu and we confirmed she was with child shortly after," Karin explained.

"It would seem like your ability to see reiatsu has several uses other than knowing where and how powerful someone is. Clever of you to deduce her condition," he said and smiled warmly at her.

Karin just gave him a slight bow from her chair, acknowledging the compliment.

"What else can your vision see?" he questioned, setting the reports aside to give her his full attention.

"Not much more than that I am afraid, Aizen-kami," she answered. "I can simply see reiatsu. Each person's reiatsu has its own signature. I can see differences and thus recognize anyone I know very well."

"Hence, how you can also see and recognize Claims," he concluded for her.

He paused and took a sip of his tea. Karin felt suddenly uncomfortable. It was clear he was studying her and thinking. His reiatsu suddenly started moving and Karin found herself going instantly onto the defensive, gathering her own reiatsu about her and tightening it into a shield. She knew that she stood no chance against him should he make a move against her, but it was pure instinct.

He offered her a small smile. He was done fooling about with his reiatsu. It was definitely heavily consolidated, but she didn't get the impression he was going to attack her with it.

"Well?" he questioned.

She studied him before realizing that even though she could see him clearly, she couldn't feel him. If she closed her eyes she wouldn't even know he was there.

"You can still 'see' me just fine, can't you?" he questioned.

"Yes," she admitted slowly. "You only impaired my ability to feel, not see," she answered.

"I thought as much," his smile widened pleasantly. "How far can you 'see'?" he asked, clearly interested.

Karin did not like where this conversation was going. She had no doubt that Aizen would resort to using her as a tracking hound if he so desired. Working directly for him was the last thing she wanted to do. If it came down to it, she knew he wouldn't hesitate to force her to find her brother and the other escapees.

Karin knew that she had to make him lose interest in her as quickly as possible. The question was, how to go about it without using any falsehoods or arousing his suspicions. It wasn't as if he couldn't detect a lie a thousand miles away.

"The range is rather limited," she answered slowly, trying to sound as if she was reluctant to reveal a limitation to her superior. "The results also vary with the person's power. I can see your power sooner than any other because it's extremely strong. For the average person, I would have to be within ten meters of them to really identify them" she answered.

It wasn't exactly a fib. Without meditating and relying only on her sight, she'd given him a relatively honest set of parameters for her ability. She could, of course, slip into Jinzen and expand her range. However, it was better if he didn't know about that.

"And how close do you need to be to see say, Starrk?"he inquired.

She paused, as if to give it some thought, before she answered

"Starrk-san _is_ pretty powerful; I can see him at the gates of the Estate from my rooms. I am not sure of that exact measurement in meters" she replied, answering honestly.

"And me?"

At that, she lowered her eyes and lowered her head, trying to convey an air of complete deference to power.

"Well, to be truthful, I can see you from anywhere in the city, but comparing your strength to Starrk-san's is like comparing the light of the noonday sun to a lantern," she said quietly, hoping he would be distracted by the compliment. "You are the strongest presence in the Seireitei, without a doubt."

He gazed at her for a moment, an unreadable expression on his face, before he sighed and shook his head. For a moment, Karin dared to hope her tactic had worked, especially with his next words.

"A pity, I had been hoping your range was greater," he said and took another sip of tea. His eyes left her and he seemed to return his attention to the reports she had delivered.

"I am sorry to have disappointed you," Karin offered him a slight bow, sounding as contrite as she could.

He waved her response away and signed several of the papers before handing the pile back to her, minus his portions.

"It was pleasant to see you again, Karin-chan. I would like you to stop by my palace after work."

She froze in fear at his request.

"Kami-sama?" she questioned.

Despite her best efforts, her voice and her body language betrayed her sudden anxiety. He must have sensed it, since he folded his hands together on the desk and leaned back, giving her a congenial look, as if there was absolutely nothing to worry about.

Karin wasn't fooled for a moment.

"I simply wish to hear how little Ajuga-chan is doing. In fact, please bring your charming daughter with you. I haven't seen her since she was a baby," he suggested, sounding as if he was actually eager to see her child.

An icy knot formed in her stomach and grew larger with each passing second.

"Of course. As you wish, Kami-sama," Karin said quietly and bowed on her way out.

She hardly even registered the walk back to her own Division, a million scenarios racing through her head as to what Aizen could want with her and her child. Her greatest fear was that he had found out about her heritage, but there were other things he would be less than pleased to find out, such as the identity of the person who had really cast a Claim on Szayel, and the fact that she hadn't exactly told the entire truth about her abilities.

"_That has to be it. He seemed more interested in my ability to see reiatsu. No doubt he has someone or something he wants me to find for him, as a test,__"_she reasoned.

She picked up a rather happy Ajuga after her shift. Her daughter had apparently spent the day with Byakuya with the promise that she could visit again. Then she stopped by Szayel's lab and confirmed that as far as the scientist knew, Aizen had no knowledge of their heritage. Reassured in part, Karin made her way towards the Palace.

"Where are we going, Mama?" Ajuga curiously asked

"Aizen-kami wants to see us," Karin answered.

"We get to go to the Palace?"

"Yes, we get to go to the Palace," she confirmed.

Ajuga gave a small 'squee' of delight, nearly bouncing in place. Karin wished that she could share in her child's innocent enthusiasm.

Checking for the twentieth time since getting off shift, she still could not detect Grimmjow's reiatsu anywhere nearby. She _could_ sense irritation when she concentrated, but otherwise nothing else. That left a sour taste in her mouth.

"_No doubt Aizen was quick to find him a mission to get him out of the way,__"_Karin thought angrily.

It was definitely a running theme with the bastard. Every time he wanted something of her that he knew Grimmjow might protest or fuss about, he simply had the Espada removed from the immediate vicinity, or sent him on patrol.

"It's amazing," Ajuga commented in awe as they approached the front gate, guarded by two Arrancar.

The two guards crossed their weapons as they approached.

"Halt," The one on the left ordered.

"Aizen-kami has summoned us," Karin answered as they came to a stop.

The guard turned to speak to someone she couldn't see. After a minute or two, the guards withdrew their spears as someone powerful approached the gates. When the man in question came into view, Karin was surprised to note that she recognized the silver haired Shinigami from the Claim Meetings she'd attended.

Taichou class, un-Claimed, but he always sat behind Unohana, and he carried himself slightly hunched. He wore nothing more than a plain white yukata. Even his feet were bare, which Karin thought was highly unusual.

"Ah, Karin-san," he addressed her, in an unusual accent, his face set with a foxlike smile. Then he turned his attention to her daughter. "And you _must_ be Ajuga-chan."

"Hi," Ajuga responded shyly.

"Aizen-kami is expecting you. This way, please."

He bowed and held out a hand to indicate the direction.

Karin nodded and fell into step beside him. Ajuga hung near her leg, looking about in amazement.

"I must say, it is a pleasure to finally meet you face-to-face Karin-chan," he smiled warmly at her.

"Thank you. I have never had the pleasure of your name," she admitted.

"Ah yes… my apologies. My name is Ichimaru Gin," he declared and bowed politely to her as they walked.

"Your name is funny," Ajuga giggled.

"Is it now?" he asked her with a smile.

"Yep," she said firmly with a nod of her head.

"Did Aizen-kami inform you what he wanted with us?" Karin inquired

"I'm afraid not," he frowned. "We are almost there."

The rest of the short trip was done in silence. Aizen was waiting for them in a tastefully decorated sitting room.

"Ah, Karin-chan, and Ajuga-chan. My, you have certainly grown," Aizen exclaimed, as if the two of them were relatives visiting after a long absence. He offered them a warm smile and gestured for them to sit in the chairs across from him.

Karin and Ajuga both sat after offering him a polite bow. Ajuga fiddled impatiently while Karin sat absolutely still. Gin set about pouring them all a cup of tea before kneeling beside Aizen's desk, hands clasped in his lap and head bowed.

Karin took a sip of the tea and oddly, began to relax, despite her inner anxiety. Ajuga also seemed less impatient as she sipped her own cup.

"How has Ajuga-chan been coming along?" Aizen asked.

"Well," Karin answered.

"Her growth rate?"

"About double that of a normal human, thus far. She is only two and already displaying the physical and mental development of an average four or five-year-old human," Karin answered.

"She seems to have an impressive amount of reiatsu for a child," he noted. "But I sense only hollow powers within her. A pity."

"She does take after Grimmjow," Karin smiled fondly at Ajuga.

"I am going to be strong like Papa," Ajuga chirped up happily. "Szay say so. He said my claws are already really, really sharp," she announced proudly, holding her hands out in a clawing gesture.

"Are they now?" Aizen asked amused, resting his cheek on the knuckles of one hand and taking a sip of tea with the other.

"Uh huh," Ajuga was clearly proud. "An I hunt really good. So good Papa can't find me, but Mama always does," she pouted at the last bit.

"Really now?"

"She is very good at hiding her reiatsu and stalking." Karin admitted with a hint of pride. "And you know the reason I always know what you are up to, brat?" Karin asked with a smirk.

" 'cause Mama always knows everything," Ajuga answered.

"That's right. Mama always knows everything you do, so no sneaking around."

Aizen's smile widened in real amusement at Karin's mock-warning.

"I have a wonderful garden out back. Ajuga-chan, why don't you show Gin here your prowess," Aizen suggested. "I'm sure he would love a demonstration of your skills."

Ajuga looked up at her expectantly. Karin did not like the situation at all, but reluctantly nodded her head.

"Go on, Ajuga. Just don't damage anything."

Ajuga cried happily and jumped from her chair while Gin stood up and offered her his hand. Ajuga readily took it and he led the girl out of the sitting room.

"What is it you wished to see me about?" Karin asked once her daughter was gone.

"You are a smart woman, Karin-chan, far smarter than your brother. Why do you think I summoned you?" Aizen asked, relaxing into his chair.

Karin sighed and took another soothing sip of her tea.

"You want me to find something, or someone," she guessed.

"Indeed," he smiled pleasantly.

"I won't betray Nii-san," Karin said firmly. "I've already told him my place is here, with my family."

Aizen set his cup down and shook his head at that.

"Fortunately, it is not your estranged brother I am looking for."

Karin felt a large amount of tension leave her body at that declaration.

"These creatures… Szayel mentioned that you noticed the portal opening at the lake during the initial attack."

"Yes," she said slowly. "But I understand Szayel went back and has since checked the lake, several times. As there were no lingering traces of reiatsu, I fail to see how useful I would be to you."

"If you concentrated, sat down and mediated, what is your range?" he asked.

Karin mentally cursed that he had thought of that.

"I am not entirely certain," she said slowly, and this too, wasn't exactly a lie, or rather, it was at least a half-truth. She honestly had never tested the limit of her range while in Jinzen, so technically, she had no idea how far out her abilities extended.

"Do it. I want you to find someone for me."

Karin swallowed nervously, before requesting who it was he desired her to find and pointing out it would be best if it was someone she knew.

"Let us make it relatively easy. Tell me where Ulquiorra is right now. He should have a sufficient pool to find."

Karin nodded and settled into Jinzen. She let her senses sweep out, pausing to make sure her daughter was well and safe. Ajuga was nearby with Gin, her reiatsu radiating happiness as she moved slowly about the pine shrubs.

Convinced her daughter was safe and well, Karin let her senses sweep outwards. She started with where she knew his house was and traced the lingering trail of his reiatsu. He was a good distance away from the city, and briefly Karin wondered if he was out on a mission or if Aizen had sent him out there to test her.

The distance was rather fair and she debated on letting him know that she had found the target. It was farther than she wanted him to know she could reach, but at the same time she wasn't so sure she dare lie to him.

Karin was spared the lie though when she felt several spikes of unfamiliar reiatsu. She quickly latched onto it, frowning as she watched the two merge and swirl about each other before becoming one. Her confusion didn't last long as nigh unnoticeable smaller flares of reiatsu suddenly streamed from the now single mass.

"I think a portal is opening," she gasped, eyes flying open as she reported without hesitation.

"Why and where?" he demanded, hands now planted firmly on the desk, all trace of smoothness in his voice gone.

She described what she saw and the location the best she could. A moment later, the alarms went off as Szayel's defence grid picked up the approaching swarm.

She snapped out of her trance, forcing herself to sit still while her body and mind screamed at her to get going.

"You have a division to run, you are dismissed," Aizen waved her away, seemingly done with her. "I will let you see yourself out."

Karin knew a chance to escape when she saw it. Jumping up, she gave a bow that barely qualified a proper before rushing out of the sitting room and towards Ajuga's reiatsu.

"Ajuga!" Karin called as she bolted into the garden, knowing exactly where her daughter was hiding.

Gin looked up at her in surprise, obviously not expecting her that soon. Ajuga came out from behind one of the bushes and leaped into her mother's waiting arms.

"Mama?" Ajuga asked, looking up at her, worry on her small face.

Karin wasted no time, nodding to Gin before launching into a Shunpo. She raced away from the palace the moment her daughter was in her arms. The streets were already full with Arrancar and Shinigami rushing to their stations. The young woman came to a halt and set her daughter down carefully, crouching to look Ajuga squarely in the eyes.

"Ajuga, I need you to do _exactly_ what I say, alright?"

"What is it Mama?"

Her daughter didn't seem to least bit disturbed by the commotion and alarms. It saddened Karin to realize the little girl had grown accustomed to the sounds of war already.

"I need you to go see Szay. I want you to run right there and don't stop for anything. When you get there I need you to tell him '42, 28'. Do you have that?" Karin asked.

"42, 28," Ajuga repeated dutifully.

"Good girl. Now go, quickly. Go see Szay and don't leave until Papa or I come get you."

"Right,"

Ajuga jumped from her arms and darted away, nimble as any cat. Karin watched her disappear, amazed at how easily her daughter weaved through the streets and crowds.

Then, giving herself a mental kick, Karin turned about and raced towards her Division, already seeking out Nanao's reiatsu.

"_Time to see if that training paid off,__"_she thought as she raced forward.

She had no doubt Ajuga would be safe with Szayel. Karin strongly suspected his lab was more protected than Aizen's Palace. It certainly seemed far less threatening and oppressive to her mind.


	61. Portal Generators

Portal Generators

Ajuga darted between feet and legs, moving through the crowd without a single pause. She had a mission from her mother and she was not going to fail her first real mission.

She managed to get off the streets and onto the roofs, leaping across them with ease and quickly made her way towards Szay's house. She had never run so fast in her young life and she found herself panting with exertion.

Finally, the huge glass house came into view and she bolted through the front doors without a moment's hesitation. She got several startled looks as she came to a halt and sniffed the air briefly before taking off after the strongest trace of Szay's scent.

Cries of alarm rose up behind her as she ran down the halls, but she ignored them. A few people tried to grab her, but she easily outmanoeuvred such poor moves. Her claws dug into the slippery floor as she raced around corners and even bounced off of the corridor walls a time or two to get around someone in the way, or another obstacle.

Finally, she found her target and charged into the room, ignoring the large display of monitors and the people sitting at the various stations who turned to look at her in surprise.

"Ajuga-chan, you can't be in here," Nemu admonished firmly, getting up and moving towards her.

"Szay, Szay," Ajuga cried urgently, ignoring Nemu and the few people that slid into the room behind her, trying to catch her. She deftly side-stepped Nemu and slipped a little on the polished tiles, until she saw a glimpse of pink hair and white mask.

Szayel turned to face her as she raced towards him. He blinked at her in surprise as she skidded to a halt before him.

"42, 28," she reported proudly, with a large amount of heavy panting from her exertion. "Mama said to tell Szay 42, 28."

"Nemu," Szayel snapped, and the woman immediately left off trying to catch Ajuga. Instead, she turned to one of the computers and quickly typed something into the console.

"Hai, Szayel-sama"

Ajuga was just happy to collapse on the cool floor, filled with pride at completing her mission and eagerly awaiting the praise she knew must be coming her way.

Szayel motioned to the people who had been chasing her away to leave before turning his full attention to one of the screens. The monitors changed and displayed two large scarabs, rainbow like wings spread and touching with a shimmering pool between them.

"Amazing!" Szayel exclaimed happily. "Nemu, take the appropriate equipment and the dead weight and go, quickly now!" he ordered, practically squealing with delight.

"Hai, Szayel-sama," Nemu bowed before departing.

Szayel turned his attention back to Ajuga. She looked up at him expectantly.

"Excellent work, Ajuga-chan," he smiled at her. "As expected of my favourite experiment."

She beamed happily up at him, but didn't move just yet. The floor was wonderfully cool. He turned back to his equipment and since he didn't say anything, Ajuga presumed it was safe to stay right where she was, although maybe a foot to the left where that part of the floor hadn't been warmed by her body yet.

(POV)

Karin wasted no time deploying her troops as soon as she got the earpiece from their fourth seat so she could listen to Szayel's instructions. She hadn't expected Ajuga to have made it already, and had honestly only given her daughter the mission to keep her on track.

The fact Ajuga had already reached Szayel and correctly conveyed the message simply astounded her. Then she pushed all of the pride that filled her aside for the moment and focused on the battle at hand. Szayel would deal with the Portal and she had a Division to lead in their first combat mission with her as their acting Fukutaichou. What's more, she had to lead them while making damn sure none of those blasted cockroaches managed to take a bite out of her.

"What we really need to do, is get Szayel to make _Raid Cannons_," she muttered.

"Fukutaichou?" one of her men hesitantly asked.

"Nothing," she sighed. "Alright you scurvy half-witted dogs!" she roared, gaining the attention of her troops. "You know the drill, you know the lines. They are like lambs coming into the slaughter. Get into formation, and let's swat us some bugs!" she barked.

"Hai, Fukutaichou," her division roared back at her as they clashed with the first wave.

She let herself flow into the battle, fist and foot leading the way as her reiatsu-infused body moved amongst the swarm; crushing and collapsing carapaces wherever they landed.

When the situation called for it, balls of Kido fire and nets of Kido lightning exploded around her. She felt a rush of familiar reiatsu and let a groan escape her as the bugs around her suddenly exploded in ichor and a too-well-known presence appeared behind her.

"Ajuga?" Grimmjow asked.

"With Szayel," she answered, relaxing briefly into his embrace.

"Good."

The fraction of a moment was over and the two separated; him to slice another Locust in half with Pantera while her fist crushed another's face. The swirl of battled consumed them both.

(POV)

The city alarms started wailing far off in the distance and Ulquiorra paused briefly indecisively. On one hand, Aizen had ordered him out here. On the other hand, Orihime was back at the city, pregnant with his child.

The indecision did not last long. Based on the numbers displayed on Szayel's little invention, Aizen's orders had been completed. He had no idea what Aizen expected him to find or look for out here, nor did he care. Orders were orders after all and Ulquiorra was the sort that didn't question those orders often.

He headed back to the city, pausing almost immediately when his ears picked up the sounds of the Swarm before him. He quickly concealed himself and approached more cautiously, not because he felt trash like this could seriously harm him but because he understood that even he could be overwhelmed and that far more valuable information could be learned when one approached things practically.

"_A lesson that fools like Nnoitra and Yammy could stand to learn,__"_he couldn't help but to think condescendingly.

He felt no panic or any other strong emotion coming through the Claim, so he knew Orihime was perfectly fine, wherever she was. She had promised him the moment she knew she was pregnant that she would avoid the front lines and instead help out with the injured at the 4th with Unohana-taichou.

There were not many places safer for her than that. With no threat to kin or Kami, Ulquiorra felt no reason to rush home, and instead deemed it wiser to see what he could learn from behind enemy lines.

Finally spotting the Swarm moving like a black snake across the sky before him, he kept his distance from it while remaining concealed and following it backwards towards its source.

He had to admit that the originating point was an impressive sight. Two giant scarabs, rainbow-colored wings raised in an arch towards each other until the tips touched, stood facing each other. In the space between the wings a portal shimmered.

The Swarm came gushing out of the opening like a flow of black water. To the side, he spotted two more Scarabs coming in for a landing, confirming the fact the creatures could use their wings for flight.

The wings appeared normal until the two new Scarabs faced each other and spread their wings. As soon at the tips touched, they shimmered and lit up like the interplay of lightning between storm clouds. A flux of power rushed through the wings before another portal was ripped open. Instead of locusts, this portal produced the large, lumbering beetles.

Ulquiorra had seen enough. Without hesitation he drew his blade.

"Tozase, Murcielago," he whispered firmly.

The familiar wash of his power returning to him rushed over his body. When the influx was over he spread his own wings and launched himself at the Scarab Portal Generators. Pure energy formed in his hands and he let loose the first spear of energy.

All four lances pierced through their targets before the Swarm even had a chance to realize he was there. The four targets wailed in agony and he had to quickly cover his eyes as the creatures wings broke contact with each other.

The resulting explosion and light show from the disrupted portals was impressive and the noise left his ears ringing while the light left him temporarily blind. Only his enhanced heirro saved him from what have been a rather demeaning gutting as the Swarm finally took notice of him and descended upon his form.

"Trash," he muttered as he summoned another spear of energy.

He tore through the swarm, ignoring their pathetic attempts to bite him. Eventually they did manage to get a firm hold on him, even if they could not pierce his skin.

"A foolish waste of time," he admonished them, trying to shake them off.

His eyes did widen momentarily when he noticed that one of the beetles had turned its attention to them. He realized too late that it intended to spit its acid on him while he was caught.

"Clever," he conceded.

That acid was strong enough to burn through him, and the ones holding him. While they could not puncture him, the sheer mass and number of the Locust holding him prevented him from moving much.

It was one hell of a near miss and he hissed in agony as the caustic liquid spewed towards him, clipping his left wing and arm. The Locust holding him dissolved, freeing that side of his body.

He forced the agony of his melting wing and burning arm aside as he summoned another lance and aimed it at the beetle before it could fire again. It let out a satisfying scream as the lance impaled one of its many eyes.

The thing's death throes tore up large sections of the Swarm and he was able to free the rest of himself from the Locust holding him in the resulting confusion.

Ulquiorra cursed silently as his left wing refused to work, far too melted to embrace the air and his arm was burning extremely painfully. He had clearly overstayed his welcome and spotting no more of the scarabs, he let himself retreat back to the city.

It didn't take long for him to be spotted again, or at least scented, perhaps through his blood. Whatever that acid was made of completely nullified his regeneration. In fact, he swore the stuff actively ate away at his flesh.

The Swarm once more descended upon him. He slashed at them and batted them aside. His vision went black as they swamped him. Suddenly there was what could only be described as a stirring amongst the bugs. Ulquiorra could only stare at them in incomprehension as the Swarm suddenly abandoned him, clearly having found what they deemed a more worthy target.

Whatever it was that had caught their attention, the Fourth Espada was grateful to it for allowing him to make good his escape and avoid any further of rather demeaning mauling.

(POV)

Karin cursed, uttering words so foul she felt her own ears burning. She had gotten careless, too busy worrying over her troops that she had missed the one that finally got through her guard with its pincers.

Like the previous time she'd been injured, the Swarm seemed to pause before frenzying. Cursing again violently, Karin quickly segregated herself from her troops as she suddenly became the next best thing to the blue light special.

She fled the battlefield the best she could, heading away from the city and knocking aside any bugs that got before her. Eventually the sheer wall of creatures did force a halt in her retreat.

"Son of a fucking bitch!" she swore, glad her daughter wasn't here to hear her swearing like her father.

The Swarm formed a living wall around her, chittering excitedly.

"We meet again at last. I had feared you had died," a familiar voice declared.

Karin shot a poison-filled glare as three Generals materialized from the Swarm before her. White Knot once more stood in the middle with two new generals by his side.

"A pity you aren't," she sniped back.

"As sharp-tongued as ever," he chuckled.

At least Karin though it was a chuckle, it sounded more like chalk grating on a board to her.

"What the hell do you want?" she demanded.

"Nothing has changed save that the stability of the worlds has worsened and the boundaries weaken."

"You are right, nothing has changed, not even my answer. Fuck off!" she snarled heatedly.

"The realms must be stabilized."

"I told you idiots before, putting me on the throne would be like putting a bandage over a gapping chest wound. Aizen would just massacre the people of another city, walk in, and kill me. Find a way to kill Aizen, and then, only then, would I consider your half brained plan!" she said firmly.

"We are done negotiating. You will come with us now."

"Like hell I will," Karin spat.

She smiled and suddenly went very still.

"zerren'er?" Lefty demanded in a pleased buzzed.

"No," Karin's smirk widened, "I just don't want him to miss."

"Desgarrón!" came a furious roar from behind the living dome.

Karin remained still as blue blades of pure energy slashed into the earth around her, kicking up chunks of earth, large rocks and dust, leaving large rents in the ground. Debris ricocheted off of her hastily-erected Kido barrier.

The swarm scattered in panic as Grimmjow landed beside her; fangs bared and ears laid back in obvious rage.

The dust finally cleared, revealing the three Generals. With a hiss of rage, Grimmjow kicked off from the ground, catching the first one around the neck with a clawed hand. The creature struggled weakly as its throat was crushed.

The other two scattered. Karin wasted no time chasing them down, but was waylaid as the Swarm descended to block her from following them. Behind her Grimmjow finished crushing the throat of the unfortunate General he had captured and tossed the carcass aside before launching after her and their prey.

"Did they harm you?" he demanded as he easily caught up to her.

"They were trying to kill me again," she answered.

He snarled and took off ahead of her. His speed far outstripped hers, and reluctantly she gave up the chase. Both of the Generals and Grimmjow were faster than her. Despite her own interest, Karin turned herself back to the main battle and the Division she was in charge of.

She would leave the hunting to those better suited for it. But first, she needed to see about the small slice in her leg. It wouldn't do to let anymore of the damn locusts get another taste of her blood.

"I need to get Szayel to make me some bloody bug dope," she sighed to herself. "So the next time one of them manages to bite me they won't recognize the taste, and if all goes well, they will even flutter off to die miserably somewhere," she added vindictively.

(POV)

Panic hit him, instantly distracting him from his current target. Fortunately, Grimmjow's heirro was such that the worse that happened was the damn locust's pincers grated annoyingly against his skin.

The battle had raged about them and during it he had once again gotten separated from Karin. This time the distance was great, and getting greater. Worse, the panic racing through their bond did not abate. If anything, it got worse.

"Fuck," he cursed.

He wasted no time running his hand along Pantera's blade, barking out the release command and launching into a Sonido towards Karin. The Swarm was acting strangely, suddenly seeming to wall up.

In fact, when he finally caught up to her the damn things were making a solid dome out of their bodies around her. He quickly calculated where she was beneath the writhing mass and wasted no time slicing a path through them.

To his relief she was completely fine as he came down beside her. He spotted the three Generals and wasted no time in going after them. He felt very little satisfaction and his clawed hand strangled the first one as it struggled pathetically in his grasp.

It was too easy of a death for threatening what was his. The other two and Karin were already gone as he discarded the dead body. He caught up to Karin quickly and picked one of the two targets.

He grabbed it and let his clawed hand go through the back of the blasted things back. It screamed in agony as he pulled his ichor-soaked hand back through the hole it had created.

He wasted no time shredding it into ribbons. By the time he was done, the third one had escaped. He snarled in rage and turned his frustration onto the locusts all around him. He felt no further strong emotions from Karin and traced her back to the safety of the main lines.

He let his rage play out against the Swarm, knowing the last target had to be long gone. He hardly even noticed the battle was over until he felt the calming presence of Karin as she approached him.

She looked weary, but otherwise fine; and rather sexy covered in the 'blood' of their enemies. He pulled her into his grasp and nuzzled her neck; he also ignored the insignificant others around them as he double checked for himself that she was fine.

His reiatsu scan revealed no real damage, exactly as his visual scan did. All he sensed from her was exhaustion and relief.

Her hands buried themselves in his hair shortly before gently scratching behind his ears. He sighed, taking in her calming scent and enjoying the feel of her reiatsu stroking softly against his.

Finally, his battle high receded to be replaced by the desperate urge to bathe. They were both sticky and reeked of insect gore. Yes a shower, one with a very naked Karin in it, sounded very nice about now.

He launched into a Sonido, ignoring her protest and bringing them back to the den. Ajuga would be fine with Szayel for a little while longer. Her protests had faded by the time they got to the bathroom.

He shredded what was left of her uniform with his claws. It was ruined anyway. Then he discarded his own clothing and pulled her into the shower with him. For the longest time they just stood under the hot water, holding onto each other, before he slowly and tenderly captured her lips with his own.

What followed was nothing more than tender love making, not the more passionate antics he usually engaged in and enjoyed after battle. For some reason, he instinctively knew that this was what she needed and wanted right now.

When they were finally done, both with the sex and the shower, he settled her into bed with a promise to retrieve their daughter. Reluctantly, she agreed and he could tell she had fallen asleep by the time the front door had closed.

(POV)

Szayel was far too excited for his own good as he directed the remains of not only the four Scarabs into his lab, but the one general Grimmjow hadn't left as a pile of shredded flesh. It would seem Christmas had come early this year.

Unfortunately, Nemu and Renji hadn't been able to make it to the scarabs before Ulquiorra had neutralized them, but they were able to retrieve the corpses and the visual data he had acquired thanks to Karin's timely delivery of the coordinates. All of the samples would be immensely helpful.

Thinking of Karin, Szayel frowned as a thought suddenly occurred to him. He hadn't taken notice of Ajuga since she had delivered the information to him in the later part of the afternoon. It was fast approaching midnight and the idea of the child left to amuse herself in any of the laboratories made him scramble out of his seat to find her. He valued his life and if Karin discovered he had misplaced her daughter he was sure another spanking would be the least of his worries.

Fortunately, Ajuga was easy enough to find. The little girl had found her way to his bedroom and was curled up in the center of his bed, sleeping peacefully. He let out a sigh of relief and covered her with a blanket before all thoughts of the girl were quickly gone, replaced by the far more thrilling prospect of the new experiments waiting for him in his lab.

(POV)

"Ulquiorra!" Orihime nearly screamed when he finally made it to the 4th Division.

The acid had not stopped consuming his flesh and his entire left wing had nearly been eaten away. His left arm was almost nothing more than bone and he thought, absently, that it hurt a hell of a lot. A lesser being would probably have been writhing in agony by now, but he simply bore it stoically.

"What happened?" Orihime cried as she forced him to lay down, an expression of horror on her face as she took in the extent of his injuries.

His answer was delayed as he held back a hiss of agony as he lay down on his chest to spare what was left of his wing.

"Beetle acid," he answered once he was sure he could do so with a somewhat normal voice.

The pleasant feeling of her golden shield enveloped him. He let his eyes close in relief as the pain finally began to ebb after having suffered through it for Kami knew how many hours. Why in the world had Kami sent him that far away? Any farther and the acid would have had the time necessary to eat through something vital, like an internal organ.

Slowly the flesh of his arm repaired itself and his wing began to reform. When the last traces of acid injury had been rejected, the dome fell. He had about four seconds to rest before he found Orihime hugging him tightly.

"Onna," he protested, almost squeaking as her grip on him tightened.

She sat back, holding him at arm's length and he took several gulps of air.

"Don't _ever_ leave it that long again," she admonished. "What if I had no power left? What if you couldn't get here in time? What if that acid had gotten to something vital?" she demanded.

"I would have removed the affected limbs," he answered monotonously.

She looked at him, appalled, before laying into him about how foolish he was being. He sighed and let her tirade wash over him as he resealed his powers now that he felt it safe to do so and now that the acid had been cleansed from his body.

Orihime was quick to snatch Murcielago as the blade reformed before him and brandished his own sheathed weapon at him, demanding if the Zanpakuto agreed.

"I have said it before, Onna, Murcielago is simply my power sealed. It has no consciousness, thus asking for its opinion is meaningless," he stated matter-of-factly, reaching out a hand to reclaim his weapon to put an end to her lecture.

Like the time on the hill, the weapon zapped him. He stared at it in annoyance while Orihime smirked in triumph. He really shouldn't have been that surprised. Things rarely made sense around her. That was one of the things that made her so interesting.

"Orihime-san, I think it would be best to permit Ulquiorra-san to rest," Unohana appeared beside them.

"I guess," she agreed. "Just promise me you won't do something foolish like that again."

"Very well," he agreed.

Orihime nodded her head in satisfaction before marching off to assist with the next wounded patient.

Ulquiorra briefly considered asking her to return his weapon, but in the end just sighed and laid back down to rest. She could hold onto the disobedient blade for now. The two deserved each other.

"_I pray our child does not inherit her stubbornness,__"_he thought as he drifted off to a light slumber to regain his strength.

At some point Orihime must have realized she was carrying Murcielago, because when he stirred he found his Zanpakuto resting beside him. There was a faint trace of her reiatsu around the blade, indicating she must have just returned it.

He guessed it had been her retreating presence that had woken him. Feeling completely rested, he rose from the bed and returned Murcielago to its rightful place at his hip.

A glance at the time showed it to be rather late, well past midnight. He found Orihime tending to another patient. Her body and reiatsu were both exhausted. He frowned in displeasure.

"Onna," he called.

She ignored him.

"Onna," he called.

She completely ignored him. He doubted it was because she didn't hear him.

"Onna," he tried a third time, and this time she spun to glare at him.

"I do have a name you know," she snapped in irritation.

He blinked at her in surprise at her outburst.

"_This must be the result of the hormonal changes Szayel warned me about,__"_he guessed.

"I am aware," he pointed out.

"Then use it. You are worse than Grimmjow, at least he uses my name now," she growled.

He felt a flash of irritation at being compared to the Sixth. Yes, the hooligan had come a long ways over the past several years, especially after taking a mate and fathering a child, but he was still far inferior to himself.

"Orihime-san, please lower your voice," one of the nurses asked politely.

She looked slightly abashed, but was still glaring at him.

"Orihime," he finally sighed.

She smiled happily and before he knew it she was in his arms, hugging him. How the simple use of her name could create such a reaction was still a mystery to him.

"Again," she purred happily.

"Orihime Cifer," he muttered.

She froze in his grasp before pulling back slightly to study his eyes. He noted the confusion in hers before realizing he had never gotten around to letting her know she was now entitled to his name. Well, he'd been more than busy. It had simply been an oversight on his part.

"Say it again," she demanded in a near whisper.

"Orihime Cifer."

A smile touched her lips before she closed the distance between them and promptly passed out in his arms.

He held back a sigh of irritation. Nothing was predictable with this woman. But then, that was one of the best things about her. 'Boring' was a word that simply did not describe her


	62. Discovery

Discovery

When Karin walked into the 5th Division headquarters the next day, she noticed the others were acting strangely about her. She had ordered everyone fit to report to the cafeteria, mainly so they could all sit comfortably while she went over how the battle had gone.

It also helped that the room could be darkened so everyone would be able to see the projections she had gathered from Szayel on the last battle. She briefly wondered if the Shinigami had ever seen such a tool before.

She was just glad Szayel understood her request and already had the necessary equipment ready to go. It made her life a hell of a lot easier.

The cafeteria was almost full as everyone found a place. Even those wrapped heavily in bandages had managed to find their way here. She was pleased to such loyalty and determination from her troops.

"Set it up right here," she ordered the two 'scientists' who had come with her.

"Hai, Karin-sama," they bowed and set to work getting the projector set up.

She felt a twitch of annoyance, but decided to overlook it. Trust Szayel to find a way to get under her skin if he couldn't be here to do it himself.

Karin turned her attention to the gathered Shinigami, noting there was definitely something in the air. It felt like a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. She ignored it for now.

"Close the doors and make sure the shutters on the windows are tight," she ordered.

Those closest quickly did so before she had every eye on her. It was rather unnerving. There was definitely something in the air and she couldn't tell if it was a good or bad thing.

Whatever it was it was going to distract from today's lesson, so after a few seconds of debate she decided to clear the air and get whatever had them in a snit out into the open.

"Would anyone like to inform me what is bothering the lot of you?" she demanded, eyes locking in turn with each of the seated officers.

There was nervous shuffling and a few nervous coughs. Finally, the third seat dared to speak.

"Fukutaichou, several of us saw you running through the city with what appeared to be an Arrancar child," he started nervously.

"Indeed. That would have been Ajuga," she confirmed, suddenly guessing what was going on.

"And later, one of the Espada… accosted you after the battle," that was the fourth seat that spoke this time, his cheeks burning.

"My personal life is hardly of any concern to you," she pointed out, and several had the good graces to look ashamed. "But if you must know, the Espada was Grimmjow. Ajuga is his daughter."

Comprehension dawned on the crowd at that. The Claiming Law was well known and they already knew Grimmjow had trained her. It didn't take much to leap from training to Claiming.

"Wait a minute, didn't you say you had a daughter, Fukutaichou?" one of the unseated women suddenly cried out.

"I did," she confirmed.

"Then…"

"Indeed. Ajuga Jaegerjaquez is my daughter," she confirmed proudly.

There was a stunned silence in the crowd.

"Now that my personal life has been laid bare, let's get to work shall we?"

The projector fired up behind her. She did notice no one was paying attention to it though.

"If you require further prying into my life, you may ask me about it AFTER the meeting. Until then, anyone I see not paying attention will be spend the next three hours scrubbing the compound from top to bottom!" she threatened.

That certainly seemed to snap most of them back to attention and several winced.

"Better," she murmured, picking up the remote for the projector.

She started going over the battle, pointing out their errors and ways to improve coordination. Most of them seemed to actually find the projector fascinating and almost all of them were paying attention to what was on the screen.

She noted the few that were not giving her their attention and made a mental note to discipline them afterwards. When the meeting was finally over and she felt that everything important had been discussed, she dismissed them, informing them that those who wanted to continue to pry into her personal life would be permitted to remain.

No one moved. They all looked at her expectantly. She groaned inwardly and decided that she really shouldn't have been that surprised.

"_At least they don__'__t seem hostile, just honestly curious,__"_she noted.

"Alright. Raise your hand if you have a question," she ordered with a defeated sigh.

A dozen hands shot up.

"Yes," she pointed to one hand.

"How old is she?" one excited girl asked.

"Just over two years old," Karin answered.

That brought a murmur of surprise. Karin understood, after all Ajuga looked closer to five.

"Next question."

The next hour became an impromptu question and answer session. They asked her about everything from Ajuga to her relationship with Grimmjow. She answered what she felt comfortable with, and told them it wasn't their business if she felt they were veering too close to something she thought they didn't need to know.

After finally fulfilling their curiosity she dismissed them, but only after calling out those whose attention had wandered during the debriefing. They groaned about having been caught and reluctantly started grabbing scrub brushes and buckets.

After giving each one their assigned area to clean, Karin happily retreated to the office she shared with Nanao while the two 'scientists' gathered up the projector and returned to their own Division.

"Karin," Nanao greeted her warmly. "How did the meeting go?"

"It would have gone better if everyone was more interested in going over the battle instead of wondering about my private life," she grouched.

Nanao snickered softly as Karin took a seat at her desk and pulled out the prepared sheets to make up the next training schedule. There were several things she had noticed during the start of the battle before she got waylaid that the Division needed to work on.

"Can you blame them for being curious?" Nanao asked. "You are the first to give birth to a Hollow child while not being a Hollow yourself."

"Yeah," she agreed. "I won't be the only one for long though. Orihime-chan will be having a child of her own soon," Karin said, returning the grin.

"Yes, but that fact that she's pregnant isn't at all well known yet. And being their Fukutaichou, you are far safer to question than one of the Espada themselves," Nanao pointed out.

"Indeed," Karin conceded. Then she thought about what Grimmjow would have said about the situation had he been in her position and decided she'd rather deal with a little curiosity on the part of her squads than mopping up after her mate decided to thrash them.

(POV)

Orihime woke up slowly, feeling safe and comfortable in the arms of the Espada holding her tightly against him.

They used to sleep back to back, but ever since she had informed him of her pregnancy he had started to curl up protectively about her at night. It was apparently instinct so that anyone attempting to harm the child would have to go through him first.

It wasn't their sleeping arrangements that had her feeling fuzzy this morning though. Despite her exhaustion last night, she recalled the last words to have left his lips before she had passed out.

"_Orihime Cifer,__"_she whispered, trying them out for herself.

She felt that warmth spread slightly. It wasn't as if they had been married in the traditional human sense, so the issue of her family name had never crossed her mind. The fact he was willing to let her bear his spoke volumes.

"_I wonder if he would concede to a proper human wedding,__"_she mused, imagining him dressed in a tux and holding back a squeal of delight at the image that formed in her imagination.

She let herself daydream about it for a while before sighing and deciding he would probably sooner die, again, than agree to such a thing.

"_I wonder if Grimmjow lets Karin use his name,__"_she wondered absently.

She felt Ulquiorra shift behind her before settling down again. It was very rare she awoke before he did. Usually she woke to the chill of the morning air brushing her back as he rose.

Twisting in his grasp she turned to face him. It was rare she got to watch him sleep, to see all of the barriers stripped away. He actually seemed peaceful and almost childlike. She hoped their child looked like him, not plain like her.

A wicked idea suddenly touched her mind, an old slumber party trick she hadn't done in years. A grin touched her face as she slowly ran a hand up his chest. He twitched in his sleep.

Smile widening, she let her fingers wander to one of his nipples and began to play with it, watching in amazement as it hardened under her questing fingers. He twitched some more and shifted with a soft moan.

Pleased with the reaction, she replaced her fingers with her mouth, swirling her tongue around the bud of flesh before suckling softly. He moaned and shifted some more, but by the calm, even level of his reiatsu he was still clearly asleep.

Growing bolder, she put pressure on his shoulder until he lay on his back, with her half-draped over him. Blame it on the hormones, but all she wanted to do right now was devour the pale flesh beneath her hands.

She latched her mouth to his nipple again, and used her free hand to play with the other. She gazed up his body and watched, fascinated, as his face contorted into various emotions.

It was the most amazing thing she had ever seen. Usually when emotion broke through his control it was irritation or anger. Seldom did she see a sight like this, let alone explore his 'human' form.

The free hand traced over his abs, marvelling at the toned muscle beneath the skin before traveling further south. Orihime paused there though. She had never really initiated something like this with him, and wasn't sure how he would react.

Her hands had traced his body before, but they had always stayed in the 'safe' zones. He had never demanded anything more of her other than to present herself to him when he wanted her, although he had definitely done more than that to her.

Orihime froze as a thought suddenly occurred to her, and she found herself blushing furiously while wondering if she had the guts to do something like _that_. Steeling her will, she let her hand finish the journey.

She watched, enthralled, as his face contorted in pleasure and he let out a whimper. The soft flesh in her hand stiffened with the attention. Captivated, she continued to play with him.

The flesh was warm in her hands and she noted that the tip was slowly starting to leak clear fluid. She thumbed over it, spreading the fluid around a bit and nearly jumped when a moan came from Ulquiorra's throat and he squirmed beneath her.

It was an amazing thing to see. She kissed her way down his body and paused when she was at her target. She stared at it in wonder, slowly working up the courage to do what she was contemplating.

She moved the last little bit and slowly let her tongue slip out to touch the soft flesh still held in her hand while keeping one eye on his face. His mouth fell open and he began to pant.

Courage fortified, she took the tip in her mouth and sucked softly. His eyes shot open, his reiatsu flared and he gasped as his back arched off the bed.

"Onna?" He questioned breathlessly. "Wha…" he never finished as she decided to apply suction.

He fell onto his back with a gasp. Orihime felt a moment of astonishment that she had managed to silence him with such a simple action. Emboldened, she took more of him into her mouth.

He let out another gasp and squirmed beneath her.

"Onna," he groaned.

She nipped the tip, earning a yelp from him and he forced himself to his elbows to glare at her.

She ignored him, and with a swirl of her tongue around his tip he fell onto his back once more. He panted heavily, his hands clenching and his body was quickly soaked in sweat.

"Stop…," he panted.

She ignored him.

"Enough…Onna!" he gasped.

She nipped him again, earning a hiss of from him before using her tongue to ease the pain her teeth had caused.

"Orihime," he hissed.

She finally stopped tormenting him and turned a smile his way.

"Was that so hard?" she questioned.

He just panted.

Orihime crawled back up his body, pausing to lick his nipples before finishing the trek and capturing his lips with her own. She straddled his waist and stared into green eyes that gazed hazily and lustfully back up at her.

She felt a blush coming on, uncertainty beginning to take a grip of her. She had never been on top of him before and the view was definitely interesting and different.

"Do you plan on leaving me unsatisfied?" he suddenly questioned.

Both her blush and her uncertainty grew and she found she couldn't look into his eyes anymore.

He sighed beneath her and raised his hands to grasp her hips. She expected him to flip them around, but instead all he did was move her hips up slightly and back a bit. Her eyes widened in surprise as she felt the tip of him prodding her entrance.

He raised an eyebrow at her, clearing asking 'well?' without actually speaking.

Feeling suddenly giddy, Orihime giggled softly before slowly sinking back down, taking his length into her. His eyes closed in bliss, earning another soft giggle from her. She braced her hands on either side of his head before bringing her lips to his once more.

The kiss was tender and soft. His hands remained on her hips and his thumbs gently massaged the dips of her thighs. Slowly, the kiss ended and grey eyes met green. Smiling softly, she sat back and slowly rolled her hips against his.

His eyes closed in pleasure and his hips rose to meet hers. She sighed in pleasure as their bodies moved together. Although no other sound escaped his lips and his eyes remained closed, the slightest twitches of his facial expression gave away just how good he felt.

For some reason, it bothered her. His eyes were the only thing that often betrayed him to her. The only thing she had to see what he really felt.

"Open your eyes," she ordered.

His eyes did open, but she had a feeling it was more out of surprise at the assertiveness of her tone rather than because she had ordered it.

There, in his eyes she could see the lust for her; the mounting bliss he felt as their bodies moved together. She felt a moan leave her lips as she let herself drown in those eyes. Eyes that looked at her like no others ever had throughout her life. Eyes that had never stared at another, not even Kami-sama, the way they looked at her.

She let loose a soft cry as she felt completion come to her. Beneath her, Ulquiorra shuddered and the hands on her hips tightened briefly as his cum filled her. At the end of the carnal wave, Orihime sighed and rested against his chest until she managed to get her breathing under control once more.

"Orihime," Ulquiorra breathed.

"Hmm?" she smiled at him.

"I have a meeting to attend to."

"Oh right," she blushed and finally got off of him.

He rolled over and sat up, then turned to face her and she froze in shock as he leaned in and placed a kiss on her forehead before getting up and proceeding to dress.

"Karin is almost here," he commented.

"Oh shoot!" Orihime yelped, clambering out of bed to get dressed as well. "I forgot all about that," she cursed.

She finished dressing just as Karin knocked on the front door and Ajuga barged in, bouncing about with more energy than anyone should ever have at that time of the morning.

"Hime-neesan, Hime-neesan," Ajuga cheered. "Can we see Bya-san, please, please, please?" Ajuga begged.

"We will see," Orihime giggled. "But first, we got to go see Tatsuki-neesan."

"An Tes-niisan, right?" Ajuga added.

"Tes?" Karin asked with a raised eye.

"Tesra-san," Orihime explained.

"Ah yes. I might run a bit late today with meetings and such from yesterday's battle."

"No problem," Orihime smiled at her warmly. "Having Ajuga-chan is always a treat. Gets me ready for my own little one."

"When is the baby coming?" Ajuga asked excitedly.

"Not for some time," Orihime laughed. "It will be in the summer, maybe early fall."

"Too long," Ajuga pouted before her eyes fell upon Ulquiorra.

"Morning, Ul'cora-san," Ajuga greeted.

"Ulquiorra," he corrected.

"Don't waste your breath. If she can't get names of the people she likes right, she won't get yours," Karin uttered, and then sighed.

"Than perhaps you need to find her a better teacher," he commented. "Or discourage her from continuing being so disrespectful."

"She is a child. Children have a harder time with things like that. At her age she should barely be talking" Karin countered.

"She is not human. You should cease treating her as one," he declared.

"Ajuga is Ajuga," Ajuga pronounced. "Szay's favourite experiment," she added happily.

"That is _not_ something to be proud of." Ulquiorra commented as he walked past them to the front door.

Ajuga hissed in outrage that he had insulted her proud title and swiped at his leg as he walked past. Ulquiorra actually jumped a bit in shock as her claws easily tore through his heirro, drawing blood and leaving four thin, shallow lines in his ankle.

"Ajuga!" Karin admonished, catching her daughter by the upper arm.

"No mean to Szay," Ajuga hissed in anger, her fur standing on end.

Ulquiorra looked from her to the scratches that were slowly oozing blood.

"Impressive," he admitted reluctantly before continuing his trip to the door and disappearing in a Sonido.

Ajuga puffed out in pride at having defended Szay's honour.

"We go see Tsuki-neesan now?" Ajuga questioned.

"Hai, hai," Orihime laughed. "Let's go see Tatsuki-neesan,"

"I'll see you after work. You behave, Ajuga," Karin ordered sternly.

"I will," Ajuga saluted smartly.

Karin left and Orihime pulled her shoes on before leading Ajuga outside and locking up the house.

"Do you remember the way?" Orihime asked.

"Yep," Ajuga assured her cheerfully before quickly taking the lead down the street.

"Oi, Ajuga-chan, not so fast," Orihime called after her.

The little girl was definitely quick. They drew a lot of attention on their way to Tatsuki and Tesra's home. Children were rare here and Ajuga didn't exactly hide her presence. The inhabitants were still getting used to girl.

They reached the small home quickly; after all it wasn't that far away. Ajuga hopped up the steps and banged on the door.

"Tes-niisan, Tsuki-neesan!" she called excitedly.

The door opened to show a haggard-looking Tatsuki.

"Ajuga-chan," the woman nodded at her. "Keep it down, Tesra is still sleeping,"

"Oh, Sorry," she apologized. "Is Tes-niisan okay?"

"He's fine, just tired from the battle yesterday," Tatsuki explained.

"Just the battle?" Orihime asked, a little too slyly.

"Maybe more," Tatsuki shared a knowing smile with her while Ajuga looked at them in confusion.

"It is getting late though. Why don't you go wake him up?" Tatsuki suggested.

Ajuga looked up at them happily before dropping low to the ground and started stalking her way into the house.

To Ajuga, wake up meant to stalk. Karin explained it was one of the best ways to get Grimmjow out of bed, to simply sic his daughter on him and watch the show. After all, if Ajuga could wake up a dedicated and professional sleeper like Starrk, then there was no one she couldn't awaken.

"GAH!" came a shocked scream from the house.

It was quickly followed by the sound of Ajuga cheering for having completed her hunt successfully. Several moments later a disgruntled-looking Tesra appeared, holding a beaming Ajuga by the scruff of her neck.

"I got 'em!" Ajuga announced happily.

Orihime and Tatsuki laughed.

"It looks more like Tesra has you," Tatsuki countered.

"I had Tes-niisan first," Ajuga defended.

"Yes, but it's who has who in the end that matters," Tatsuki pointed out.

"Right," Ajuga acquiesced.

Tesra set her down and the girl remained at his feet.

"We go see Bya-san now?" she questioned.

"I am required to tend to Matsumoto-san," Tesra answered, scratching the back of his neck.

"Ran-neesan!" Ajuga cheered.

"Let me get my shoes on first," Tatsuki smiled at the girl.

"And you have to behave. You know Nnoitra doesn't like kids," Orihime added.

"More like he doesn't like Karin-chan and Grimmjow," Tatsuki muttered under her breath as she pulled her shoes on.

Ajuga either didn't catch what Tatsuki said, or didn't care. She was already halfway out of the yard by the time Tatsuki finished putting her shoes on and strapping the katana to her belt.

"How is Karin-chan?" Tatsuki asked.

"She looked fine this morning. A little ruffed up from the battle, but otherwise she was completely fine," Orihime announced cheerfully.

"And you?"

"Same old, same old. No change since yesterday. Honestly Tatsuki-chan, you worry too much!" Orihime admonished.

"It's my job to worry," Tatsuki sniffed. "After all, it was part of my agreement with Ulquiorra."

"Oh?" Orihime smirked at her.

"Don't you dare start on that again," Tatsuki threatened.

"But Tatsuki-chan," Orihime whined.

"We are not going there," Tatsuki said firmly. "_Especially_ not with Ajuga-chan here."

"Tsuki-neesan, are you going to have a baby soon too?" Ajuga asked.

Tatsuki nearly tripped at the question, as did Tesra, who had remained silent and in the lead with Ajuga by his side.

"Where on earth did you get that idea?" Tatsuki demanded.

"Well, you and Tes-niisan are together right? So isn't it normal to have a baby? You smell like each other after all."

Orihime held back her laughter while the other two blushed deeply, Tesra with embarrassment and Tatsuki with mortification.

"What?" Tatsuki demanded.

"You two are together right?" Ajuga pointed out. "Otherwise ownership wouldn't be refreshed so often."

Orihime lost her control and started laughing hysterically, arms wrapped around her middle and tears forming at the creases of her eyes.

"You are not helping," Tatsuki accused her. "And what do you know about this kind of stuff?" she demanded of Ajuga.

"Papa told me 'bout Claims," Ajuga answered innocently.

"It is expected of Hollow children to learn about it at a young age," Tesra spoke up weakly. "They are not exempt from being targets."

Orihime shut up at once and both women turned appalled glances at the Arrancar, who was looking uncomfortable himself.

"Surely not!" Orihime gasped.

"It has happened, especially among female young if the Claimer feels the child will grow into a potential mate," he said softly.

"That's disgusting," Tatsuki spat. "How could anyone, even a Hollow, rape a child?" she snarled.

"Rape?" he looked at her horrified. "That would potentially kill the child unless the Claimer was pathetically weak and the child astonishingly strong. Children are Claimed by getting them to drink the essence of the one doing the Claiming. There is more than enough reiatsu in that to chain them."

Both women still looked slightly ill, but relieved at his words.

"Ran-neesan," Ajuga called out, snapping them out of the rather uncomfortable situation they had talked themselves into.

Rangiku sat on the front porch with Nnoitra, the later turning a scowl their way. Ajuga skidded to a halt before them.

"Good morning, Ajuga-chan," Rangiku cooed at her.

"Good morning Nnoitra-san, Ran-neesan," Ajuga greeted them, with a bow.

"She can get his name right, but not Ulquiorra's," Orihime sighed.

"Nnoitra is a bit easier to say for a child," Tatsuki pointed out.

"Yo, brat," the Fifth Espada greeted her.

"Bya-san said I could see his garden again. Can Ran-neesan come too? Please, please pleeeeease…" she begged him.

"Whatever," he shrugged. "I got a meeting to get to, bloody Aizen-kami dragging all our asses up this early after a frigging battle," he cursed.

He stole a kiss from a startled Rangiku before sauntering off with Santa Theresa slung over his shoulder, tossing her a wave as he walked through the gate.

Ajuga danced around Rangiku's feet happily while the others finished their walk to the house.

"I… I…" Rangiku stammered, lapsing into stunned silence.

"_That_ was unexpected," Tatsuki noted. "Is he feeling alright?"

"Nnoitra-sama must be in a good mood today," Tesra stated.

"Let's go," Ajuga cheered, unclasping the chain from Rangiku's anklet.

"Let me get changed first, Ajuga-chan. Unless you want me to go out in my night gown?"

"Oh, right," Ajuga looked at the simple sleeping yukata Rangiku was wearing.

"I'll be right back out, okay," Rangiku promised with a warm smile.

Ajuga nodded and skipped back to the two women who had stopped at the gate.

"It looks like today is shaping up to be a beautiful day, ne, Tatsuki-chan?" Orihime pointed out and smiled at her.

"So it would seem," Tatsuki grinned back


	63. Visitor

Visitor

By late winter Aizen's amusement at the Swarm's never-ending invasion had run out, along with his patience. The Palace staff tried to do their work as invisibly as possible and to tread lightly to avoid invoking Kami-sama's wrath. His temper had been short and he took out his anger and frustration with the lack of progress at stopping the Swarm out on those who had the bad luck to catch his eye or who failed somehow in their daily tasks.

While the exterior of the Palace looked as it always had, inside the atmosphere had changed to one where servants gave each other passing looks in the halls, to assure one another that they still lived and had all their limbs. There was one, however, who did not seem to notice the change in Aizen's treatment of the Palace staff. Rather, as he'd operated under the same conditions for the last eight years, it seemed to him that the staff was now subject to a small taste of what he'd endured for so long now. He hoped that living in fear on a minute-to-minute basis changed their perspective regarding the tenuousness of their own positions in 'Kami-sama's' worldview.

Gin winced as he put too much pressure on his injured wrist as he scrubbed the floor of Unohana's bedroom. It had never healed properly since no one had been permitted to tend to it. He honestly wasn't sure what had hurt more, the actually shattering of bone or the short cry of anguish he had heard from Shinso as the Zanpakuto had been forced to harm its master the one time they had been permitted near each other since their forced separation.

The alarm was still blaring off in the distance and had been going for some time now. It had been going off regularly every three days now and he really hoped they would stop leaving it on during battle. It was a rather loud and awful noise. Granted it got one's attention, which is what it was suppose to do, but he was fairly certain that the troops would much rather fight without the annoying sound ringing in their ears, especially the Arrancar endowed with sharper hearing.

Gin sighed and dipped the rag in the bucket of hot water, the heat momentarily soothing to his damaged wrist, before wringing it out with his good hand and returning his attention to the floor.

He did not want to give Aizen any reason to find imperfection in his work. His back still twitched in pain from the lashing he had been giving yesterday for the specs of dust Aizen had found under the bed.

He felt anger boil up at the man who had taken everything from him. His only friend, the respect of his Division, his dignity, his freedom, Shinso…

"What you doing?" a small voice asked from behind him.

Gin froze, rage instantly forgotten as he turned a startled gaze to the little girl staring curiously at him.

Not four feet away sitting on her haunches like an ally cat was Ajuga. She watched him with her head cocked to the side, as if trying to understand what he was doing with the rag and the bucket. It was just like the time in the garden. He hadn't felt her presence until she spoke to him. Gin blinked and he briefly wondered if he hadn't lost his mind to the point of hallucinating.

His sense of self-preservation clicked into place even as his brain scrambled to catch up. With closed eyes and the soft smile he was famous for, he turned to face her fully.

"What are you doing up here, Ajuga-chan?" he questioned pleasantly. "_And more importantly, how did you get up here undetected?__"_

It was a valid question. The Palace was heavily guarded. No one should have been able to get in or out. Aizen would be furious if he learned his guards were so incompetent as to let a mere _child_ get past them. In fact, he'd bet money he didn't have that if Aizen did find out his guards had missed her that there would be a few job openings in the morning at all of the gates.

"Everyone is busy. Hime-neesan is helping the hurt people, Szay is busy with his pictures, and even Bya-san isn't home!" she pouted. "Tsuki-neesan, Tes-niisan, Mama and Papa are all fighting. I wanted to go too but Mama said I am too little still, that the bugs would swallow me whole." Ajuga sniffed at that, as if affronted by the very idea. "No bug eat me. I am too good a hunter!"

She dropped low, tail lashing from side to side, crouching like a panther and raced about in a circle three times before stopping to sit before him proudly.

"So you are," he agreed with a soft laugh. "Why come here though?"

"Well, Bya-san isn't here to play in his garden, so I was hoping to play in yours again," she looked up at him hopefully.

"I am sorry, Ajuga-chan, but I need to finish washing the floor or Kami-sama will get mad with me."

"Oh," she looked crest fallen. "What about after the floor?" she questioned hopefully.

"Well, after the floor I do have the water the plants outside," he replied, making a disappointed face.

"And they are in the garden," Ajuga chirped happily. "See? I can help!"

Suddenly she was right in front of him. She scowled at the water briefly before snatching the rag from his hand and quickly set about finishing the floor with an energy he only wished he still had.

"Ajuga-chan, no, please stop," he whispered to her frantically, trying to get her to put the rag down.

If Aizen were to catch this his punishment would be very severe. No one was to help him complete his chores. The few who had tried in the past had disappeared and he hadn't been able to walk for a week after Aizen had finished caning his legs.

"I faster. I am not hurt like you!" she declared over one shoulder.

His good hand cradled the injured one at her response, his reaction involuntary. He had thought about pleading to have it fixed, but admittedly feared the response, especially with Aizen in such a foul mood right now. Likely the result would be his other wrist being shattered or worse, the wounded hand removed so it 'wouldn't bother him anymore.'

"There," Ajuga smiled proudly. "We go to the garden now?" she questioned hopefully.

Her work was well done, and not a trace of her reiatsu remained. She definitely knew how to cloak her presence, and despite himself he felt relief and appreciation that the task was done.

A part of him wanted to chase the girl out before she could be discovered; another part was just pleased to have company for a change, _any_ company. Other than Unohana and Aizen, none of the Palace staff were permitted to talk to him without Kami's permission.

"Hai, we can go to the garden, but no one can see you. You are not supposed to be here. Aizen-kami might be mad to find out you snuck in," he warned.

"Easy," she assured him. "No one but Mama can find me when I hide," she boasted.

She followed around behind him as they went down the stairs that led to Unohana's private garden. No sooner where they on the grass than Ajuga was gone, darting into the bushes without a trace.

Shaking his head in amazement, he went about gathering water from the well so he could start the laborious task of watering the large garden. Once in a while he would spot Ajuga, chasing a butterfly or stalking a mouse, but otherwise it was as if she wasn't there.

It got to the point that he honestly began to suspect that he'd finally cracked, lost his mind and was now seeing things, until a small bundle of energy suddenly sat in front of him on the edge of the well.

He let out yelp and dropped the rope in surprise. Ajuga shot a hand out and caught it sheepishly apologizing for scaring him before she helped him pull the bucket over the edge.

"Why do you use the well?" she asked, staring at the stone rim of the thing as if puzzled.

"Because Aizen-kami said I have to," he explained. Really, did the child do nothing but ask questions all day?

"Oh."

She looked down into the depths of the well before shuddering and chasing after him while he hauled the bucket to the next patch of plants.

"Doesn't he know a hose is faster?"

"He does, but Aizen-kami likes it done this way."

"I wonder if it's training?" Ajuga suddenly pondered out loud.

He looked at her in surprise.

"Papa sometimes makes me do funny things. He says doing them makes me stronger," Ajuga explained, scratching absently behind one ear.

"It can be," he admitted. "But no, Aizen-kami makes me do this as punishment."

"What did you do?" she questioned innocently.

He felt a spike of pain and loss and he had no idea how to go about answering that question. How did one explain to a child the things that had occurred over the years? Did one even try? Ajuga was much too young to need to learn his sad story. After a few minutes of consideration, he finally settled on something that would sum up the reason without being too specific.

"I failed a very important mission,"

"Oh," she said, and looked to the side. "Mama says forgiveness is important. That's why when I do something bad she doesn't stay mad long."

Gin couldn't help it… he laughed hysterically at that statement. Aizen forgiving him was about as likely as the sun falling from the sky. One did not forgive betrayal, but he doubted the girl even knew, let alone understood, what betrayal was.

She looked up at him in astonishment as his laughter died away with a strangled sound, and despite himself he suddenly felt worn out and very, very resentful. Grimmjow had betrayed Aizen several times, or at least gone against his explicit orders over the years, and yet the Espada remained unpunished and free to roam at will.

Granted, the Sexta Espada had never tried to _kill_ Aizen like Gin had, but still… it left a bitter taste in Gin's mouth to realize he was the only one who had been singled out to endure this torture for this long. And here was that very Espada's child, looking up at him with Grimmjow's big blue eyes as if she didn't have a care in the world.

He was about to say something when Ajuga's blue eyes went wide and she suddenly disappeared. Gin, still holding the water bucket, blinked at the spot where the child had been standing before he felt a warning stab of fear clutch at his spine.

Turning about, he noticed Aizen approaching, a frown on his face. Gulping nervously, he forced his usual smile and offered Kami-sama a bow as he came within arm's length.

"Aizen-kami, what brings you out here?" he asked, trying to keep his tone as pleasant as possible.

Then Aizen smiled and Gin felt terror spread through his body. Bad things often happened when Aizen wore THAT smile. He quickly ran through everything he had done today and couldn't for the life of him find a thing that he had done to warrant earning a punishment.

Well, he could think of one thing and he prayed the girl had managed to escape before Aizen noticed her. It was hard to say because he'd forgotten that Aizen could see, as he put it, 'everything under the blue sky'. But Aizen's next words led him to believe, incredibly, that his tormentor had no idea Ajuga had been there at all.

"I require your assistance in a motivational endeavour," Aizen replied, and that crocodile smile widened just a fraction.

Gin's heart sank somewhere near his stomach on its way to his knees. Yet he sensed that Aizen's anger wasn't actually directed towards him, but rather, someone else.

"It seemed to work so well last time, I thought a refresher might do him some good."

At that, Gin knew exactly who Aizen was talking about. Only one other had ever been punished alongside him. Gin felt sick to his stomach at the thought of being forced to go through something like that again while wondering what Szayel could have possibly done to offend Aizen this time.

"But first, let me see your hand."

It took a moment for the order to register, and slowly Gin held out his injured wrist. He let out a cry of pain and nearly went to his knees as his wrist was re-broken, the poorly-healed joints snapping and popping, before Aizen adjusted the bones into their proper places and the agony was replaced by soothing healing energy.

"There," Aizen dropped the wrist. "Do your task efficiently and I might not see fit to re-break it after," Aizen offered him a warm smile. "After all, I wouldn't want you to have too much time on your hands again," he smirked before leaving.

Gin cradled his healed wrist, finally pain-free, while watching Aizen stride away. He wasn't sure what emotion he felt more of at the moment, disgust, relief or overwhelming terror at what he knew was coming. He also felt the urge to vomit rising along with his panic.

The urge was quickly quashed and fear won out as he quickly recalled that Ajuga had been here just moments before.

"Ajuga-chan?" he called softly, voice cracking. When had his mouth and throat run dry?

Had she witnessed Aizen breaking his wrist? Any resentment he might have felt towards her had vanished. That little exchange was something no little girl should have to see at her age and he hoped that the obscure conversation would have been gibberish to her as well.

The child had bolted before Aizen had arrived. Come to think of it, even during their conversation Gin couldn't sense Aizen's presence, so how had the child known the other was on his way here? Had she seen him coming? She had been facing the doorway…

"He smells bad," Ajuga declared.

Gin jumped and yelped a second time before turning his attention to little girl hiding beneath one of the spreading evergreen bushes.

"Worse than Yammy," she added, sneezing. "And Yammy stinks _bad_!"

In another lifetime, he might have found that little bit of information hilarious and would have brought her persimmons and ice cream to reward her for making such an astute and comical observation. He'd done so for another girl, a little older than this one, long ago. Then he shook himself a little, banishing the image of a slight creature with gray eyes and outrageously red-gold hair, until that memory faded and big blue eyes, black hair and a swishing tail replaced it.

"Oh?" he questioned. "And what do I smell like?" he couldn't help but to question curiously.

Ajuga gave the matter some thought, as if looking for words and took several clear sniffs of the air.

"Sadness," she finally answered. "Just like Bya-san but _way_ stronger."

"I see," he responded.

"_I must look like one hundred miles of rough road if she says I__ smell__ worse than what__'__s left of that pitiful cross-dresser,__"_ he flinched inwardly.

Not that the cross dressing part was Byakuya's doing or choice, but did the former Shinigami have to actually _look good_ in the damn clothing? Gin was positive no one else, other than possibly Yumichicka, could pull off dressing like a girl and still make it look both good and natural.

"Not like Ulqui-san. He smells like food!" she giggled suddenly.

The sounds of the alarm finally shut off, indicating the battle was over. Ajuga's ears perked up and she looked off into the distance. Gin guessed at what she seemed to be eagerly searching for easily enough.

"You should probably go. Your parents will be worried if you are missing," he suggested.

"Oh, right," she agreed. "Bye bye!"

Gin watched her wave as she darted away, then stopped and turned around. "I'll visit again 'kay?" she called back.

She was gone before he could tell her it was a very bad idea and it would be best if she stayed away from the Palace altogether. The small, lonely part of him was pleased she had left before he could agree to a repeat visit. The other part was glad she was gone before the true horror show could start.

Thinking about what he would have to participate in soon, he buried his face in his hands in despair, the water bucket falling to the ground, splashing its contents over his bare feet


	64. Claiming Backlash

Warnings: Mentions and glimpses of rape.

Claiming Backlash

Karin awoke with a start, pure terror racing through her. She was on her feet with her reiatsu fused to her joints ready to defend herself before she was even fully awake. Beside her Grimmjow also woke with a start, Pantera in his hands before he was even awake as her own panic transferred to him.

They both stood there frozen as he looked for the threat that had her in such a panic and she finally realized the terror was coming through the Claim. Her panic dimmed to be replaced with anger. No, not anger, pure fury.

"What's wrong?" Grimmjow demanded once he realized there was no threat to them and that her fear had turned to rage.

"Szayel," she hissed.

"What about him?"

She growled as another strong wave of emotion slammed into her, this time mortification. Not the mortification one felt when someone walked in on you naked. Rather it was the kind that meant something unpleasant was about to be done to you.

"I think Aizen must be doing something to him again," she whimpered, clutching her head.

"Why?" he questioned.

Karin whined as another wave of terror and mortification hit her. This was a thousand times worse than what had happened the last time Aizen had done something to the researcher.

"Is there any way to stop this? Any way to tone it down?" she pleaded in a voice filled with pain.

"No," he said regretfully, pulling her into his grasp.

He held her as the waves of pain, shame and humiliation continued. They didn't abate at all, getting worse as more time passed. She whimpered in distress as the emotions hitting her rose in intensity with no sign of stopping. Finally, she began to struggle against him, as if trying to escape everything the Claim unwillingly fed her.

"I can't take this anymore," she gasped, trying to stand up.

"Wait," he held her more tightly. "Not even I am stupid enough to just waltz into Aizen's Palace and tell him to stop punishing someone."

"Mama, Papa?" Ajuga questioned as she entered the room slowly.

Both turned their attention to their daughter.

"What are you doing up, silly girl?" Karin asked as sweetly as she could.

"You were feeling strange," Ajuga answered. "It felt bad."

She finished closing the distance and Karin gathered their daughter up, motherly instincts overriding the desire to go and stop the abuse of Szayel.

"Oh?"

"Uh huh. Is something wrong, Mama?" Ajuga questioned worriedly.

"It's nothing dear." Karin tried to sooth her, unsuccessfully.

Then she felt a tremor run up her spine at the sudden feral grin that crossed Grimmjow's face.

"Oi brat, want to play a game?" he proposed suddenly.

"A game?" Ajuga perked up excitedly, distracted from what was going on with her mother.

"Grimmjow, this is hardly the time for games," Karin admonished in shock, wondering if he had completely lost his mind.

"It's the _perfect_ time for games," he shot back, waving her concern away and giving her a significant look in the process.

"What's the game, what's the game?" Ajuga demanded, bouncing from Karin's arms and running around them in an excited circle.

"We are going to play hide n' seek," he smirked at her.

"I love hide n' seek!" Ajuga cheered, all concerns forgotten.

It was so rare that her Papa let her play games at night and she wasn't going to be silly enough to say no, even if it could just be more 'training.'

"Alright! Ready for the rules?" he questioned.

"Right," Ajuga went completely still in front of them, giving them all of her attention. Even her tail was motionless.

"You can hide anywhere in the city _except_ for the Palace and Szayel's lab."

"The entire city?" she questioned excitedly.

"Grimmjow!" Karin snapped, glaring at him with more than enough outrage for three mothers. Her anger only grew when he refused to look at her, instead remaining intent on his rapt daughter.

"You have to hide really well, so no one can find you, alright?" he explained carefully, paying no heed to Karin's protests.

"Right," Ajuga saluted.

"Grimmjow, are you insane? It's the middle of the night!" Karin yelled. Grimmjow, for his part, ignored her completely.

"Alright, ready?"

Ajuga crouched down, digging her claws into the floor.

"Set."

Ajuga twitched.

"Go."

Ajuga was gone like a bullet.

"What in the hell do you think you are doing!" Karin demanded sharply.

"It would seem that we lost Ajuga," he frowned in mock sadness.

"You sent her out into the city! Anything could happen to her out there!" Karin shouted back.

"Please, nothing out there in the city could harm her. They would have to find her first for starters. And, speaking of _finding_…" he smirked at her. "Doesn't Szayel have some trinket on him that will help find our brat?"

Her eyes widened as she finally realized the motivation behind his insistence on this absurd and possibly dangerous 'game' with their child. She sat back down on the bed, stunned that he would come up with something so audacious, yet, so… so… _devious_.

"I would suggest _you_ start looking for our lost daughter. The more hysterics the better."

"Clever," she smiled softly at him.

"Exactly. If you will excuse me, I got a pink-haired freak to hunt down so I can drag his sorry ass back to his lab to find our oh-so-lost daughter."

"Thank you," she smiled at him pulled him in for a kiss. "He's at the Palace."

"Yeah, I know," he growled quietly. "I've got a pretty good idea where to find him too. Now, let's see how well you play the role of hysterical mother."

She nodded her head and let herself embrace some of the rawer emotions Szayel emitted, mainly his terror.

"AJUGA?" Karin screamed. "Ajuga?" she called, storming through the house, waking everyone up.

"Karin-chan?" Jushiro asked her sleepily, wearing nothing but a sleeping yukata hastily thrown on.

"Ajuga is missing," Karin said frantically, channelling Szayel's fear and letting it take her over so her voice came across as, at the very least, distraught

The older man was instantly fully awake at that, the years as a Taichou helping him focus instantly. The rest of the Estate quickly woke and started the frantic hunt for Ajuga. It became very clear that the girl was nowhere at the Estate.

"Where might she have gone?" Nanao asked. The calm logical tone of her voice acted as a temporary balm to Karin's overwrought nerves. "Where are the places that she's most likely to go? Where does she like to play, who is she likely to want to see?"

"The Research Building, Orihime's house, Byakuya-san's Estate, maybe even Tatsuki or Rangiku's house," Karin quickly ticked off a few places that her daughter might have thought to hide. "There are a few parks…"

"I'll check the Research building," Lilinette offered, leaving quickly.

"I'll check Tatsuki's and Tesra's place," Nanao offered.

Starrk took Byakuya's Estate simply because Yammy was less likely to give him issues and Jushiro opted to check Rangiku's house. Karin wasted no time racing towards Orihime's house.

She half-prayed Ajuga wasn't there so as to give Grimmjow time to try to rescue Szayel while half-praying she was holed up somewhere on Ulquiorra's property. Not knowing Ajuga's hiding place was almost as terrifying as what Szayel was transmitting.

She banged on the door the moment she arrived, not stopping until a rather displeased-looking Ulquiorra opened it. It was strange to see him wearing nothing more than his white hakama and that barely held up by his belt with his hair all mussed up and sticking to one side. The picture he presented was one of rumpled irritation and at any other time Karin would have laughed at the sight.

"Ajuga's missing," she blurted before he had a chance to scold her, and judging by the look that formed on his face, a scolding was the least she could expect.

"I fail to see how this concerns me," he commented coldly.

"I thought she might have come here looking for Orihime-chan," she answered.

"Your own vision would have already determined she was not here," he pointed out as if she were an idiot.

"Yes, but she might have come by," she countered.

"What's going on?" Orihime asked sleepily, joining them at the door.

"Ajuga's missing," Karin quickly answered.

"Oh! We have to find her!" Orihime exclaimed, already grabbing her shoes.

If she hadn't been looking, Karin would have missed the look of defeat that briefly crossed Ulquiorra's face before he sighed and reached for his own shoes after fixing his belt.

"Onna, you _will_ put something more appropriate on before exiting the house," he insisted as he pulled on his footwear.

"Oh!" Orihime exclaimed and looked down, realizing she was wearing nothing more than the sheer sleeping gown she had quickly thrown on. She disappeared and a few minutes later came out in something a little more opaque.

"If you find her, just flare your reiatsu three times. It's the signal we have all agreed upon," she said as she raced off, leaving the two to finish getting ready together.

Every moment idle was another moment Ajuga could find trouble. Given her double heritage, it was far more likely that trouble would find her. Around the city Karin could feel everyone's reiatsu start to awaken as the search for her daughter truly began.

(POV)

Despite both Ulquiorra and Aizen's beliefs regarding his nature, Grimmjow was not an idiot. Impatient and anarchic, yes, a despiser and disregarder of almost all regulations, yes. Brash, arrogant and audacious? Quite. But an idiot? Not at all. Walking in on Aizen during his 'play time' was not something done lightly or without consequences. Fortunately he had a reputation for being disrespectful. Still, he hoped that he might actually get a word out of his mouth before Aizen flayed him alive.

Getting past the guards was a simple matter of side-stepping them and there didn't seem to be a lot of staff on duty this late at night. Maybe Aizen figured that, with his innate power, tightening security would be a waste of time, or that the Espada and the Divisions would handle anything before it could breach the Palace walls. For whatever reason, Grimmjow went unchallenged as he sought out his quarry.

There were a lot of things Grimmjow had heard, done and seen in his life as a Hollow, but all of that experience meant nothing as he approached the torture chamber deep beneath Aizen's Palace. He hadn't been entirely truthful with Karin; he did not know exactly where he would find Szayel and Aizen as he'd entered the palace, but after getting past the front gates, he found that he didn't really need a guide. All he truly had to do was follow the screams.

Never in his life had he heard screaming like he was right now, least of all from an Espada. The sound of Szayel's shrieks had reached his ears the moment he had entered the Palace, and as he drew closer to the door the scent of sex and blood assaulted his sense of smell. The animalistic part of him, the part that normally had the good sense to stay out of danger by lying low, kept yowling at him to find a quiet hole and wait in it until it was all over. Unfortunately, he didn't have that luxury. The hair on the back of his neck was standing straight up. Had he been in his Resurrección form, he had no doubt his tail would be lashing back and forth of its own accord.

He didn't have to feign the fear he suddenly felt as he braced himself for whatever reaction Aizen was going to have to his intrusion. Again, he wasn't stupid; he'd been turning over the makeshift plan he'd come up with in his head, refining it to take advantage of Aizen's interest in his daughter's well-being as well as Szayel's role in all of that. There was also the fact that Aizen thought that _he_ had Claimed Szayel. It would be normal for a Claimer to be affected by something happening to the Claimed one and he figured he could fall back on _that_ explanation if Aizen didn't buy his first story.

Not the neatest of fibs, but it wasn't entirely untrue: what affected Karin also affected him, whether he wanted it to or not. Giving a derisive snort, he thought back to how amused he'd been when Karin told him about the situation with Szayel and his supposed role in the whole thing. Dammit, but he'd planned to really rub it in while Szayel couldn't do anything about it, thanks to the lie he'd told Aizen. Now he'd been presented with the other side of that coin, killing any fun he might have had at the other Espada's expense.

"_Che,__"_ the mentally snorted, "_this wasn__'__t supposed to be part of the deal._"

There was also the fact that, thanks to Szayel's lie to Aizen about the circumstances surrounding their supposed 'Claim', Karin's secret had remained a secret. To his chagrin, Grimmjow realized that Szayel had done him a huge favour. The very last thing he needed was Aizen taking any more of an interest in his family than the bastard already had. As much as he disliked the idea of being beholden to anyone, he at least owed it to Szayel to stop whatever was happening to him before it drove the scientist, and by proxy, Karin, madder than a rabid dog.

For a second, he wondered what in the blue blazes Szayel had done to piss off Aizen enough to inflict the kind of pain that the screaming indicated. Murder? Attempted murder? Had Szayel stolen something? Maybe some unapproved lab experiment got loose and wrecked the Palace or took a shit in one of the Palace gardens. It had to have been a spectacularly epic failure or offence, from what his senses were able to pick up.

"_Well, no time like the present__…"_ he thought and took a few deep breaths.

Pausing a moment to fully compose himself, he lifted a leg and kicked the door open before strutting in. He also hoped the sneer on his face masked the fright he felt gnawing at his gut. He'd been on the receiving end of Aizen's spiritual pressure before and Grimmjow would be damned if he'd ever kneel before anyone like that ever again.

What greeted him when the door crashed open nearly made the blood in his veins turn to ice. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez had seen a lot of violence, inflicted a lot of violence, in his life, but never had he dreamed he would be forced to witness such an atrocity as this.

It was neither the chains holding Szayel in place on the blood-stained table, nor the copious amounts of blood, semen and darkening bruises on the researcher's body that disturbed him. It wasn't a very naked and somewhat traumatized-looking Gin smeared in Szayel's blood sitting off to the side or the strands of chopped, pink hair tossed about the room. None of those things had him fighting the urge to vomit. It was what Aizen was doing to the other Espada that nearly had him gagging.

Aizen had a grip on Szayel's still-pretty face, holding his head in place so that he couldn't move or look away. Golden eyes were forced to stare fearfully into soft brown before the gaze was broken as Aizen turned a displeased, one might even say furious, look Grimmjow's way. Grimmjow didn't notice the look though, busy as he was taking in the fact that Aizen's hakama were down and the bodies of punisher and punished were clearly joined. Some remote, emotionally detached part of Grimmjow's brain, as yet unaffected by the growing horror, figured he'd caught Aizen in mid-thrust, from the light sheen visible on the flesh of Aizen's hip.

"_Fucking hell,__"_he thought in shocked disgust, his mind finally processing what he was seeing into some kind of sense.

It was a valiant effort on his part to keep the bored, scornful looking expression affixed firmly on his face and not empty the contents of his stomach right there on the floor.

"Grimmjow, I trust there is a _very_ good reason for disturbing me?" Aizen demanded icily, sitting up so he wasn't so hunched over his victim and releasing the grip he had on Szayel's face in the process.

Grimmjow gave his head a shake, there would be time to be sick later, and turned his attention to Aizen the best he could. Fury, disgust and fear all warred within him, which didn't help his nausea any.

"Ajuga is missing," he answered. "We have looked everywhere for her and Karin is getting frantic,"

That part wasn't even a lie. He could feel her getting more agitated by the minute.

"And _how_, exactly, does this concern _me_?"

"_Here it is__…__ show time,__"_ Grimmjow thought_. __"__Better make this believable.__"_

Putting on the most disdainful look he could manage, he pointed at Szayel.

"I need dumbass there to call up her tracking device on that computer of his to find her before Karin has a total melt down," he answered. "Wouldn't want to lose her, given all of the fighting of late."

For a second, given the look on Aizen's face, Grimmjow thought he might finally have played the wrong hand, that he might be the next one on that table. He couldn't help it; part of him prepared to run and the other half of his psyche prepared to pull Pantera if it looked as if he might have to fight his way out of here.

"I see," Aizen sighed. "I see I'll have to make my point sooner rather than drawing out the lesson."

Grimmjow wasn't sure, as one could never entirely tell when dealing with Aizen and that maddening falsely soothing front of his, but it seemed his initial excuse had been accepted. He felt proud that he stayed upright as he legs went 'watery' on him. Not that there was much relief there.

During the conversation, Szayel's gaze had turned to him. Grimmjow had never seen so much silent pleading and begging for help or, at least, some mercy in anyone's eyes in his entire life, and that included the prey he'd taken down as an Adjuchas. The frown returned to Aizen's lips as the former Shinigami turned his attention back to his victim.

Grimmjow forced himself to hold still as a sharp slap from Aizen brought Szayel's attention back to his tormentor and slowly that desperate, golden gaze turned to look Kami back in the face.

"I will be done here in a moment, and then you can search for your errant child. Please wait outside."

He had never been so happy to have been dismissed in his life. His back was barely turned before the wet sound of skin on skin, the rhythmic clink of the chains and the agonized whimpers started again. Grimmjow was also treated to the sound of Aizen's ragged breathing as he picked up his pace. The whimpers turned back into screams at that, and the Sexta Espada clenched his hands to keep his claws under control. It was all he could do not to simply flee; instead he made sure that he stalked out of the torture chamber at a somewhat normal pace.

What he'd witnessed went beyond revolting, as far as Hollows were concerned. He knew Aizen was a dirty rat, but to rape his own subordinates, to take them as if they were mates! To force the victim to gaze into his eyes as if they were the deepest of lovers…

Never in his life had he ever felt the overwhelming urge to kill someone. Not even that blasted Kurosaki instilled this kind of rage in him. He wasn't sure that Ulquiorra, a master at remaining unmoved and aloof, could have walked out of that room un-fazed. As derisive as he had been to his own fraccion at times, especially that stupid tool D-Roy, it never would have crossed his mind to inflict something like this on one of them.

Cuff 'em, sure. Get into a scrap over dominance issues, no problem. Lay down who was Alpha with a good brief thrashing? That was to be expected. But this? This was just… Grimmjow's back hit the wall and suddenly he was grateful for the solid support behind him. He focused his eyes on where the opposing wall and ceiling met, to keep from becoming dizzy as he tried to calm himself; the last thing he wanted to do was contribute to the turmoil Karin currently felt by adding anything to it via their Claim.

He nearly jumped when the door opened about seven minutes later and Aizen stepped out, looking as pristine as ever. Despite the amount of blood and cum coating Szayel's body, not a drop of it was on Aizen's person or uniform. Somehow, to Grimmjow, that little detail suddenly seemed like the most atrocious thing of all.

"I hope you will find your wayward daughter soon and in the future keep a better eye on her."

Grimmjow transformed the shiver that tried to work its way down his spine into a shrug.

"She's at that age. She is also very good at hiding. Most Hollow young learn to hide themselves early," Grimmjow said, hoping he sounded like an irritated, put-upon father who simply wanted to get his hands on his missing cub and not be bothered with the mess he'd just seen. "It's a survival and hunting instinct."

"I can't wait to see her fighting prowess when she is older," Aizen said casually, as if nothing was wrong and as if he hadn't been doing unspeakable things behind the door he'd just walked through.

With that, Grimmjow's superior swept past him and disappeared down the hall, footsteps echoing behind him.

Gathering his nerve, Grimmjow entered the room just in time to see a disoriented-looking Gin removing the chains from around Szayel's mangled wrists. The moment Szayel was free he curled up pathetically and whimpered in pain. He was completely soaked in his own blood and his back had been thoroughly shredded from what looked like a whip tipped with shards of glass. Grimmjow couldn't help but wince as he took in the surface damage. It was no wonder the Espada had been screaming in pain; having been forced to lay on that mangled flesh while Aizen had dominated him.

"Ajuga-chan ran off? Strange thing for a child to do at this time of night," Gin commented, leaning weakly against the wall, eyes focused on nothing in particular now that he'd freed Szayel from the restraints.

Grimmjow turned and looked a little closer at the silver-haired Shinigami and didn't like what he saw. He knew Aizen kept his pet on an extremely tight leash, but he hadn't expected Aizen to use the other like a weapon to torture others. While currently not as physically damaged as Szayel was, he reeked of the same trauma as the scientist.

"Most predators hunt at night," Grimmjow countered with a shrug as he moved up to the table where Szayel was currently curled up, whimpering. "Oi get up," he snapped in irritation.

The other flinched at the harsh tone, but slowly the other's eyes opened and met his gaze.

"Let's go. Karin's getting pretty frantic and I won't get any sleep until this whole mess is sorted out," he grunted.

The other nodded and slowly tried to rise, only to falter and fall from the table with a 'thud' as his body refused to support his weight.

"Damn it," Grimmjow cursed as he caught the stumbling Szayel, blood now coating his uniform.

"Sorry," Szayel apologized, his voice hoarse and weak.

"Whatever. Just get dressed already so we can find Ajuga."

"She really _is_ missing?" Szayel asked weakly, a hint of worry in his voice. Grimmjow stared down at the scientist at that, and then gritted his teeth, kicking himself.

"_By all the fucking sand in Hueco Mundo, he__'__s gone through THIS and yet he__'__s concerned for my kid?__" _he thought surprised. "I honestly have no idea where she is. That's kind of the point of hide n' seek," he couldn't help but to smirk.

Szayel stared at him, dumbfounded, and then hung his head when what Grimmjow implied sunk in.

"Clever, ever so clever," Gin chuckled softly as he staggered to his feet and pulled his own yukata on before limping out of the room.

Grimmjow didn't bother inquiring after the Shinigami, as there was little he could do for or about him. Instead, he snorted and began to look around the chamber for Szayel's usual uniform.

"Where are you clothes?" Grimmjow demanded, not finding what he was looking for.

"Aizen destroyed them," Szayel answered, making a painful gesture at the tattered scraps of white cloth littering the floor amongst the strands of his butchered hair.

"Son of a bitch…," Grimmjow cursed before pulling his own jacket off. "Wrap the sleeves around your waist. Like hell I am carrying your sorry naked ass back to that glass house of yours."

The other nodded and with shaking arms, tied the jacket sideways around his waist so the vitals were covered while Grimmjow held him steady. Once that was done, Grimmjow simply tossed the other over his shoulder like a sack of rice before walking out.

"Oi," Szayel protested weakly, the sound coming from somewhere close to his lower back.

"Can it, and be thankful I am came at all," he grumbled, a warning note in his voice. "If you hadn't been keeping Karin up, I never would have showed up. Fucking hell, I will be lucky if the only thing that bastard Aizen does to me is scold me in the morning for this shit."

He felt the other nod against his back shortly before reaching the front gate of the Palace and launching into a Sonido


	65. Restoration

Restoration

Karin sobbed with relief as the overwhelming emotional onslaught from Szayel finally ceased shortly before she saw and felt Jushiro give three pulses of his reiatsu.

The white-haired Taichou had apparently been the one to find Ajuga. Karin raced towards him to find them in one of the many parks. Starrk and Lilinette had both already arrived as well, beating her there by a few minutes.

"Mama, I do good?" Ajuga demanded, squirming from Jushiro's arms to run into hers.

Karin held her tightly until the girl squeaked and murmured she had.

"It is unlike Ajuga-chan to wander off, more so at night," Starrk commented sleepily, scratching his side and then the hair at the back of his neck.

Lilinette, for a change, looked ready to agree with him, her green hair mussed and any awe she might have inspired as the other half of the First Espada was countered by the pyjamas she was wearing covered with flowers and bunnies.

"I was playing hide n' seek with Papa and Mama," Ajuga smiled happily.

"What is going on, Karin-chan?" Jushiro asked worriedly.

Karin looked between the two of them, wondering if she should tell them the truth. Finally, she decided to tell as much of it as she could. She owed it to them both for waking them up so late at night right after a battle.

"Lilinette-chan, can you get Ajuga-chan home please?" Karin requested.

She did not want to explain any of what had happened in front of her daughter, nor let her see whatever shape Szayel was in.

"But…" Lilinette started to object when a hand landed on her shoulder.

"Lilinette," Starrk interrupted.

"Fine, alright! Come on Ajuga-chan!" Lilinette grouched, and offered the little girl her hand.

"Go home with Lily-chan. Mama and Papa will be home a bit later. We have to let everyone know we found you and that the game is over," Karin said, encouraging her daughter to go.

" 'kay," Ajuga chirped happily and took Lilinette's hand. The two disappeared in a burst of Sonido and Karin felt her shoulders droop a little.

"Karin?" Jushiro questioned, arms folded across his chest. For a change, both he and Starrk shared a confused look, before Starrk blew it by yawning.

"I'll talk while we move. We need to get to the Research Building," she replied.

"Why there?" Jushiro asked as they launched into their respective Shunpo/Sonido.

"Starrk-san, you must be aware that Szayel has been Claimed, right?" Karin, asked. The First Espada's eyebrow went up, but he nodded.

"Indeed," he confirmed in a dry voice, sounding as if someone had given him a piece of old, stale news.

"Claimed?" Jushiro exclaimed, surprised.

"During one of the early battles with the Swarm, his mask was heavily damaged. If a Hollow's mask is cracked, it causes his or her reiatsu to leak away and they regress, which is why he looks younger now than this time last year. Claiming a Hollow after an injury like that puts a stopper on the surge of escaping reiatsu and halts the regression, keeping them from becoming a child. Well, for whatever reason, Aizen was pissed at him tonight, so Grimmjow sent Ajuga off so he would have an excuse to barge in and stop whatever was going on," Karin explained.

"I take it you only did such a thing because there was no one else around to save him," Starrk drawled.

Karin nearly froze and almost missed her next step, as did Jushiro.

"Karin?"

She sighed and shot a glare at Starrk, who ignored it completely.

"_You_ are too damn smart for your own good," she snarled.

Starrk's initial reply was a look that said he found the topic a little tedious and the words that followed were delivered in that same, sleepy monotone.

"I assume you are capable of such a feat by touch alone, since I doubt you had the time or inclination to use conventional methods. Your ability to fuse your reiatsu into objects seems to have some interesting side effects."

"Way too bloody smart," she grumbled. "Alright yes, I am the one who has Szayel Claimed, hence the reason I trust him with the kids."

"The laws…" Jushiro pointed out, looking concerned.

"They don't affect this. I am not an Espada, he is not a fraccion, and no one was trying to Claim him when I did so. Of course with the gap in our power levels I have to refresh it every four months."

The glass dome finally came into sight and Karin wasted no time rushing to Szayel's bedroom. Grimmjow sprawled leisurely on the couch in his blood-stained uniform while Nemu sat on the edge of her chair. Her hands were clasped so tightly her nails were drawing blood and it looked as if a loud noise would have put her on the ceiling.

The fact the normally stoic Nemu radiated such worry was a clear sign that Szayel's condition was worse than she thought. Karin could hear the shower running and wasted no time pushing into the bathroom. She found him much like she had the first time, curled up on the shower floor whimpering, numerous fresh injuries layered over the healed ones she'd tried so hard to treat. Everywhere she looked on him she could see a new tear, a new gash. But that wasn't what made this worse than the last time she'd been in this bathroom.

This time she was shocked to see his Zanpakuto in his grasp and several fresh and deep cuts running from the wrists to the elbows on his arms. Those cuts had severed veins and were busy pumping blood, which caused the water rushing down the drain to become a torrent of flowing red. She watched in shock as he raised the edge of the blade again, intent in adding another deep cut to the ones already there.

"Shit!" she cursed, rushed forward and pried the blade from his hand before it could land. "Someone get Orihime-chan NOW!"

The others burst in at her hysterical cry. Starrk stuck his head into the room, took one look at what was going on and vanished. Karin could only hope it was to fetch the one person that might be able to keep the scientist alive.

"Fucking hell," Grimmjow cursed, his blue eyes gone wide as he elbowed past Nemu to see what had happened. "I should have known better than to assume he was alright after something like _that_," he spat.

"Like what?" Jushiro demanded, rushing to Karin's side with several towels.

Trust the former Captain of the Thirteenth to have the presence of mind to use one of the towels to cover Szayel's nudity. He and Karin quickly started to apply pressure to the deep and long slashes in his arms with the others. Szayel whimpered softly and tried to shift away from them. Both of them tightened their grip on him, ignoring the hot water still cascading down upon them and soaking their clothes.

"No more please," Szayel whimpered weakly. "I don't know why," he added with a sob, repeating it over and over as Jushiro and Karin tried to help him. "I don't know why… I don't know why…"

"What did Aizen do to him?" Karin demanded of her mate with a harsh snarl.

Grimmjow seemed at a loss for words at that, but was spared from revealing the details when yet another presence made herself known at the bathroom door.

"Oh, Kami!" came a shocked voice from the doorway.

Karin's looked up to see to see the horror plastered on Orihime's face.

Both hands covered her mouth as if to stifle a scream. Then a pair of hands gently pushed her forward and she moved to kneel just outside of the spray of the water, revealing a rather displeased looking Ulquiorra bringing up the rear.

It was a good thing Szayel was rather vain, and as such had a rather large bathroom because it was getting crowded with this many people crammed in here.

"What happened to him?" Orihime demanded in a shaken voice.

"Do not heal him," Ulquiorra suddenly ordered coldly.

"What? Why?" Orihime shot an astounded look at him.

"Heal the gashes in his arms only," Karin quickly countered, putting more pressure on the towel in her hands.

"He needs to be fully healed!" Orihime argued, looking back and forth at the two of them as if they'd lost their minds.

"Use your senses Onna. These wounds were inflicted by Kami-sama. They are not to be treated," Ulquiorra ordered sternly.

"Fuck Kami," Grimmjow snarled viciously, blue eyes fixing themselves on Ulquiorra, his temper finally showing itself.

"Start with his arms, those were self-inflicted and the most threatening," Karin ordered again. "I'm afraid of what will happen if he loses any more blood."

Orihime looked to Ulquiorra, who gave a reluctant nod of his head.

"Soten Kisshun," Orihime declared with a shuddering breath.

Jushiro and Karin backed off as the shield enveloped the delirious Espada. Orihime's eyes widened in horror as the damage report came in and she had to fight back a wave of sobs.

"Why are you so displeased Grimmjow?" Ulquiorra demanded after a moment of silence. "I find it hard to believe you would worry about Szayel's fate, regardless of who administered it."

"Because when I found his pathetic ass, Aizen fucking Kami was in the middle of raping him," he snarled in outrage.

Karin froze and everyone shot a startled look at Grimmjow, whose hands were clenched so tightly blood was dripping from his palms.

"I don't understand," Orihime whispered softly. "No one was upset about _us_ being raped. Or the many still suffering at the hands of those who Claimed them. In fact, you said it was your right," she added bitterly, looking at Ulquiorra.

"It is my right as Victor…" Ulquiorra began, but didn't get far..

"_That_ is Claiming and Dominating," Grimmjow broke in, his face contorted in an expression of anger and disgust. "It is always from behind and Aizen doesn't have a Victor's right to use Szayel anyway. Not even someone as sick-minded as Nnoitra can be would stoop so low as to force himself on that Rangiku chick from a mate's position without her permission," Grimmjow snapped. "Nor force her to look into his eyes while he fucked her," he added. "I caught your precious Aizen with his pants down, literally!"

"Rape is still rape," Orihime countered, although no one seemed to hear her.

"Impossible," Ulquiorra breathed, green eyes growing larger and more vivid as Grimmjow related what he'd seen. "He would never…"

"I know what I saw and walked into, Ulquiorra," Grimmjow snarled, cutting him off. "Do you honestly find it so hard to believe your beloved _Aizen-kami_ could be so fucking twisted? Fucking look at _him_ Ulquiorra!" he raged, pointing a finger at Szayel's shivering, unseeing form. "Aizen's reiatsu is all over him and _in_ him. Go ahead and see with that 'all knowing gaze' of yours!" Grimmjow taunted. "Tell me what you see and then try to deny it!"

"Grimmjow, your language," Karin admonished weakly.

Despite all the arguing and yelling, Szayel still had yet to stir much, other than to make odd whimpering noises, trying to scoot away from them through the wall at his back, and whisper 'I don't know' over and over like a broken record. Finally, Karin decided that the more was not the merrier and turned around.

"Everyone except Orihime-chan OUT!," Karin ordered sternly before the argument between Grimmjow and Ulquiorra could really deteriorate into a fight that neither the bathroom's structure, nor the majority of the people huddled within it could withstand.

If she couldn't reign in her mate or the other Espada, she could at least get them away from the person she was the most concerned with at the moment.

The others, except a stricken-looking Nemu, filed out without an argument, but as soon as the door was closed, Karin could catch traces of the building dispute taking place on the other side. Thankfully, Starrk had decided to occupy Grimmjow's previously held spot on the couch. If things got ugly, she hoped that he would see fit to stop the two of them in their tracks. Karin ignored Nemu's presence; the woman was standing silently out of the way anyhow and if it came down to it, had first-aid knowledge if she needed help.

The slashes on Szayel's arms healed quickly enough. Orihime stopped after that, eyes screwed shut and hands clenched in her lap. The water still cascaded down on the lot of them, drenching them and running pink from the numerous wounds inflicted upon his body. However, it was no longer running red and Karin was thankful for that. The water had also probably washed out the majority of his wounds, so with any luck, they wouldn't have to worry about an infection. Reaching up, she turned off the faucets.

"Szayel?" Karin called softly.

Other than a whimper she got no further response. She grasped his chin and forced his eyes to meet hers. They were completely devoid of reason or recognition of anything around him, as if no one was home. His brain had completely shut down in self-defence.

She hauled him into a sitting position and leaned his shredded back against the wall. He let out a cry of pain and tried to pull away, but she held him still with one hand while raising the other.

"Karin what?" Orihime questioned and then gasped as Karin let her hand fly, slapping the Espada hard across the face.

A faint glimmer of light appeared in his eyes. She slapped him again. The third time his hand absently raised to block her, but there was still no one home and he didn't move beyond blocking her blow.

"_Well at least his survival instincts have kicked back in,__"_she thought. "_But it__'__s not enough to stimulate thought. There must be something I can do it snap him out of it,__"_she thought frantically. "What is the solution to two times two?" she suddenly demanded as a thought entered her mind.

He didn't respond.

"Damn it Szayel, answer me!" she ordered, giving his shoulders a shake. "Two times two, now."

"Four," he answered automatically.

"Twelve times twelve," she barked, shooting for something harder.

"144," he answered without hesitation or inflection.

His responses were automatic, like a calculator. She was losing that hint of light in his eyes and knew she needed something more challenging, something to stimulate his brain into action. She tried another question. Again he answered quickly and automatically. She tried a dozen different questions and each he answered with ease.

"I need something harder. Something he will actually have to think about," she muttered in frustration.

"What is the reverse of the software code for the program you installed last spring on the decoding machine intended to decipher Karin-san's DNA," Nemu suggested from her spot against the opposite wall.

For the first time Szayel's eyes blinked out of sequence and his head cocked to the side before he started spouting what sounded like random drivel for all of ten seconds before he stopped and turned his gaze to Karin of his own free will.

"Clever," he admitted softly, his voice still hoarse from hours of screaming.

"Yeah, well, sorry it took so long but not all of us are as smart as you are," Karin commented with a soft smile of relief.

"True enough," he rasped.

"Nemu, can you go make something for his throat?" Karin questioned.

Nemu nodded and stepped out of the room.

"Can you stand?" Karin asked.

He tried to rise, but cried out almost at once and nearly fell. Karin and Orihime both caught him and helped him back to the floor, where he moaned and shifted painfully.

"Go get all the blankets and towels you can find and lay them out onto the floor, quickly," Karin ordered.

"Got it," Orihime complied quickly.

Once a makeshift cushion had been made Karin helped him stand up. He cried out in pain as they moved him and he used his hands to clutch the towel to his waist to give him a semblance of decency.

"Here, put all your weight on me. Orihime-chan, get his other side," Karin ordered.

"Right,"

Their trip across the floor, all of seven feet, was accompanied by small sounds of pain with the odd cry of agony if they moved him too quickly. He still whimpered softly as they got him down on his chest, it being the least damaged part of his body.

His entire back was shredded and Karin was horrified to see that his ankles and the soles of his feet had even been hurt. No wonder he'd been unable to stand for long. Like last time Aizen had spared his face, but his once well-groomed hair looked as if someone hacked at it with a pair of hedge clippers, then had ripped out a couple of handfuls for good measure. Most of the blood above the neckline came from cuts on his scalp. They were shallow, but Karin knew all head wounds tended to bleed terribly. His wrists were abraded, bloodied and bruised with what looked like chain marks. The _real_ damage was slowly revealed as she sponged the blood away.

At first she had thought the marks on his back were from nails or something along those lines, after she'd cleaned the residual blood away, she realized that someone had carved kanji into the flesh of his back. She felt renewed anger as her ministrations revealed the message.

"Orihime-chan, can you heal this?" Karin asked coldly.

"Ile," she sobbed softly. "Ulquiorra's order not to heal him was Claim-enforced."

"What?" Karin snapped in anger.

She had to squelch the urge to go out and wrap her hands around the Fourth Espada's neck and wring it until his head rung like a bell. Orihime must have correctly deciphered the look on her face because she held her shaking hands up.

"Don't be mad, Karin-chan. He hasn't used the Claim against me in several years. I think he did it unconsciously because he is worried about me and the baby and what Aizen-kami might do if I were to disobey his edict."

She was right, of course. Karin counted to ten and then patted the miserable-looking Orihime on the shoulder to try to reassure her.

"You know me. Bleeding heart. Orders or not, I always help those in need. It's in my nature," Orihime sniffed a little and smiled sadly. "He's just looking out for me because he knows me too well and there is no telling what Aizen would do to us if we were to go against his laws about aiding those he has punished."

"I can't argue much when you put it that way," Karin sighed in defeat. Then she turned her attention to the researcher stretched out on the floor.

"What did you do to anger Aizen this time?" Karin asked Szayel.

"Nothing," Szayel whispered softly. "I did nothing."

"Why did he hurt you if you did nothing?" Orihime questioned confused.

"'Let me guess…" Karin interjected. "He wanted to know something, a question you couldn't answer," she deduced.

Szayel nodded his head to spare his throat.

"The bugs. We don't know where they are coming from," he whispered weakly. "I…I tried to explain that we didn't have enough data yet to make a hypothesis about them. All we know is how they're opening the portals to this realm…"

Szayel left of, his scream-roughened voice trailing off with a cough.

"He did this to you over _that_?" Karin exclaimed, stunned. "Is he not Kami, Mr. All-Seeing and All-Knowing? If anyone should be able to see where these bloody things are coming from, it is him," she snapped in anger.

"Karin-chan," Orihime paused in wrapping Szayel's left arm up in bandages to rest a hand on her knee to calm her. Karin took a deep breath before she returned to cleaning the blood on his back, revealing more of the text Aizen had carved in.

"Orihime-chan, can you check on Nemu-san for me, see what's taking her so long?" Karin requested.

"Alright, I will be right back," she answered before getting up, washing the blood from her hands, and walking out.

The sound of the others debating came through the open door, but it didn't seem like they were arguing anymore. When she was sure they were alone, she spoke to him in a low voice, pitched so that her next question remained between the two of them.

"Aizen didn't really do this because you haven't found the bugs yet, did he?" Karin questioned softly. "He did this because he fears you might actually find a way to hurt him and this is just a reminder of who is in charge, isn't it?" she finished, resting a hand softly on his shoulder.

The other remained still beneath her hand, before slowly nodding his head.

Karin sighed and went back to cleaning and binding his wounds, working in silence. Nemu and Orihime both returned at the same time, and together they slowly treated, salved, and finished stitching and binding the numerous injuries.

Szayel's rear looked like it had been lashed with a crop, covered in cuts, welts and bruises. Karin doubted he would be able to sit for a week, if not longer. She glared at the metal rods that someone had inserted into his nipples, the flesh around them reddened and probably painfully swollen. His entire back had Aizen's little message carved into it.

She left the tending of his more private anatomy to Nemu, but she could still see the bruised flesh of his manhood and blood and cum was still seeping from his abused rear. She very much doubted he would be thinking about sex for quite some time, at least not without some trauma. Any hopes he would have gotten past the PTSD from the last round in Aizen's hands died. All of those wounds had just been reopened and unfortunately, there was no medicine she could give him, and no stitches she could put into him that would treat that.

Even when they were finally done tending his injuries, they were faced with the problem of his wounded feet. The soles of his feet and ankles had been damaged to the point where putting any weight on them was an impossibility. Nemu carried him instead, ignoring the others gathered in his chamber as they walked through it and brought him right to his room, settling him in bed as comfortably as they could.

"My Zanpakuto?" he questioned once he was tucked in.

"No offence, but seeing as how I walked in on you using it to slice your arms wide open, I think I am going to hang onto it for now," Karin answered that matter-of-factly.

"From what I have heard, wouldn't that be just as dangerous to you as me?" he questioned with a hint of a smile.

Karin scowled at him while Orihime giggled.

"Oh shut up," Karin threw her arms up in the air, but didn't hand the blade over. "Until I am positive you aren't going to try and kill yourself, I am holding onto it. Nemu-san, can I trust you to make sure he doesn't try to drown, poison or toss himself off of a building or some other nonsense?" Karin asked the young woman.

"Hai, Karin-san," Nemu bowed softly. "But couldn't you just order him otherwise?"

"I could, but that would only make any potential psychosis worse," Karin answered. "And you definitely don't need any more of those episodes," she pointed a finger at him.

"I am perfectly, mentally stable, thank you," he retorted in his own defence.

"You just keep telling yourself that," she replied dourly. "Get some sleep and I'll talk to you tomorrow, or later today depending on how you want to look at it," she ordered.

He gave a nod of his head, closed his eyes and fell asleep almost instantly, physically drained from his ordeal and injuries.

"I'll actually be shocked if he doesn't have nightmares about this," Karin groaned and sighed heavily. "Nemu-san, can you give him a sedative to prevent such a thing. I am not up for dealing with any more Claim-induced terror tonight, even if it's only caused by his subconscious."

"Of course, Karin-san. I shall do so at once," Nemu agreed.

Karin pinched the bridge of her and she squared her shoulders.

"Good. If he does try to kill himself again or the drugs don't stop the nightmares, come get me," she ordered.

"I will," Nemu promised.

"Good. Then let's clear out the crowd. If I just went through something like that, a congregation hovering around my bed would be the last thing I'd want."

"Why are you so worried about him, Karin-chan?" Orihime asked curiously. "Not that that's a bad thing, mind you…"

Karin sighed, wondering if she should answer or not. It wasn't that she didn't trust Orihime with her secret ability to Claim, it was that she didn't trust Ulquiorra not to report it to Aizen as a potential threat should he get it out of her either by accident or deliberate orders.

"He has done a lot for my family, for me and Ajuga. No one deserves to suffer something like what Aizen did to him," she finally said.

Orihime nodded in agreement. While she was still upset over the double standard about what constituted as rape and what didn't in the Hollow mindset, she had to concede that if she had been forced to look into Ulquiorra's eyes over all those years he had raped her, she would have broken a long time ago.

Both women left the room to join the others in the living area. Absently, Karin noticed that Jushiro had changed out of his soaked clothes into one of Szayel's spare uniforms. It was far too big on him, but at least he was dry. Orihime's clothing had only been damp and was now mostly dried, if a little wrinkled. Her own was damp, but she'd played soccer as a girl in sweat-soaked clothing, so she shrugged it off.

"Well?" Grimmjow was the first to break the silence that had descended upon the room as the two woman entered.

Karin clenched her hands so tightly that, like he had done earlier, blood welled from her nails as they cut into her palms.

"I don't know," she said softly. "I have never seen such damage. We should leave for now and let him rest. He won't be able to walk for a week, if the wounds on his feet are any indication."

She felt tears threaten the corner of her eyes. She had never believed anyone could have been so cruel, to be so evil as to do this to someone else. How anyone could do such a thing to their own, loyal subordinate?

"Onna?" Ulquiorra questioned, looking at Orihime.

Orihime had tears in her eyes as she looked back at him. Now that the scientist was safely asleep and she no longer needed to keep up such a strong façade, she flung herself into his startled arms and started to sob brokenly.

"It's pretty bad," Karin answered, fighting back her own tears of rage, frustration and helplessness.

Grimmjow closed the distance between them and held her. She shuddered in his grasp, but managed to maintain her cool exterior.

"We should leave. Nemu-san promised to let us know if his state changes," Karin said firmly.

"You still have his Zanpakuto," Jushiro pointed out.

"I know. I don't want him trying to kill himself again" Karin answered tiredly.

"Was Aizen's discipline that awful?" Starrk asked and then his sleepy-looking brown eyes seemed to make a study of the fingernails on his left hand. He then frowned, as if considering something deeper than his cuticles. "It _is_ rare to find anything terrible enough to drive an Espada to suicide. I'm willing to bet that this has been going on for some time. Seems a little odd that someone who succeeds at his work as often as Szayel does would be hurt this badly," he finished, ending with a large yawn.

It was the most that Karin had ever heard out of the First Espada at any one time. Even Jushiro was looking at him with one elegant eyebrow raised.

"I would have tried," Karin answered softly, barely keeping it together. "I wish we could have had Orihime heal at least some of the damage. He is going to be bedridden for some time."

Then, in a fit of pique, she decided to make it clear to Ulquiorra how Aizen's punishment and Szayel's subsequent condition would affect _him _personally. Narrowing her eyes a little, she added the next bit just for him.

"I doubt that he'll be well enough to see to his half of Orihime's prenatal care for a little while," she said waspishly. "Maybe Nemu can figure out the programming, but I know for a fact that Szayel personally modified many of the machines he used to monitor Ajuga for a human-Hollow baby and they require his expertise to maintain and run. Those devices were originally intended for human use only. Even Unohana's knowledge of them is limited to the models available in the living world. Hopefully she can pick up the slack while he heals enough to stand for more than a minute at a time."

Karin wanted to add '….just in case anything should go wrong with baby' to the end, but Grimmjow's arms tightened around her, a warning that she was straying very close to implying that there might be an immediate threat to the other's unborn child. So she swallowed that and let her words hang there in the resulting silence enfolding everyone in the room.

She let her barb do its work and as intended, it squarely hit its mark. Ulquiorra's green eyes blinked and for a second, he opened his mouth as if to say something. Then he looked down at Orihime, her face burrowed into his chest, quietly soaking the front of his uniform with her muffled tears. After a moment, he closed his mouth without a word

Her satisfaction at making her point did little to ease her anger and frustration. Grimmjow's vice-like grip on her was the only reason she wasn't storming after Aizen right now. Judging by the rage she picked up from him, she had a feeling her grasp was also the only thing holding him here. That and a healthy fear that it could just as easily be one of them in Szayel's position should they tempt Aizen's displeasure any further tonight. For a few minutes no one moved or spoke, each lost in thought or busy glowering at one another like Grimmjow and Ulquiorra were from opposite ends of the room.

"We are returning home," Ulquiorra announced abruptly, breaking eye contact and looking away.

For a split second, Karin felt a small, mean jot of triumph across their link from Grimmjow before he closed his eyes and she felt him rest his chin on the top of her head, breathing deeply.

"Right, good night, and thank you for your help in locating Ajuga-chan and assisting with Szayel," Karin nodded at the rest of them.

Ulquiorra and Orihime left first, and Karin swore that the normally dispassionate Fourth Espada seemed… disquieted by the night's events. Or at least, put out. That would suit Karin just fine.

Everyone headed out, returning to their homes. Karin didn't even attempt to go to bed once they got home, but rather sat on one of larger limbs of one of the garden's leafless trees in silence, staring up at the moon, huddled in her mate's arms.

They exchanged no words, simply taking silent comfort from each other's presence and each tried to wrestle individually with their rage. Ajuga joined them at one point and Karin didn't have the heart to send their daughter away. The night sky began to lighten to indigo, then deep blue and finally, to a golden pink before her daughter startled her with a question.

"Mama?" Ajuga asked as the sun began to rise.

"Yes?"

"Is Szay alright?"

"Why do you ask?" Karin replied, surprised.

"Because you both smell like his blood," Ajuga answered softly. "Did he get hurt?"

Both parents stiffened and looked at one another in surprise before looking back at their child.

"Is Szay going to be okay?" Ajuga asked, a little more urgently, looking up at them with innocent eyes.

It was an innocence Karin never wanted to see destroyed, but at the same time she had promised herself to never lie to her daughter. Inwardly cringing, she finally settled on an answer that met both requirements.

"I don't know."

Ajuga looked down at her small hands, and then back up at her mother.

"Can I see him today?"

"We will see," Karin promised. "But he may not be well enough to see anyone but Nemu-san for a while."

"'kay," Ajuga curled into her lap comfortably before finally dozing off.

Karin sighed wistfully, and wished sleep would be able to come so easily to her as she settled more firmly against Grimmjow's chest. She swore the only thing holding her together right now was the comfortable feeling of his strong arms wrapped around her and their daughter.


	66. Tesra's History

Tesra's History

Tatsuki sighed in pure bliss as the wonderful treat slid down her throat. Trust Tesra to make the best tasting homemade ice cream ever. Across from her, Rangiku looked ready to melt into the floor in happiness. The only one who didn't seem to appreciate the desert was Nnoitra, who took two bites of his before passing it over to a rather ecstatic Rangiku.

The four of them getting together for dinner was becoming a regular occurrence. A small sparkle of life and good humor had returned to Rangiku's eyes with the addition of some badly needed companionship and contact with the outside world. In addition, Nnoitra had begun to loosen his grip on the woman.

The permission to join them in their visit to Byakuya's Estate was just the beginning. He took her out to dinner at least once a week now, and he wasn't taking her to dives either. While the establishments they frequented weren't exactly five-star restaurants, they did serve good food and good sake with a middle-of-the-road, cozy atmosphere.

So far, despite her own strong attitudes, Nnoitra didn't seem to mind her at all and Tatsuki found herself growing somewhat comfortable around him. She was still a little wary, as he did have a bit of a temper, but there were always blatant warning signs of potential trouble when he got annoyed and Tesra could read him like a book.

They didn't stay long after dessert and Tatsuki found herself walking home feeling as light as a feather. For the first time since she'd come to the Seireitei, she was at peace.

Tesra walked quietly beside her. They didn't engage in small talk often, and she had never been a fan of needless babble to fill a void in conversation. It was a chilly night and she felt herself rubbing her arms.

Hesitantly, Tesra reached out and put his arm around her lightly, one could even say tentatively. Tatsuki smiled softly and leaned into his body, accepting the warmth he was silently offering.

It was funny. Not so long ago she would have busted anyone's chops who thought she was weak and needed help, but she never got that vibe from him. She knew he would 'offer his jacket' to anyone who might actually need it.

"_I definitely chose right when I chose him,__"_she thought wistfully. "_Who would have figured I would actually find someone I felt was right for me? Damn you Orihime-chan, you are right, I am starting to fall for him,__"_she thought ruefully.

While she was certain that she didn't want kids yet, she knew if Tesra asked her to bear him children she would probably say yes. She had never been good with lovey-dovey words, but there had to be some way to let him know she accepted him without having to sift through and put together all of those awkward phrases that lovers supposedly told one another into something that didn't sound sappy and mawkish.

She hardly noticed that they had arrived home, only coming back to reality when he removed his arm from her shoulders so she could get her shoes off. She settled onto the couch while he went into the kitchen to make their evening tea.

She grabbed one of the books form the side table and flipped it open, but she didn't even stare at the page. Instead she was thinking.

She couldn't deny it anymore. She had spent enough time with Tesra now to know she could see spending the rest of her life with him. Or perhaps it had to do with the fact that Karin already had a child and that her best friend, Orihime was expecting as well.

"_I must be getting child envy._ _I wonder if Rangiku-chan feels the same way,__"_she mused, half amused, half annoyed, making a mental note to ask the older woman during their next gossip session.

There had been absolutely no pressure from Tesra to push the relationship any farther. He seemed more than happy to take what she was willing to give and never demanded more from her. In fact, each of his touches was always cautious, as if he was asking for permission to do so with each bit of personal contact.

And yet there were times she wished he would be a bit more forward. For once in her life she actually wanted to be the one wearing the skirt, which was a damn strange feeling. No, maybe that wasn't it.

"_Perhaps, for once, I have found someone I trust enough to take control of the situation,__"_she mused.

She nearly jumped in surprise at the clinking of a tea cup on the table before her. Had he already managed to make a full pot of tea or had she been wool-gathering for a while?

"I didn't mean to startle you," he apologised.

"Don't worry about it," she replied, smiling at him. He sat down on the other end of the couch and cradled a cup of his own tea.

Words were never Tatsuki's strong point. She was more of a woman of action. So how to let him know she had fully accepted him? She dwelled on it for a moment, taking a sip of her tea.

She finally actually looked at the page she was supposed to be reading. It seemed she had grabbed one of those blasted romance novels Rangiku had loaned her and had flipped to one of the 'juicy' scenes.

She sighed, rolled her eyes and dropped the book back onto the table. Seriously, why had she agreed to borrow such a thing? Then again, saying 'no' to Rangiku wasn't easy. The woman seemed starved for someone to talk about things like this with and she'd pressed the book on Tatsuki as she'd left the other day.

Her glare turned into one of contemplation as an idea came to her. There was one way she could let him know she was his without needing words, a way that was pure action. Feeling emboldened, she turned her gaze to him.

He was reading a book as well, cup of tea in hand and taking odd sips after turning a page. She wouldn't say Tesra was devastatingly handsome, but he was definitely good-looking, far easier on the eyes and senses in her opinion than any of the other male Arrancar.

Besides, every 'hot' guy she had ever known tended to be an arrogant ass. She could definitely see waking up to his face for a long time. And despite her adamant desire not to be a mother now, she couldn't help but to think he would sire good- looking offspring.

"_I__'__ve gone and lost my mind__…"_she thought, slightly amused and a little giddy_… "to be contemplating this."_

Her scrutiny seemed to draw his attention, because he put his book down and turned to face her, a look of confusion on his face.

"What is it?" he questioned.

"Nothing," she smiled.

She crawled across the couch towards him. His own cup of tea quickly found the coffee table while his book hit the floor as she crawled into his lap to kiss him gently on the forehead just above his mask fragments.

She straddled his hips and started to pull down the zipper on his trench coat, brushing it aside to reveal his toned chest. Unlike the other Arrancar she had seen, Tesra didn't have a hole. She always wondered why.

She traced her hands over his heart, where the majority of hollows had their holes. The flesh was smooth and toned.

"Why do you not have a hole?" she asked curiously.

His body stiffened beneath her and he turned his gaze to the side.

"Tesra?"

He didn't answer right away, and when he did he hesitated, as if he wasn't sure what her reaction to his answer might be.

"I am a Born Hollow," he admitted reluctantly.

She looked at him shocked and then frowned.

"Oh. I thought that Born Hollows are pretty damn rare."

"We are," he agreed slowly.

"Well, that's kind of cool," she pronounced with a smirk.

He shot his gaze back to her in surprise.

"The fact I was never human does not bother you?"

"Why should it? I have long since discarded any thoughts of normalcy around here" she said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Are you the only natural born one to be turned into an Arrancar?"

Tesra looked away, appearing to give that some thought.

"I don't know," he admitted. "I believe Ggio was also naturally born, but I am not sure."

The name didn't ring any bells. She might have recognized him if she saw him, but otherwise she had no idea who he was talking about.

"Shouldn't being naturally born be a huge chick draw?" she asked. "I seem to remember someone mentioning something about the belief that Born Hollows are more fertile?"

"It does make one a larger target, which is one of the reasons I tend to hide it," he admitted. "Even another male would be interested if only for the sake of holding onto me for any potential daughters,"

His was clearly getting uncomfortable with the conversation and Tatsuki debated on digging for more interesting information, since he seemed to be in a talkative mood. She decided to change the subject.

"I remember you said something about being Nnoitra's fraccion the moment you changed. What prompted you to choose to serve him?"

A look of brief pain crossed his face and again, he looked to the side. Tatsuki could have slapped herself. Apparently she had brought up another painful subject, which was strange because she had never seen such devotion as the one he had for his master.

"If you don't want to talk about it, I understand," she offered hastily.

He sighed deeply and wrapped his arms about her, pulling her fully into his grasp so she rested against his chest.

"I have never told anyone about it. The only one who knows my history is Nnoitra-sama," he confessed.

"I would like to hear it if you are willing to share," she whispered softly, almost afraid that if she spoke too loudly he would spook like a frightened hare.

"There is not much to say," he confessed softly. "A stronger Adjuchas came along shortly after I was born and defeated my father, but didn't quite have the strength to dominate my mother without both of them dying, or at least leaving each other too wounded to survive. She offered to submit to him so long as the Adjuchas agreed to spare my life. Since my father had just been defeated, their mating Claim hadn't dispersed yet so he couldn't fully Claim her. I think he agreed with the intent of biding his time."

Tesra paused in the story and his grip tightened on her momentarily. She remained silent while he composed himself.

"My mother was no fool. She kept a sharp eye on him even as she submitted to him. He made no secret that the moment he could end my life he would. He came close. During a more difficult hunt, my Mother was heavily wounded.

"Unable to defend me and with the former Mating Claim more or less abolished, he started to hunt me down with the intent of ending my life so she would end up in heat again."

Tatsuki nodded her head. Many animal species were similar; from bears to lions to rabbits. It still made her feel a bit sick to think a creature capable of rational thought could intentionally slaughter a child.

"He almost had me, but my Mother found some last inner strength and interrupted the attack, countering with one of her own. That attack killed her and it left him severely weakened." Tesra finished saying this, his voice falling to a whisper.

They sat in silence for a moment and the arms holding her trembled slightly and held her tighter.

"He was furious and went after me again, rather to kill or Claim I don't know. I did the only thing I could, I ran, and he chased. The wounds slowed him down enough that I was able to stay ahead, but I was losing strength fast and he was furious he had lost his chance at a mate.

"I tripped over a broken branch and he was on top of me before I could even begin to recover, pinning me down. He was screaming at me, but I was too terrified to understand what he was saying.

"'_Oh, what is this? Are you truly so weak you hunt runts for food?__'_"

"The other voice took us both by surprise. They were the first words I had ever heard Nnoitra-sama speak. Both of us looked up and there he was. I remember the conversation perfectly.

"'_What do you want?__'_ he had snarled.

"'_I was looking for a good fight, but all I found was some weakling preying on a rat, you are hardly worth my time.__'_Nnoitra-sama had responded.

"'_Weakling? You are hardly larger than a rat yourself. Die!__'_

"He dropped me and charged at Nnoitra-sama. I never saw the move that finished him, but I will always remember his howl of pain as he collapsed in a spray of blood. I was too terrified to move.

"Eventually Nnoitra-sama walked up to me. I remember cowering in terror, thinking my life was about to be extinguished, but the blow never came.

"'_Che, you__'__re not even worth eating. Eh? What the hell?__'_Nnoitra had questioned before picking me up by the scruff of my neck. _'__You smell different, rat_.'

"He had paused to get my scent. I expected to die right after, but he tossed me to the ground instead. I bounced twice before landing on my chest.

"'_Natural born, never figured I would see one of your kind.__'_Nnoitra-sama said with an intrigued voice. _'__Your mother must be around here somewhere right?_' he had demanded with a lecherous smirk.

"I was too terrified to speak and the pain of her loss was too new. He had demanded I answer and when all I could do was whimper under the pressure of his presence, he scoffed and started back tracking the trail of my run.

"After a moment I forced myself up and started stumbling back as well, following in his footsteps in an effort to get back to my mother's body. I found him scowling over her corpse.

"He did something I never would have expected; he actually buried her body in the sand. When he was finished, he moved on without another word. Alone, I would perish in days, maybe even hours.

"He had killed the one who killed my mother, and even gave her a burial instead of consuming what was left of her body. I had nothing left and death was all that awaited me alone. When he started walking, I tumbled after. He never said anything about it, never tried to chase me away nor did he defend his kills from me. I haven't stopped following him since" he finished.

They sat in silence for some time as she absorbed the story. She had a hard time seeing Nnoitra as the kind of person who would avenge a child, let alone adopt one, but apparently that was exactly what had happened.

"I see. Well, I guess we both have one thing in common," she said and smiled bitterly.

"What is that?" he asked.

"Both our parents were murdered by Hollows," she answered.

He stared at her in shock, before shaking his head in disbelief.

She turned about in his lap and kissed him softly. There was the faintest trace of tears in his eyes from reliving what had to be a rather emotional event. She kissed them away and returned to her previous task of undressing him.

She let her hands play over his skin. After a moment he started to return the favour, working her own clothing off to reveal her skin. She felt a kind of desperation from him that she had never sensed before.

He stood up and she wrapped her legs around his waist to maintain her position in his arms. The tea was completely forgotten as he carried her to their bedroom and laid her down on the futon.

They discarded the rest of their clothing and tossed it haphazardly aside as they both sought to drown painful memories with the pleasure of each other's company. His hands grasped her hips and her own shot down to cover his.

His eyes shot to hers in shock.

"I would like to look into your eyes, if you are willing to look into mine," she offered softly. "I am no Arrancar, I don't have a fraction of the power you do, but if you will have me, I am yours," she whispered.

She removed her hands from his, leaving the choice to him.

"For the record though, I still don't want kids anytime soon."

He actually chuckled softly, and removed his hands from her hips.

"This is what you want?" he questioned.

"If it wasn't I wouldn't have offered," she assured him.

"You know what you are offering me?" he questioned again.

"I know," she assured him. "I cannot return the power you have, I am afraid, but that doesn't seem to be stopping Orihime-chan and Ulquiorra," she smirked at him. "And I understand the importance of keeping the Claim active," she purred. "Not that I mind _that_ in the least…"

"It _is_ customary to Claim each other when accepting a mate's position," he commented.

"No argument from me," she smirked in anticipation.

He gave a nod of his head before positioning himself above her. She drew his head in for a kiss before spreading her legs in invitation. The kiss broke as he accepted the invitation and thrust into her, both with his body and his reiatsu.

It was different, so very different, seeing the lust and pleasure in his eyes as he took her. It was far more personal and she felt more than just her body flutter in pleasure as his very being invaded her body.

There was a frantic edge to their lovemaking this time. It was as if he was scared that if he let up for a second she would escape, leaving him alone once more. Even had he not confessed that she was his first and only partner, she would have known in this instant that another had never held this place with him.

She found herself screaming his name when their mutual climax came, even as he whispered hers softly in her ear. They lay on the futon afterwards in a tangle of limbs, comfortable silence between them before both drifted off into a warm, pleasant sleep.

(POV)

When Tatsuki woke up the next morning, it was to Tesra placing a tray full of food and a pot of tea before her. She looked up at him in surprise with a hint of pleasure. One would be a fool to say no to his cooking.

"Oh, thank you," she said enthusiastically, sitting up and eagerly pulling the tray onto her lap. He settled down behind her, pulling her into his embrace so her back rested against his bare chest.

She felt a blush of embarrassment cross her face as he settled her more comfortably between his legs. She felt a little silly being the only one naked. Briefly she wondered if he was wearing anything under his hakama or if it was the only thing he had thrown on this morning to cook in.

"So, is this a Hollow Mating Tradition as well?" she questioned curiously.

"No," he confessed. "Honestly, other than the exchange of Claims face to face, mating rituals change from sub-species to sub-species," he explained before offering her a bit of omelette.

She accepted the bite of food, feeling slightly silly and giddy all at the same time. It definitely left her stomach doing odd little happy flip flops. She felt a blush coming on and she swore she could feel him giving the slightest hint of a smirk behind her.

She supposed she would let him accept this Victory; after all, it was very rare that he could get one on her.

"So, have the Arrancar started their own mating traditions yet?" she questioned once she had swallowed.

"Other than the basic one of taking our mates face-to-face, there seems to be a growing trend to take mates outside of our species," he answered.

"Oh really?" she questioned.

"Yes," he answered, feeding her another bite of food. "So far, it would appear that 100% of outside mating Claims seem to be with human females."

She nearly choked on her food as she whipped her head around to face him in shock.

"What about Rangiku-chan and Nnoitra?" she asked between mouthfuls.

"I would love to see them as a mated couple, but they remain Claimed and Claimer," he sighed sadly. "I almost forgot to mention, you are entitled to my name now, if you desire it,"

"Tatsuki Lindocruz," she tried. "I like it," she admitted with a soft smile. "It kind of just rolls off the tongue."

"There is one other thing," he said slowly, sounding a little apprehensive. "Matsumoto-san is rather familiar with human customs. When she heard about our relationship, she dragged me aside and gave me a rather long and detailed lecture on human customs. The other day, with Nnoitra-sama's permission, she took me to the marketplace… literally by the ear."

Tatsuki felt her heart suddenly stop as she processed what she was saying.

"I honestly thought I would hold on to this a lot longer. I never expected that you would actually be the one to, what was the term Matsumoto-san used…" he faltered.

"Propose," she provided, feeling rather short of breath.

"Yes, that is the word. In any case, she suggested I get one of these at least," he said, moving one of the napkins aside to reveal the very simple gold ring. "The ones Matsumoto-san tried to convince me you would like were rather garish and would just catch on things while fighting."

He was rambling, but she hardly noticed. Her eyes were on the simple, golden band on the table. Hesitantly, she picked it up. It was rather heavy, so heavy she half suspected it was intended for a man, not a woman.

Not even Karin or Orihime had rings. In fact, Orihime had JUST been informed she was entitled to Ulquiorra's name and as far as she knew Grimmjow had never told Karin about that little fact. Granted, neither Ulquiorra nor Grimmjow had anyone in their lives that would drill 'human customs' into their head freely the way Rangiku clearly did for Tesra.

Tatsuki suspected that even if they did, Ulquiorra would disregard it as irrelevant and Grimmjow was too proud of his race to worry about following any human customs he deemed inconvenient or bothersome. Still, maybe she _should_ talk to them both the way Rangiku clearly had talked to Tesra.

Slowly, she reached down and grasped his hand, bringing it up and setting the ring in it. She felt him stiffen behind her.

"Please, if you would. It is tradition for the man to put it on," she said with a rather shaky voice.

She felt him relax behind her as she offered him the right hand.

"I would be pleased," he whispered softly.

She watched in a rather surreal state as he slowly slid the ring onto her finger. Somehow, the simple, golden band looked perfect, as if it had always been intended for her hand.

"Did you get one for yourself?" she asked.

She felt him nod and he pulled out the identical, if slightly larger, ring.

"May I?" she questioned.

He deposited it in her hand and she returned the favour, slipping it over his fourth finger.

She fought back tears of joy before setting the tray back on the coffee table, turning about and throwing herself into his arms, their meal completely forgotten as she just held him tightly.

"_Damn you Orihime-chan, damn you for seeing it from the bloody start,__"_she cursed halfheartedly. _"__And thank you too, Rangiku-chan,__"_she added


	67. Spring Flowers

Spring Flowers

For whatever reason, the early spring actually brought a small stop to the invasions. No one was certain why, although Szayel suggested that, like most insects, spring was the Swarm's hatching season and they might be tending to their eggs and larva.

With the break in the attacks they were able to start installing sensors even further away from the city for an earlier warning system. Other than the one time Ulquiorra happened to stumble upon the Portal Scarabs, no one else had managed to track the Swarm back to its entry point to find the creatures again.

With everyone busy as could be setting out sensors and patrolling, there was almost no one around.

"Maybe it's just me, Ajuga-chan, but it feels as if we have been abandoned," Orihime complained to the little girl.

"Everyone is busy working," Ajuga sighed unhappily. "Even Hana-chan is at school and Tsuki-neesan is patrolling with Tes-niisan,"she pouted.

"Well, at least we have each other," Orihime smiled at her.

"Can we see if at least Bya-san is home?" Ajuga asked.

"He is out on the field with Yammy-san I am afraid," Orihime sighed.

"Oh," Ajuga's ears and face dropped sadly, making her look both cute and pathetic at the same time.

"My, my, what has two beautiful young ladies like you looking so unhappy?"

Both girls whipped about to stare at the man? woman? person walking up to them wearing a rather expensive-looking kimono with long, black hair artfully pulled back. Ajuga looked at him curiously, and Orihime gasped out loud when she finally realized who he was.

"Yumichika-san!" she exclaimed. "I didn't recognize you."

"Now that's just mean, Orihime-chan," he pouted prettily. "Was I that forgettable?"

"Hime-neechan, who is that?" Ajuga questioned curiously. "And why does he smell like a girl?" she added, looking confused.

"You can thank his Majesty for that," Yumichika wrinkled his nose. "He likes this perfume apparently," he scowled softly.

"His Majesty?"

Ajuga seemed puzzled about the title, looking back and forth from Orihime to Yumichika and back again.

"He means Barragen-san," Orihime explained. "Oh, I suppose you haven't met him yet. He's an Espada, like your father."

"And who is this charming young thing anyway?" Yumichika inquired, looking the little girl up and down.

"Ajuga Jeajerjack," Ajuga announced proudly.

"Jeajerjack?" Yumichika looked at Orihime confused.

"She is Grimmjow and Karin-chan's daughter. She has a hard time pronouncing 'Jaegerjaquez'," Orihime explained.

"Karin-chan? Surly not Ichigo's sister Karin?" he asked in shock.

"Ichigo?" Ajuga asked curiously, ears perking up at a name she wasn't familiar with.

Both adults looked down at her in surprise.

"Kurosaki Ichigo is your mother's older brother," Orihime explained reluctantly and then bit her lip. She hadn't realized that Ajuga had no idea who they were talking about. "He doesn't get along with your father."

"Oh," Ajuga looked crestfallen. "Mama never mentioned any other family. Do I have more?" she asked, looking up at them inquisitively, her big blue eyes wide.

"Karin-chan has a twin sister named Yuzu, but she is human and lives in the human world," Orihime answered.

"Oh, that makes sense," Ajuga nodded her head before turning her attention to Yumichika. "You're pretty like Bya-san," she complimented him. "Do you have a garden we can play in?" she questioned excitedly.

"Well, at least the child can see beauty when it's in front of her," he chuckled happily. "I am afraid I don't own my house, so I can't say yes or no," he apologised sadly.

"Oh," she looked crestfallen.

"However, I do know some rather pretty public gardens we can go to if you want. Some of the early spring flowers have just started to bloom and many of the birds have started to return. Would that be acceptable?" he offered with a smile.

"Yes," Ajuga cheered happily, finding the substitution acceptable. "Yes, yes, yes! Please can we go, Hime-neechan?" Ajuga begged.

"Alright, alright," Orihime laughed. "If Yumichika-san is willing to show us this garden, than we can go," Orihime assured her.

"How could I say no to spending the afternoon with two beautiful ladies?" he questioned.

"Which way, which way?" Ajuga demanded excitedly. Yumichika frowned at that, and wagged his finger at her in admonishment.

"Calm down my dear. A lady doesn't bounce about, but rather walks with a poise and grace."

"Oh?" Ajuga looked at him curiously.

"Indeed. You are a lady right?" he questioned.

"Yep," Ajuga quickly agreed, nodding her head.

"Alright, then… stand up straight, head held high, and walk as if you were floating," he directed, demonstrating.

Ajuga forced herself up onto her back legs and held her head up high. She stumbled for a bit, still not overly use to walking on two legs instead of four. That didn't seem to deter Yumichika in the slightest.

By the time they made it to the park, Ajuga was walking as if she had been doing it for weeks instead of mere hours, at least until they reached the park. The moment the first rabbit came into sight she was down on all fours and simply gone.

"Quick little minx, isn't she?" he commented with a chuckle.

"Yes, she is," Orihime agreed. "I have to say, I am impressed, Yumichika-san. Karin-chan has been trying to get her to walk for almost a year now. Not even Szayel-san has had much luck."

"It's all in the pose my dear," he offered her a winning smile and slight bow before he stepped back to look at her critically. "Orihime-chan, if I may be un-beautifully bold, it seems you have put on some weight since the last time I saw you."

"Oh!" She exclaimed, a hand going to her stomach. "I am pregnant," she explained.

A look of shock crossed Yumichika's face.

"Before you ask, yes, Ulquiorra is the father. I suppose it was only a matter of time until this happened, although I must confess it never crossed my mind that it could."

"Children are a wonderful thing, even if they are rather ugly when they first come out."

"Yumichika-san," she gasped at him.

"A rather ugly truth, but the truth nonetheless," he defended himself. "I am afraid I am woefully behind in the local gossip. Is anyone else with child or has happened to have one I am unaware of?"

"I'm afraid not. According to Szayel-san and Unohana-Taichou, Karin-chan and I are the only ones," Orihime replied, to assured him. "If anyone would know it would be those two."

"And how is Rangiku-san doing? I haven't seen her in ages."

"She is doing well. Nnoitra-san has apparently become a lot less aggressive and is starting to let her do things now. It seems like most of the Arrancar have calmed down in the last several months. Even Tatsuki-chan has a mate now. You should see her ring!" Orihime informed him and smiled wistfully.

"Tatsuki?" he questioned, one eyebrow raised.

"Oh, she's an old friend of mine. She and Tesra-san are mates now. She usually helps me watch Ajuga-chan, but right now Aizen-kami has EVERYONE able out either working to increase the range of Szayel's defence grid or scouting to see if they can't find the nest."

"I would be out there too if it wasn't for the fact I am pregnant. Ulquiorra made it quite clear I was to stay safe and out of trouble" she finished with a giggle. "He has become so over protective."

"I see. I know both Ggio and Soi Fon have both been regularly deployed together by his Majesty. I wonder why I was left out?" he mused unhappily.

"Well, some people have to stay and guard the city just in case something happens. Maybe that is why you're here," Orihime suggested helpfully. "I think Nemu-san is still here too, and… Renji," her voice fell at the last name.

Even Yumichika looked depressed at the mention of that name.

"What did Szayel do to him anyway?" Yumichika questioned softly.

"I am not sure. I think Karin-chan mentioned something about his Zanpakuto being utterly destroyed."

A look of pure horror crossed Yumichika's face and the elegant man clutched the silk of his kimono as if the garment itself could steady him.

"No," he whispered. "That would definitely explain it. Better to be dead than to live with half of your soul destroyed."

"Yeah," she agreed.

Ajuga's return broke the morose mood. The child grunted with effort as she dragged a dead deer by the throat towards them. She was covered in blood and dirt and her hair looked as if it had been snagged on a few branches for good measure.

"Ajuga-chan!" Orihime cried, horrified. "You're filthy!"

"Astonishing," Yumichika complimented with a soft chuckle.

Ajuga dropped the dead beast at their feet, looking up at them happily and expectantly.

"This good park, Yumi-niisan," she smiled happily up at them.

"The deer are here to pet, not eat," he laughed. "But still, well done," he congratulated her.

"Pet?" she questioned confused. It wasn't a familiar word.

"They are pets," Orihime explained. "Like the koi in Jushiro-sans' pond."

"Oh," she looked crestfallen and bit her lip.

"That's alright, Ajuga-chan, you didn't know," Yumichika assured her. "I bet it will taste great and having too many pet deer around are bad, since they kill the trees."

"Oh," she looked suddenly happy again with his explanation.

"Let's get you home and cleaned up," Orihime sighed. "I hope my child won't feel the need to eat every creature in sight."

Ajuga looked to Yumichika expectantly, and seemed very surprised when he folded his arms across his chest, the silk sleeves rustling. He gave her a significant look that made her tail stop swishing.

"You caught it, you carry it. You _are_ a big girl now, right?"

"Big and strong," she agreed.

Her fangs bit into the things neck again as she dropped to all fours. Orihime had to look away in disgust as Ajuga started to drag the carcass again.

"No, no, you will ruin the meat that way," Yumichika chided gently.

"Oh," she dropped the deer again and then stared up at him in frustration.

"Stand up, like I showed you earlier," he instructed.

Ajuga did as told, standing up clumsily. She was a little unsteady at first until she caught her balance.

"Good, good…" Yumichika complimented her as he picked up the deer without getting a single drop of blood on his person.

Orihime had no idea how he managed such a feat, but he managed to get the deer adjusted in Ajuga's grasp. His kimono, remarkably, remained unstained. She would have to ask him how he managed it.

"See, this way, less of the kill is being dragged on the ground, meaning less resistance and less damage to the meat," he explained patiently.

"Oh," Ajuga exclaimed delightedly after taking several stumbling steps before getting it right.

"Will you join us on the walk back, Yumichika-san?" Orihime asked.

"I have nothing else to do," he answered pleasantly.

The walk was lovely, the two of them sharing a pleasant conversation while Ajuga trudged behind them hauling her kill without a word of complaint. They were almost back to Jushiro-san's Estate when the sound of a body hitting the ground coincided with Ajuga's sudden hiss.

"So _this_ is where you have been hiding."

Both turned to see Barragen standing behind them, his aged visage displaying next to no emotion. Beside him, Ggio and Soi Fon silently knelt, their eyes on the ground.

"Hmm," he turned his gaze to the growling Ajuga, who had dropped back to all fours and was standing protectively over her kill. "Amusing brat, I have no interest in your food. This must be Grimmjow's spawn."

"Hai, Barragen-san," Orihime answered.

Yumichika had dropped to one knee in a bow with his eyes adverted and body motionless.

Ajuga's hackles lowered slightly at the assurance that he had no plans on claiming her kill, but she still watched him warily and looked ready to bolt at any minute. It was strange since Ajuga had shown no fear of any of the other Espada she had met, not even Nnoitra or Yammy. Something about Barragen clearly had her hackles up though.

"Ajuga-chan?" Orihime questioned worriedly.

Ajuga was slowly backing away now and for the first time ever Orihime could swear the little girl was afraid and looked ready to bolt.

"A pure born girl. How intriguing. She's _far_ more interesting than Nnoitra's pet."

Orihime felt a sudden wash of terror go over her as well, recalling the conversation they had with Tesra what felt like ages ago about Claiming children for future use. Her terror quickly turned to shock as Ulquiorra suddenly appeared before her.

She was stunned he had showed up at all, until she realized she must have been transmitting her fear through the Claim. Of course he would come running if he felt she, and thus their child, was threatened.

"Ulquiorra," Barragen almost growled.

"Barragen," he greeted just as coldly.

Ajuga looked between the two, hackles still up and growling before she suddenly darted behind Ulquiorra's legs, hiding behind them and hissing at Barragen. If the situation hadn't been so stressful Orihime might have found it funny.

Ulquiorra didn't even spare Ajuga a second glance, but kept his attention fixed squarely on Barragen.

"Onna?" Ulquiorra questioned, clearly asking what was going on here that had her in such a titter.

"Interesting, has Grimmjow offered you the brat then?" Barragen questioned.

Orihime knew that she didn't need to say another word. Ulquiorra had already figured out what the entire situation was about and why Ajuga had taken refuge behind him.

"The child will remain unfettered. You know as well as I that she will choose her own, or one will take her after conquering her in a test of skill or strength…" Ulquiorra answered. "…unless you feel like testing Kami's edict regarding the girl."

"Perhaps," Barragen grunted.

"If you were interested in offspring, perhaps you should partake of your female pet instead of indulging in your usual tastes," Ulquiorra added, his tone laced with a touch of derision.

Orihime felt herself stiffen at what Ulquiorra implied with that statement and her gaze darted to Yumichika, who hadn't moved at all since Barragen's arrival. Of course she understood what Claiming entitled, but she thought their relationship was more like Starrk and Jushiro's.

The atmosphere was rapidly growing uncomfortable and Orihime fought the urge to start hyperventilating as the reiatsu of the two Espada clashed with each other. Ajuga growled, but remained hidden behind Ulquiorra's legs.

"My, my, my… is _this_ what is tripping my sensors?" Szayel's voice cut into the scene.

"Szay!" Ajuga cried, but strangely enough she didn't abandon her position.

"Ah, there is my favourite experiment," he smiled at her. "Aizen-kami wants an update on your development. Shall we go see Nemu-chan and get some new data?" he offered pleasantly, ignoring the two competing Espada.

Ajuga nodded her head, but remained in her place, watching Barragen as if she didn't trust him not to hurt her the moment she stepped away from the Fourth Espada's shadow.

"Go," Ulquiorra ordered her without looking.

Ajuga looked up at him hesitantly before bolting from behind his legs and leaping into Szayel's waiting arms. She turned a glare back to Barragen and hissed, baring her fangs before snuggling more comfortably into Szayel's grip as he adjusted his hold on her and took off in a burst of Sonido.

"I never would have thought I'd see the day you would defend Grimmjow's brat," Barragen sniffed.

"_Aizen-kami_ made it clear she is to be left alone. I thought your memory superior to trash such as Nnoitra or Yammy, but they at least understand and obey Kami-sama's orders," Ulquiorra retorted, the derision in his voice morphing into full-blown contempt.

"You tread dangerously, boy," Barragen growled, clearly angry. "One day you will lose your favour with Aizen-sama, and I will be waiting," he threatened. "Come," he snapped at his minions.

Orihime watched sadly as Yumichika finally rose and followed his owner away from the scene. He had a defeated and depressed look about him and she prayed Barragen wouldn't take out his frustrations on those he owned.

"Onna?" Ulquiorra turned his attention to her.

She hardly heard him, her eyes following the others until they were out of sight.

"Onna?" he repeated again.

She sighed and turned her attention to him briefly before looking at the dead deer lying forgotten in the middle of the street, a testament to both Ajuga's hunting prowess and her still-childish attention span.

"We really shouldn't leave that laying around," she sighed.

His gaze also went to the dead animal.

"Ajuga?" he questioned.

"Yes. She was rather proud of herself for catching it," Orihime replied.

"Return home," he ordered, after a moment of silence. "I must report in first and will be there shortly."

She nodded her head and turned about to head back to their house. Even though she knew it wasn't, somehow she couldn't help but to think that the day's events were all somehow her fault.

(POV)

"What is this?" Jushiro asked as he stared at Ulquiorra, gesturing with one hand.

"Your dinner," the other answered before turning to walk away.

"Oi, wait, what do you mean dinner?" Jushiro asked.

"Ajuga was unable to get it home on her own, thus I delivered it for her. That is all," he explained over his shoulder.

Ulquiorra quickly disappeared into a Sonido before Jushiro could ask any more questions, leaving the white-haired Taichou on his front step staring at the very dead deer that had been deposited there.

"What on earth is that?" Nanao asked as she arrived.

"Apparently dinner," he answered

"Ajuga-chan?" she guessed.

"So Ulquiorra-san said," he confirmed.

"I see. Well, best not to leave it out here rotting," she said as she walked past him and through the gate, leaving him alone once more with the dead animal.

"_Some days I wonder if Shunsui hasn__'__t managed to convince me to get sloshed and this is all just one long, wild, random nightmare,__"_he sighed to himself.

He picked up the dead animal with an 'oof' and brought it to Karin and Grimmjow's quarters, leaving it on their kitchen counter to deal with when they got home.

Just touching the dead animal left him feeling unsettled and he took the time to climb into the shower to try and get the feeling off of his skin. The hot water soothed his frazzled nerves and before long he found himself leaning against the wall and letting the shower massage his skin.

It started as a small tickle at the back of his throat, one he ignored as nothing more than the steam he was breathing in. Unfortunately, it quickly escalated into a small cough, then a large one and then a series of coughing fits that left him light-headed and gasping for air.

"Shit," he cursed weakly as he suddenly doubled over and began coughing heavily, blood quickly rushing up his throat.

He hadn't had an attack in ages. Granted, he hadn't been pushing his body the way he used to in some time. He was well overdue for an attack and it seemed like the bloody disease was back.

He tried to gather enough strength to call for help, but another round of coughing began and the intensity of the attack left him collapsed on the floor of the shower. All of his attention went into trying, less than successfully, to breathe. It wasn't long before the lack of oxygen and the choking sensation overwhelmed him. The last think he felt was the pelting of cooling water on his skin and the tile against his convulsing body


	68. Sickness

Sickness

Karin walked home with a happy Ajuga going on about how her day went. She was surprised her daughter had been with Szayel instead of Orihime, but the scientist had explained, in a rather pleased-with-himself tone, what had happened.

Ajuga seemed fine and happy, but Karin was ready to kill that old bastard Barragan. Espada or not, how dare he look at her daughter like that! Grimmjow would be lucky to have anything left to shred by the time Karin was through with the prick.

She was just glad that Ulquiorra had shown up in time. She was going to have to thank him since she knew Grimmjow would sooner eat a frog than thank the Fourth for anything.

Thinking of her mate, she determined that he was still out in the field. She had been deployed with her own Division while he had been sent farther out to set up one of Szayel's precious sensors. Most of the Arrancar had been deployed long range due to their higher speeds.

Karin opened the main gate to the Estate with a sigh, and nearly tripped over Ajuga as her daughter came to a full stop two steps in.

"Ajuga-chan?" Karin questioned tiredly, wondering what could have possibly caused her daughter to freeze like that.

"TAKE-JII" Ajuga suddenly roared and bolted towards the house.

Karin stared after he daughter in shock before racing after her. She was stunned at the speed the girl was putting out. Ajuga was running so fast she was actually running _along_ the walls, forcing Karin to either slow down to take the corners or ricochet painfully off of them.

"TAKE-JII," Ajuga cried again, panic in her voice.

On Ajuga's second frantic cry of alarm Karin quickly sought out Jushiro-san's reiatsu, only to find she could barely make out a very weak signature from his own chambers.

She had never seen his reiatsu so faint and her own panic quickly surpassed her daughter's. Without a second thought, Karin quit wasting time running through the corridors and gathered her reiatsu about her body in a protective shield before simply busting through the walls in a straight path.

Despite her more direct path, both her and Ajuga arrived in Jushiro's room at the same time. They paused for just a second before Karin ran to the bathroom and pushed the door aside.

Ajuga darted between her legs and violently pulled the shower curtain aside, crying out in anguish as the white haired Taichou was revealed.

"Jushiro," Karin cried in shock.

" 'take-ji," Ajuga sobbed, shaking his unresponsive body with her small hands.

There was a sickening amount of blood around him, mostly surrounding his head and his body shook violently. Karin rushed to his side, pausing only to turn the now-freezing water off.

"Ajuga, blankets, quickly," she ordered crisply. _"__Why must I always find my patients in the bloody shower?__"_she couldn't help but wonder cynically, her clothing soaked from the cold water.

"Jushiro?" she called softly.

There was no response and his breath was very, very weak and ragged. His skin was chilled and his shakes were no doubt from the cold. She quickly ran through her first aid training.

"_A. Airways. B. Breathing. He__'__s breathing, but it__'__s very ragged. Nothing visible seems to be obstructing his airway. C. Circulation. His pulse is there, but it__'__s weak and very erratic. I see no signs of any major wounds, where did all this blood come from. His mouth smells like blood. Did he throw this up?__"_she thought frantically in horror.

"Mama," Ajuga came back into the room hauling the blanket from Jushiro's futon.

Karin quickly wrapped him up in the blanket and after doing a quick check of his body to make sure there were no signs of serious injury, she deemed it safe to move him carefully out of the shower.

Picking him up carefully, she watched for any sign of discomfort, but all he did was tremble in her arms as his breathing was still very, very ragged.

"_Dear Kami, it sounds like his lungs are full of water,__"_she thought frantically. _"__Did he breathe in a lungful of water from lying unconscious in the shower? Why was he unconscious in the first place?__"_

"What's all the commotion? I could hear the walls splintering from…," Nanao never finished as she entered the room with a curious Hana by her side.

"Oh Kami, he must have had an attack. To the 4th Division, now!" Nanao snapped.

Karin didn't need to be told twice. They used his porch to get outside faster and launched into the fastest Shunpo they dared.

"What attack?" Karin demanded as they ran.

"He has tuberculosis. It has been so long since he last had a major attack and we have been so busy with the invasion that I had almost forgotten about his condition," Nanao explained.

"Tuberculosis?" Karin exclaimed, looking down in shock at the pale-haired Taichou cradled in her arms.

He was so chilled from the shower she could feel the coldness seeping through the blanket and into her own flesh. If anything, the faster speeds helped to cool his damp flesh even more and his shakes increased, as did the ragged gasps for breath.

"Fucking hell," she cursed.

She didn't dare move slower though. He needed to get to the hospital fast to get the fluids out of his lungs before he drowned in his own blood.

"_Son of a bitch at this rate he__'__s going to have hyperthermia on top of his tuberculosis,__"_she hissed.

They arrived at the 4th Division in record time. Karin burst through the front door, instantly drawing attention to herself, attention that skyrocketed when the staff caught sight of her pale haired patient.

"Get Unohana now!" she ordered, marching to the nearest flat surface to set the ill captain down. Spying a gurney, she gently made sure that his head was elevated, to help with his breathing.

"Unohana-Taichou has gone home for the evening," one member stuttered.

"Then go get her," she snapped in irritation.

"She is not to be disturbed, per Aizen-Kami's orders," one of the nurses stated fearfully.

"This is a little more important," Karin snapped. "Go. Get. Her. Now!"

The others bristled, but she could tell they were terrified of the potential consequences for disturbing the 'royal couple.' A part of Karin understood their fears; Aizen was a bastard after all, one that didn't take well to interruptions or disturbances. Even if Jushiro was an acting Taichou, what did Kami care for one Shinigami's death?

She pushed her morbid thoughts aside and started untangling the blanket from Jushiro and settled him onto the gurney, not at all concerned with his nudity. The staff at least made themselves useful by handing her warm, dry blankets and she wrapped him up in them, concerned with how blue his lips and nails were turning.

His pulse was still erratic and weak while his breath was clearly still laboured. He was beginning to struggle at little in delirium and that did not bode well either. Making sure he was secure enough not to fall off of the gurney, Karin looked up only to find that Nanao was gone, presumably to go get Unohana herself since the others were too scared to do so. One of the nurses stood ready to direct her to the emergency ward and she found herself gritting her teeth.

If she didn't take charge now, Jushiro wouldn't make it through the next few hours.

"You there!" she shouted to the nurse, pulling the gurney away from the wall and pushing it towards the doorway.

"Hai, Kurosaki-Fukutaichou?"

"Get something to write with. I need you to get the following things and I don't care if you have to go to the Living World to get them… understood?"

(POV)

Jushiro woke up to the sounds of medical equipment beeping and hissing, meaning someone must have found him. There was also something rather heavy and warm lying by his side. No, wait… make that two things, one to either side of him.

Ever so slowly he opened his eyes, aware of the uncomfortable, yet very familiar feeling of tubes going down his throat and IV needles inserted in his arms. His limbs felt heavy and he noticed his wrists and ankles were tied to the bed with some kind of leather restraints. In addition, he felt an odd twinge between his pelvic bones, a pressure that was slightly uncomfortable but not terribly so.

The weight on his left stirred at his slight movements.

" 'take-ji?" a sleepy voice yawned.

"_Ajuga_," he quickly surmised.

His vision was very blurry at first but slowly the black and white blur hovering above his head came into focus to reveal the little girl's concerned face.

"You're awake," she chirped happily. "I'll go get Lily-chan," she promised before darting away.

The heavier weight on his other side stirred and he wasn't all that surprised to see Hana blinking at him.

" 'take-ji?" she questioned worriedly.

Unable to speak, he weakly raised his arm to give her a soft hug, or tried to. It was pinned under the blankets and he found he didn't have the strength to fight against the restraint. Hana seemed to understand his intent though, because she shifted about and dug under the blanket to clutch his hand in hers. She fiddled with the buckle on that strap and after a moment, his freed hand squeezed hers back.

"See, see, he's awake," Ajuga's happy voice brought his attention to the door.

Ajuga was quickly back by his side and his eyes slowly revealed Lilinette as the Arrancar approached.

"You sure got yourself into one hell of a mess, Shiro-chan," she scowled, crossing her arms and glaring at him with a toss of her green hair. Still, it was hard to miss the relief that underlay her words.

He chuckled weakly at her, and instantly regretted doing so. His throat was raw and scratched from the tubing.

How long had he been unconscious? Was it night or day? It was impossible to say inside the emergency ward. In fact, as his brain started to shake off the drugs they'd given him, he was surprised Hana and Ajuga had been permitted to stay with him unmonitored.

Unfortunately with several tubes down his throat, talking was not something he could easily do. He held up the hand Hana had freed and wrote in the air. Ajuga and Lilinette looked at him confused before Hana made a sound of exclamation and handed him a pad of paper and a pen.

Judging by the numbers sprawled all over the page Hana had been practicing her numbers again, numbers that made him blink in surprise and his head hurt trying to make sense of them.

Her aptitude for mathematics was something astonishing, but he set that aside for now. He would congratulate her on her talent when he could actually talk again.

'Date? Time?' he wrote out.

"You have been sleeping for five days. It's just after midnight", Lilinette answered. "One would think you're trying to imitate Starrk, with how long you've been out."

Five days? He had never been unconscious for five days before. Apparently his illness was making up for its long remission with a vengeance.

"Karin seemed pretty upset that you were suffering from…. tuber locust?" Lilinette tried.

"Tuberculosis," Hana corrected.

Lilinette made a face, then continued.

"Yeah that. She muttered something about micro bacteria," Lilinette said the word carefully in an obvious attempt to get it right "…and something she called Baskel Calmite Gourine."

"Bacillus Calmette Guerin," Hana corrected again.

"Whatever," Lilinette muttered, glaring at Hana. "Anyway, she wanted to know why they hadn't been giving it to you or something. Something about it helping or preventing or something."

"Mama said it would fix it, or had a chance to or something," Ajuga added. "She said a lot of strange things. I bet Hana-chan remembers them!" she said, and the others turned to look at the girl.

"That's because _I_ wrote it all down." Hana smiled smartly as she pulled out several pieces of paper with barely legible kanji on it. "Okay, Karin-bachan said you had something called 'tuberculosis', and that people in the Living World take a 'vaccine' she called _Bacillus Calmette Guerin_. She made sure we all got a shot of it."

"Sometimes the strain is really strong and she thinks you were infected with a really strong one. She also said something about _Rifampicin_ and _Isoniazid_. I think they got you on _Rifampicin_ because Karin-bachan said _Isoniazid_ is quickly neutralized, or something like that." Hana finished, having slowly pronounced each of the medical terms in an obvious effort to make sure she got the words right. "She also said that in order to keep your bladder from bursting while you were asleep, you had a catheter put in and that you better not accidentally pull it out or it would make things worse."

Hana looked at her notes a second time and then back up at Jushiro, a little perplexed.

"She didn't tell me what that meant but she said you would know what it was and not to mess with it until the nurses came," she said warningly.

She then looked at Lilinette and Ajuga, both of whom just shrugged.

Suddenly the odd pressure below his navel made sense and he was doubly grateful that whoever had put him in this bed had also seen fit to at least dress him in a hospital garment before the girls had fallen asleep next to him. Now that he thought about it, he could feel another tube like the ones down his throat snaking its way down his leg. He was also suddenly glad his throat was preoccupied by tubing; it made it that much more difficult for them to ask questions he wasn't sure he was up to answering.

He absorbed the rest of the information in surprise. He knew Karin had a nurse's training from her time in her family's clinic, but he had no idea she was this knowledgeable about his disease. Thinking of Karin, he wondered where the adults had gone.

He wrote the question out, his own kanji hardly legible as his hands shook violently with weakness. They seemed to get the message though.

"Fighting," Ajuga answered.

He blinked his eyes in surprise.

"The swarm attacked at sunset. It took us all by surprise since this is the first time that they have attacked at night," Lilinette answered grimly.

"Mama and Papa and Szay and everyone was ordered by Kami to go fight," Ajuga added, a little crestfallen.

"We didn't want to stay at the Estate all alone, so we begged to stay here with 'take-ji instead," Hana continued. "We didn't want to leave your side while everyone else had to leave in case something happened."

"Yep! The attack happened while we were visiting and since we didn't want to leave you alone we are taking care of you," Ajuga added proudly.

"How are you feeling?" Lilinette asked concerned.

Truthfully, he felt like shit, but he didn't want to worry the young girls. Of course, having tubes down one's throat and an IV in both of one's arms wasn't comfortable, even had he been feeling well.

" 'take-ji still feels warm and smells like blood," Ajuga said sadly as she rested the back of her hand on his forehead. "A lot less blood, but still like blood. Should we get a nurse?" Ajuga looked at the two older girls.

"I'll go see if I can find one, but they are all pretty busy with the wounded from the battle," Lilinette frowned.

The Arrancar headed out, leaving him with the two young girls looking at him in concern.

"Can we get you anything?" Hana asked concerned.

He gave his head a soft shake. Right now there was nothing the girls could do for him, nothing that rest and the medicine Karin-chan had ordered for him wouldn't do. He closed his eyes and just basked in the presence of those that cared for him.

He felt the girls return to his sides like little sentinels, curling up on the blankets and clutching a hand each. Smiling softly, he gave their little hands a squeeze in silent thanks, one they returned.

He had to admit he was happy the girls had been allowed by the 4th Division staff to remain. Waking up in this room alone would have not been pleasant. It would have given his drugged mind a chance to remember that Shunsui and his former third seats would never be able to be here to offer him comfort again.

By the time Lilinette returned with a nurse in tow, the three of them were once more lost to slumber. Lilinette sighed in exasperation while the nurse quickly checked his charts and asked her a few questions.

"What time did he wake up?"

"I don't know, a few minutes ago. I think Ajuga-chan got me pretty quick after he woke up. They were awake when I went looking for you" Lilinette answered.

"Did he show any signs of distress?"

"No. He wrote out he was feeling okay, which is an obvious lie. I mean come on, he's breathing through plastic tubes. Stupid Shiro-chan, he never worries about himself," Lilinette groused, glowering at the man propped up in the bed.

The nurse smiled softly and knowingly, causing Lilinette to turn her fearsome glare on the woman.

"What?" she demanded with a snap.

"Nothing," the nurse demurred as she moved about and checked the monitors, and the catheter tube and bag before recording the information on the charts. "He still has a bit of a temperature, but his vitals are all looking much better. If he wakes up again let us know. Hopefully we can get him off the machine in the morning."

"That would be just swell…" the little Arrancar sighed and then flopped down in one of the room's two chairs after the nurse left.

Jushiro drifted in and out of consciousness through out the night. Lilinette was the only one apparently still awake and both of them left the girls to slumber by his sides. He would only remain conscious for a few minutes before succumbing to slumber again.

When Jushiro woke up again he was pleased to notice that someone had removed the tubes from his throat and was surprised to see someone sleeping on the old, worn chair that Shunsui once lived in when he'd woken from similar bouts of his illness in the past.

At first he thought he was hallucinating, for the shadow did resemble his old friend until his eyes cleared and he was surprised to notice his guest was Starrk. The two girls seemed to be gone, leaving the two of them in the room.

"Time?" he croaked through a very dry throat.

"You shouldn't speak," Starrk said, shifting about to look at him and handing him the pen and paper.

'Date? Time?'

"Mid-morning. The girls said you woke up around midnight last night" Starrk answered. "I told Lilinette to take them down to the cafeteria to get something to eat. They haven't left your side since Ajuga and Karin found you."

'Division?'

Indeed his next thought was his Division. He vaguely recalled the girls saying there had been a battle last night and he worried over his charges.

"Karin talked to Aizen-kami before walking in to take over. I am not sure how that conversation went, but I got the impression Aizen-kami wasn't too bent out of shape about it. He was smiling for most of the day afterwards. She's been running it with some help from Yammy's pet."

"_Byakuya?__"_he reflected on that, surprised. _"__I never thought I__'__d see the day that monster that Claimed him would permit Byakuya any level of freedom, let alone any responsibility like assisting in a Division."_

Starrk must have followed his train of thought.

"Yammy wasn't too pleased with it, but Kami made it an order to let his pet assist her until you manage to recover enough to resume your duties and that there had better be no _un-pleasantries_ because of it."

He felt a bit of relief. Hell, he might even take a bit longer to 'recover' if being bedridden meant that Byakuya got a bit of relief from the rather uncivilized Espada. Still, he was surprised Karin had been the one to step forward to take care of things.

But then again, given her family history and reputation for audacity, perhaps it shouldn't have been that big of a surprise. He was unable to dwell on any other thoughts, because at that moment in time the girls returned.

" 'take-ji." Hana and Ajuga squealed happily as they raced to the bed, mindful of the IV and catheter lines.

He offered them both a smile as they crawled into bed with him and nearly tackled him into a hug. His smile widened as he held each girl in an arm and gave them a firm squeeze.

It was moments like this that he was happy he had decided to live, to accept Starrk's offer and kneel before the other once a year in submission. He looked over the girls shoulders to see Lilinette smirking at him while Starrk seemed just as happy to reclaim the comfy chair and doze off again


	69. 2nd Division

2nd Division

When it was clear Jushiro-san was going to be out of commission for a while, Karin knew someone was going to have to step up to lead the 2nd Division. If her estimate was correct, the Taichou would require at least a month of hospitalization, if not more, before he would be able to go back to the Estate to finish recuperating.

As it stood, the Division was currently minus several seated officers, including a Fukutaichou. At first she had suggested Nanao move over since their Division was one of the most stable and use to following Karin, but Nanao had declined and pointed out that Karin would be the better option.

Their Division had come a long way with Karin's training and the 2nd could definitely benefit from it. With so few seated officers, the 2nd Division's training regimen was strained, and in wartime, combat and strategy training were essential.

Karin had mulled the problem over while sitting beside Jushiro-san's bed while the girls remained by his side working on their Kanji. Hana's was a right royal mess, but Ajuga's was coming along rather beautifully.

She had no doubt she could get the 2nd Division into shape, but only as long as they listened and respected her. Some knew her from the Kido lessons she had participated in years ago, but other than that she had no well-known Shinigami to back her like she had going into the 5th.

She needed a strong second, someone who knew how to actually run a Division. The administrative stuff could only be ignored so long, and looking over at the pale, still-unconscious and fragile seeming Jushiro, Karin knew it would be months before he could return at full power.

The problem was, there were only two people she really knew not assigned to a Division already that could possibly help her. One was Rangiku, the other Byakuya. Both had Masters that she doubted would be willing to give up their pets.

She had approached Nnoitra and Rangiku first, figuring if anyone would be willing to let their 'pet' join a Division, it would be the Fifth Espada. Surprisingly, it had been Rangiku who had declined the offer, saying administrative work was really not her forté. But, if Karin couldn't find anyone she would at least try and help when time permitted.

With Rangiku out of the running, Karin spent two days debating how to approach Yammy before giving up and deciding it was best to go one up. With that, she marched determinedly over to Aizen's office.

The door was wide open like last time, almost inviting her in. The moment her eyes fell upon him she found her nails digging into her palms as anger unexpectedly tore through her. This was the son of a bitch who had not only massacred nearly everyone she had loved, but had also tortured Szayel to the point the scientist had tried to kill himself. The fear she once had when approaching him was replaced by a concentrated dose of rage.

She took a few deep breaths to calm herself before knocking politely on the side panel. She was far more level-headed than her nii-san. Charging in and challenging Kami would only get her and her friends either hurt or killed. Besides, she was here to solve a problem and losing her temper now would ensure that the issue she had to deal with would remain unresolved.

Aizen raised his gaze to meet her and offered her a smile.

"Karin-chan, this is a pleasant surprise! Please, come in and have a seat," he said pleasantly as he gestured to the chair across from him.

She bowed, entered the room, and sat as directed while he set his brush aside and moved the document he had been working on out of the way.

"What can I do for you today?" he questioned as he took out a spare mug and poured her a cup of tea from the pot beside him.

"It is in regards to the 2nd Division," she answered, deciding to get right to the point.

"Ah. How is Jushiro doing? My wife reports his health was not very good."

"He's still unconscious and it's apparent that if and when he wakes up, he'll still be incredibly weak. He's been ill for a very long time and he's been pushing himself to handle too much with too little help. Even with the medicines from the Living World, all estimates indicate that it will be a good month before he should even think about getting out of bed and another after that before attempting anything remotely strenuous," she replied sadly. "Getting him back into shape is going to take a very long time, perhaps months."

Aizen took her verbal report, and leaned forward, folding his fingers as if in thought. He did not, however, break eye contact with her.

"I see. I take it you have come to a solution of sorts?"

She nodded her head and took a deep breath to steady herself before she spoke again.

"I talked it out with Nanao-Taichou, she talked to Toshiro-Taichou as well, and we came to the conclusion that I would be the best to move over temporarily. The 3rd Division is still missing a lot of seated officers, including its Fukutaichou, and Unohana-Taichou is needed at the 4th."

"It sounds like you all have it worked out. Are you here to inform me of your decision?" he questioned.

"No, actually," she bit her lip before steeling her back and daring to match his gaze with her own, "I am here to request that you order Yammy to let me have Byakuya-san's assistance."

Aizen raised an eyebrow at that and she swore that his mouth quirked upwards in a smile, as if the idea entertained him immensely. For some reason that irritated her all the more and that small indignant spark helped her find the resolve to make him listen to her.

"The 2nd Division's troops don't know me and I have had very little time to learn the administrative aspect of running a Shinigami Division. I asked Rangiku-san first, but she declined, saying she was not a good choice for such an undertaking. Byakuya-san is the only other person I know who has the experience and ability to handle the administrative end," she concluded.

She hadn't broken eye contact once during her little speech, letting him know how serious she was.

"It could be two or more months before Jushiro-Taichou is able to return to the field and that is too long to leave a team leaderless," she pressed. "That's especially true now."

Aizen leaned back into his chair and broke the eye contact as he took a sip of his tea as if considering her request. Karin had to hold back a sigh of relief. Gazing into his eyes left one deeply unnerved, if not sweating anxiously. She took a sip of her own tea to help ease her nerves.

"I made it clear that those with pets could do with them as they please and that I would not interfere with their nature," he finally spoke.

"I think the defence of this city and the proper running of its military force is more important than a little bit of bruised pride," she countered crisply.

"Indeed," he agreed, taking another sip of his tea. "Is there a reason you wish Byakuya instead of Soi Fon?" he questioned.

"Who?" she asked, pleased that she didn't need to feign the confusion in her voice. "Byakuya-san is the only former Taichou that I am familiar with that is not already attached to a Division. I believe we can work effectively together."

"I will speak to Yammy about it. Is there anything else?" he questioned.

Karin bit her lip, but in the end her inherent Kurosaki need to right wrongs and avenge the weak overpowered her better judgment to keep her mouth shut about the other issue that was killing her.

"I would be happy if you could find less violent ways to punish Szayel-san," she stated.

She felt his reiatsu rise dangerously and the look of amusement on his face temporarily darkened. Karin felt her chest tighten with fear, but she stubbornly pushed it aside in favour of pressing her case.

"It is an inconvenience to have to find a new babysitter for Ajuga-chan and Hana-chan every time I need to stitch him back together. If you do not interfere with other Claims, why do you interfere with this one?" she challenged him.

"A subordinate must be reminded of his place when he, or she," Aizen added in an obvious threatening manner, "steps out of line."

"I can understand that. Keeping that in mind, can you leave any punishments you may feel Szayel-san deserves to my Mate? At least then we can be prepared for the emotional backlashes racing through the Claim, instead of it interrupting what we are doing," she snapped in irritation.

She felt his anger morph into actual surprise at her request. Moments passed and then he truly smiled in unfeigned amusement as he caught on to what she was implying.

"Of course, I had forgotten about that feedback," he murmured, almost to himself, a thoughtful look crossing his face. "I hadn't considered that there might be some backlash."

"_At least he isn__'__t pissed,__"_ she thought with relief, but he hadn't exactly conceding to her request to leave Szayel alone.

"Anything else, Karin-chan?" he questioned in a deceptively mild voice.

"No," she answered.

She wanted to push the issue, but felt that she had pushed him far enough. Aizen was not above harming her should the mood to do so strike him. Unlike her brother, she could tell when she was treading on thin ice.

"In that case, you are dismissed. I understand there is a lot of work to be done at the 2nd, so I would suggest you get to it."

"Of course, Aizen-kami," she stood and bowed respectfully before retreating.

She made her way to her own Division first, making sure the training schedules were all up to date and leaving her orders with the third and fourth seats about the schedules before she and Nanao walked over to the 2nd Division.

It wasn't necessarily in chaos since Jushiro ran a pretty tight schedule and kept everything well organized, but there were small signs here and there that the situation would deteriorate without a steady had to keep the few seated officers from being utterly overwhelmed.

"Ise-Taichou, Karin-Fukutaicho, what can we do for you?" The Division's fourth seat asked as they walked into the office.

"Karin is here to take over until Ukitake-Taichou can return to duty. You will assist her in any way you can," Nanao ordered.

"Hai!" the man said and saluted.

"Good luck," Nanao offered her. "Let me know if we can help out at all."

"Thanks," she returned.

Nanao walked out the door to return to her own Division while Karin turned her attention to the man.

"Have the entire Division gather in the main courtyard tomorrow morning, I wish to address them. For now, show me what you are doing."

"Hai," he said again and sat back down, grabbing several of the forms in one of two boxes on the desk and a brush.

Karin pulled up a chair beside him and listened while he explained the purpose of the forms he was working on. After about five minutes she desperately prayed Aizen would relent to her request, because if not, she had a feeling the resounding headache forming behind her eyes was going to become a permanent addition.

(POV)

"Mama," Ajuga chirped at her happily as Karin entered the hospital room.

To her pleasure Jushiro was fully awake, his bed positioned so he was in a semi-upright position with Hana and Ajuga on either side. She swore neither girl had left his side since he had been admitted.

Lilinette was currently absent and Starrk appeared to be sleeping in one of the room's shabby-looking chairs.

"Hey brats! Hi Jushiro-san, good to see you are awake! Are you feeling any better?" Karin asked as she picked up his chart and glanced through it.

He gave his head a small nod and offered her a tired smile. She still insisted he not speak to give his lungs and throat a much-needed rest. The amount of blood they had to pump out and the damage she had seen in his X-rays had her beyond worried. For a while there she was scared they were going to lose him.

Pleased with what she saw in his charts she set them back into place before checking his IV. Until he was doing better he wouldn't be permitted food or liquids other than what nutrition he could absorb via the IV drips until they were sure they wouldn't have to put him under again. She bent down to check the collection bag secured to a small recessed drawer under the bed and made another note to have a nurse stop by to change out the bag for a fresh one in about an hour.

"You are definitely looking better. I was worried for a moment you might have caught hypothermia since we found you under a spray of ice cold water."

"Look what we drew," Ajuga held up her picture happily while Hana showed her own.

"Nicely done, dears," Karin smiled at them.

"And look, the nurse let us hang some of them up to keep 'take-ji happy," Hana pointed to the pictures tapped haphazardly to the wall.

"Wonderful! How is your homework coming along?" Karin asked.

"It's all done," Hana pointed to the pile of papers.

Since both girls refused to leave Jushiro's side, Hana's sensei had been bringing the work to the girls. Apparently the moment the man had seen Ajuga's kanji he had instantly found his second star pupil.

"Have you two eaten yet?" Karin asked.

"No," both girls answered sheepishly.

"Starrk-san, I know you are awake. Would you please take the girls to the cafeteria to grab something to eat? I am afraid I need to talk shop with Jushiro-san," she requested.

Starrk sighed and opened his eyes.

"You girls want to go to the taiyaki booth just down the street?" he asked, opening one eye.

"Yes," both girls shouted at once and then Ajuga's stomach had the temerity to gurgle with hunger.

Sighing, Starrk stood up and the two girls followed the First Espada out of the room. He did, thankfully, have the presence of mind to close the door on his way out, leaving the two of them alone.

Jushiro looked worriedly at her and Karin offered him a reassuring smile.

"We were not sure when you were going to wake up so between Toshiro, Nanao-san and I we sort of made some decisions for your Division."

She saw him relax slightly at that.

"We decided I would take over for now since our Division is in the best shape. I talked to Aizen-kami about getting some administrative help from one of the other former Taichou and I think the conversation went well. At least…" she cast her eyes upwards, "…I _think_ it went well. I mean, I'm still here to talk about it. Is there anything I should know about before I step in?" she asked.

He seemed to consider the question before writing several things out on his notepad. Karin read through his concerns, most of it reports that needed to be done as quickly as possible in order of importance, before confirming she had no questions.

A knock on the door startled them before it opened to admit a member from the 1st division.

"My apologies for the intrusion, Ukitake-Taichou, Kurosaki-Fukutaichou, but I have two letters here for you from Aizen-kami."

"Thank you," Karin smiled as she accepted the letters.

The man bowed and left as quickly as he'd come. Karin returned to the bed and quickly read the one addressed to her with a smile before handing it to Jushiro so he could read it. Once done, his eyes darted up to her in surprise. The second letter was addressed to the Kuchiki elders.

"I do have a personal request," Karin answered his unspoken question. "I love you Jushiro-san, like the father mine never really was..."

She swore there were tears threatening his eyes at that statement, "…so please don't take this the wrong way, but if it takes _just a little longer_ for you to recover, I don't think anyone is going to object," she smiled at him.

He laughed, and instantly regretted it as he started to cough. Karin moved in and rubbed his back soothingly until the hacking that shook his frame subsided.

"Hey, no killing yourself now," she scolded. "I said take _longer_ to recover, not get sicker. I think I know where Hana-chan gets her mischief from now, and it isn't Lilinette-chan."

He rumbled softly at that and shook his head. Karin helped him sit back comfortably again before noting the time and picking up his board to write down the vitals.

'You mean it? You think of me as a father figure?' he wrote out as she put his board away again.

"Of course," she said, a little incredulously. "How could I not when you and Nanao-san have been here for me all this time. I honestly think Hana-chan and Ajuga-chan really do think you are their grandfather," she replied with a laugh. "Well, you and Starrk-san both."

He smiled happily at that.

"And I know," Karin continued, "that if anything were to happen to me or Grimmjow, you and the others wouldn't hesitate to take Ajuga-chan in as your own,"

She swore he blushed slightly as he gave a nod of his head in agreement.

"You should sleep some more. Get some rest before the rug rats come back. That, by the way,_ is_ an order."

He chuckled as she lowered him back a little and tucked him in more firmly.

"No more pushing yourself," she warned. "Do you mind the girls staying here?"

He shook his head in the definite negative.

'Their company is greatly appreciated,' he wrote out.

"Alright, then I am going to go deliver this letter. Rest well, Jushiro-san."

He offered her a faint smile and closed his eyes, relaxing back into the warmth of his bed. Karin turned most of the lights off before retreating, heading to the Kuchiki Estate.

She wished Grimmjow wasn't out on the field patrolling. She would have felt much better having him by her side when she went to confront Yammy. Just because she had a letter from Aizen-kami ordering him to give up his pet to her didn't mean he was going to without a fight.

"_I swear, this is that sick bastard__'__s way of punishing me for my little outburst earlier,__"_she grouched inwardly.

She stopped by at the Estate to dig out the old letter Byakuya had given her ages ago, the one inviting her onto his Estate at any time, so she wouldn't have any potential problems with the guards before heading out.

She was met by two guards at the front gate as she handed her letter over to them. They read it before offering her a bow and inviting her in. A servant waited for her on the other side.

"Karin-san, how may I assist you today?" the woman asked politely.

"I need to speak to Byakuya-san and I have a letter for the Kuchiki elders from Aizen-kami," she answered politely.

"Byakuya-sama is currently engaged with another endeavour. If you would please follow me I can direct you to the Grand Council."

"Lead the way," she agreed. "_Engaged? I can see him alone near the back of the mansion,__"_she mused. "How long do you figure Byakuya-san will be?" she questioned.

"I am afraid I do not know," her guide answered.

Karin followed the servant in silence for a while until they reached a rather impressive looking building. The woman knocked on the door and spoke quietly to the guards on the other side. The guards on this side eyed her dubiously, but otherwise remained still as statues.

"They will see you now," her guide commented, stepping to the side and permitting her to enter the room.

There were several people sitting on rather expensive cushions, three on a raised platform and five to either side. She walked up to them and bowed politely.

"_Dear Kami, half of these people look like they should have one, if not both, feet in the grave,__"_she couldn't help but to think.

"You have a letter for us from Kami-sama?" the female elder in the centre of the raised platform spoke first.

"I do," she held up the letter and walked up to the woman, holding it out.

The woman looked at her displeased with what was apparently a lapse in protocol and made no motion to take it. Karin was all for being polite, but she wasn't up for playing noble games. She had better things to do than waste her valuable time playing with these fussy, geriatric snobs.

"You can take this letter and read it, or I will simply leave and tell Aizen-kami you were too good to take it," Karin threatened. "I will not put up with this kind of crap from great-grandparents such as you," she snapped irritably.

Several eyes widen in shock and a few gasps of outrage reached her ears. Karin could have cared less what they thought at the moment and proceeded to tell them so.

"I am not your kin; I am not even a Shinigami. I am Grimmjow-sama's mate, one of Kami-sama's elite warriors. As far as I am concerned, in this Hollow Conquered World, it is _you_ who should be bowing to me," she snapped.

"Mate?" one of the men from the left side of the room asked.

"Hollows take mates," she retorted, turned her attention towards him. "As the mother of his heir, I am his mate," she turned her attention back to the front. "Now, are you going to take this letter or not? I have other business to attend to."

Finally the elder woman took the letter from her hand. Karin instantly turned about and made an attempt to march out.

"Oi," several people rose their voice in protest and she gave them a dark look over her shoulder

"I told you, I. Am. Busy. Today. I am already aware of the contents of that letter and it does not concern me nearly as much as it concerns _you_. Now if you will excuse me, I have business with Kuchiki-sama."

She faced them again, gave them a deep bow just to mock the lot of them, and turned on her heel. When she got to the door, rather than pushing on it, she used her sudden anger to kick the massive doors open with ease.

"Ah, Karin-san?" her escort cried in surprise as she stalked out of the audience chamber, before the woman stumbled after her, trying to catch up.

"I need to speak to Byakuya-san," she said as she traced his reiatsu and started to march towards it.

To her displeasure she realized he had not only moved locations, but was no longer alone. Yammy was clearly with him.

"_Well, at least I can talk to them both at the same time,__"_she sighed as she made her way through the house towards them.

"Wait, Karin-san, please! They are _not_ to be disturbed! Yammy-sama wishes to be left alone," her escort cried frantically after her.

Many other guards tried to stop her, frantically begging her to stop. She ignored them, at least until she reached the last door separating her from her targets. She froze as the sound of water splashing was nearly drowned out by the sound of Yammy's harsh, lustful moans.

Karin, to her dismay, also heard the sounds of someone in utter agony.

Shock was the first emotion she felt before rage quickly took over. Without wasting a second, Karin kicked the door open and stomped into the hot spring to the horrified cries of the others.

Unlike her though, they cowered outside of the spring. The sight that met her eyes burned its way into her unwilling brain and she clenched her fists until her knuckles were white and her hands shook.

At first all she could see was Yammy as he rutted against what appeared to be the edge of the pool; water splashing at his rough and quick movements. Quickly enough though she spotted Byakuya, pinned against the edge of the pool with his damp hair down and covering most of his face.

Yammy's face was scrunched up in a disgusting parody of pleasure while what little she could see of Byakuya's through his hair was clenched in obvious anguish. His hands dug into the sand around the pool trying to find purchase lest he be driven into the water to drown.

Her vision went from white to red as she witnessed firsthand the violence, a rape that not a single member of his family seemed to care enough about to try to stop.

"What the fuck?" she roared, instantly gaining the attention of the two.

Yammy snapped his gaze to her with a snarl of anger while Byakuya's startled eyes displayed horror and humiliation before he quickly forced masked calm upon his features, even if there was still signs of obvious pain.

"What in the hell you doing here, wench," Yammy demanded, stopping his assault but not withdrawing from his victim.

"I have immediate orders from Kami-sama," she snarled back, mouth twisted into a sneer.

"He can wait," Yammy snarled. "Now get out while I finish with my precious Chicchai Hime,"

Yammy grabbed Byakuya's chin and forced his head slightly to the side so he could lick up the side of Byakuya's face. Karin felt her nails dig deeper into her palms, until she was sure the moisture there was drops of her own blood. She could see the look of clear disgust that cross Byakuya's face as Yammy let his chin go. She knew that Byakuya had absolutely no desire to be beneath Yammy. The Claim was still shining brightly to her eyes, so she also knew this was not a simple case of reasserting dominance.

To her further horror, Yammy actually continued his rape right in front of her, as if she wasn't even there. He let out a rather loud groan of pleasure that was clearly meant to antagonize her and humiliate his victim.

Karin knew things like this happened throughout the city. It was truly no different than a city in the Living realm, but she had never actually borne witness to it. Never had it truly been brought home to her like it was at this moment.

"Maybe you wish to join us," Yammy suddenly smirked at her, not pausing in his violent trusts at all. "Maybe your eggs will be more receptive than the ones the Elders have been supplying. You graced that piece of trash Grimmjow with a child, after all."

If there was a level of rage beyond blind fury, Karin arrived at it with those words. She was so incensed she couldn't even see anymore. Like the time she fought Nnoitra, her vision went black. She had no memory of what occurred next

When her vision phased in again, she thought that only a minute or two must have passed. She was now standing _in_ the hot spring, but with Yammy now standing before her. He had a several marks all over his body and her first and feet were smarting. But that wasn't what surprised her.

Yammy's fist was several inches from her face, caught in the vice like grip of her mate, who was busy snarling in rage, wrath radiating from his bristling, Resurrection form.

As her senses slowly returned to her as she realized the hot spring had been utterly destroyed. Wooden splinters littered the soaked ground all about them and the rocks had all been shattered. She looked around and spotted Byakuya off to the side, a thin yukata pulled around his body and being tended to by a rather nervous attendant. That was about all the time she had to notice anything before she felt her legs give way beneath her. The wood, the rocks, the water and the observers to the destruction began to whirl around her, the images looking to her as if she were being sucked down a drain.

"Karin!" she heard Grimmjow cry out shortly before everything went black again.

This time when she came to she was resting in a bed at home. Karin blinked in confusion, wondering how she got there until she recalled what little she remembered of the incident. Her body ached slightly in a 'used muscles' sort of way and she noticed her hand had been wrapped up, but other than feeling exhausted, she seemed to be fine.

She sat up slowly, wishing desperately that she could recall what happened. She could recall everything up to what she had witnessed, recalled a feeling of utter fury, and then nothing.

"What happened?" she questioned softly aloud.

"You went psycho bitch on that bastard," Grimmjow answered as he entered the room.

She turned her attention his way, noticing that he seemed to be caught somewhere between trying to scowl at her in anger and smirking in pride. It left his face with a rather interesting look and before she could stop herself, she began laughing hysterically


	70. HUmiliations

Humiliations

Orihime entered Jushiro's room to see Hana and Ajuga sitting at a small table in the corner, busily eating breakfast while the white-haired Shinigami sat up in bed watching them before her entrance drew his attention.

"Good morning," she greeted him with a smile.

He nodded his head in greeting and held up one of the cardboard papers the girls had made for him with the kanji for 'Good Morning' scrawled on it. Ajuga had taken her lessons to heart and before anyone could have a chance at stopping her, the girl had started making hold up signs for him so he wouldn't have to write all the time.

"How are you feeling?" she asked warmly, coming up beside him.

'Well.'

"That's good," she held up a tray with a steaming cup that she had been carrying. "I spoke to Karin-chan and she said if you promise to drink it really slowly you can have a cup of mint tea. She said it should help soothe your throat."

He looked at her in surprise before trying to sit up some more. Orihime set the bottle down and assisted him, mindful of the IV lines, before handing the cup over. He took it gingerly and cradled it in his hands before taking a small, slow sip.

It had been over a week since he had been permitted to consume anything other than the occasional sip of water. The tea did feel wonderful on his raw throat, but he found he only had they strength to drink about half of the cup.

"How much longer is Unohana-san going to keep you here?" Orihime asked.

'2 weeks.' He held up the two separate signs.

"And then 'take-ji gets to come home and we can take care of him there!" Ajuga announced excitedly.

"You have both been doing such a good job of it too," Orihime offered the beaming girls a warm smile.

"Ne, 'hime-neechan, can't you heal the damage?" Hana asked suddenly, looking at her squarely.

"I… I don't really know," she said and blinked in surprise. "Tuberculosis is different from an injury. See, an injury is damage done to you while tuberculosis is actually caused a bacteria. There are little bad things inside of Ukitake-san that are eating his lungs," she explained.

"But, shouldn't you be able to heal the damage the bacteria have already done, even if you can't get rid of the bacteria themselves?" Hana questioned smartly.

Both adults looked at the girl in astonishment, as if she'd just announced that the sky had turned green.

"I… I might be able to," Orihime admitted.

"Try it, try it!" Ajuga urged her excitedly.

Neither girl had ever gotten to see Orihime's healing technique before.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try, if you are willing Ukitake-san," Orihime looked at him.

He gave a firm nod of his head.

"Alright, here we go. Ayame, Shuno, Soten Kisshun," she called.

The two fairies flew in a circle around her before flying over Jushiro. The golden healing shell fell about him while the two girls gasped in pleasant surprise.

"Amazing," Hana whispered.

"It's pretty," Ajuga commented. "How does it feel 'take-ji?" Ajuga asked.

Jushiro had never felt so light in his life as the calming, healing energies slowly penetrated his body and his damaged, scarred lungs. The pain in his chest weakened briefly before he found himself twisting to the side and puking up a large amount of red-tinted fluid.

All three women gasped and the shield faltered.

"It's okay," Ayame was quick to assure everyone.

"The dead tissue needs to come up," Shuno added.

"Don't stop," Jushiro begged weakly shortly before throwing up some more red tainted mucus.

It was torturous to watch, but Orihime steeled herself and the shield glowed with renewed determination. Hana ducked out of the room to grab a nurse while Ajuga jumped up and down excitedly outside of the shield and called encouragement.

Finally, after several minutes of half-torture, half sunshine-like warmth, the last of the dead tissue was expelled from his mouth and all that was left was the soothing energy from the healing as strength trickled back into his body.

Unohana had arrived by this point, but Jushiro hardly noticed as he fell weakly back into the bed, completely drained.

"You can come in now," Unohana ordered.

Two nurses stepped into the room, wheeling in a new bed and with a bit of work they managed to get him out of the now fluid-soaked bed and onto the new stretcher. Orihime and the girls briefly left while the nurses worked at getting him out of the bed, cleaned up, and into new clothing. They also moved him to a new room so that the one he'd occupied until now could be sanitized.

Once all the fuss was finally over they were permitted to move in again while the nurses retreated. Unohana remained as she checked over Jushiro.

"How is he?" Ajuga asked worriedly.

"Fine, he's physically exhausted and he should get some rest," Unohana said, smiling warmly at the girls. "What did you do Orihime-san?"

"It was Hana-chan's idea," she said and gestured towards the little girl. "She suggested that even if I couldn't kill the bacteria, I could at least heal the damage the bacteria did over the years," Orihime answered.

"I see. An interesting idea. It seems to have worked. However, we are going to keep the antibiotics going, to make sure we kill the bacteria. We don't want them growing resistant by stopping that part of the treatment too early."

Unohana turned to Ukitake, who lay back against the pillows and directed her next words at him. "With your newly healed body, your immune system should have a chance at tackling this properly and perhaps with the right treatment we might be able to finally defeat this thing," Unohana said, as if to reassure him.

"I hope so," Jushiro smiled back faintly and closed his eyes. He was extremely weak after having coughed up several mouthfuls of dead tissue and lots of fluid.

"Get some sleep. Can I trust you two girls to watch him?" Unohana asked Ajuga and Hana sweetly.

"Hai," Both girls saluted the older woman, standing up straight.

The adults chuckled as the girls descended on him again, making sure he was comfortable and ordering him to sleep. He gave them a tired smile and let them tuck him all in over again before finally letting himself give in to his battle with exhaustion.

"Do you really think there is a chance we could cure his tuberculosis?" Orihime asked hopefully.

"I have looked at the information Karin-san gave me and as long as he doesn't have MDR-TB we might be able to clear him up," she answered truthfully. "But it takes anywhere from six to twenty-four months. I must say, the advances humans have made in the last hundred years or so in medicine astound me," she confessed. "I had no idea any of these medications were available until Karin-san practically ordered the 4th's officers to get them for her in my absence."

"What if he does have this MDR version?" Orihime asked softly. Unohana raised an eyebrow, but then gave the younger woman a comforting smile and a pat on the shoulder.

"Then I am afraid we may need Szayel-san's help. According to Karin-san at that point we need to use what she called 'Chemotherapy'."

Orihime gasped in surprise before Unohana could continue.

"I take it you know what that treatment entails," Unohana surmised.

"Yeah… It's when you use radiation and lose all your hair, which would be sad because Jushiro-san has such beautiful hair. Maybe we could cut it off before hand and make a wig of it for him," she said softly, so as not to wake the sleeping Shinigami. "It's certainly long enough."

Unohana blinked a little at Orihime's meandering train of thought, especially when it wasn't much of an explanation. Unohana put her finger to her lips, gave a glance at Jushiro and ushered Orihime out of the room, letting the door close behind them.

"I am afraid that we do not have such 'radiation' equipment here and Szayel-san would have to build the machine from scratch. He seemed rather interested in it when Karin-san talked about it earlier."

"I bet."

"On another subject, while you are here Orihime-san and while we have a few moments of spare time, would you mind if I check how your pregnancy is progressing?"

"No, not at all," Orihime said happily, resting a hand on her stomach, noting the small, growing bulge. "Has anyone else come forward yet?" she asked curiously.

"No, but strangely enough, Szayel-san has been pressing for the other Arrancar to be more 'caring' towards their charges. We had a long talk when Karin found out she was expecting about what was and wasn't healthy for a pregnant woman," Unohana commented as she led Orihime to one of the many examination rooms. "Apparently, stress is an inhibiting factor when it comes to conceiving. The less stress, the better."

Unlike Szayel's lab, the 4th division didn't have much in the way of diagnostic equipment. Almost everything was done with Kido. Apparently, using medical-based Kido had always been the preferred method of treating illnesses and injuries beyond the scope of basic first aid.

"Would you lie down please?" Unohana requested.

Orihime lay down and tried to get comfortable. Unohana's warm hands touched her stomach and Orihime giggled softly as the energy penetrated her body before holding still for the older woman.

"How does it look?" she asked after a minute or so.

"Everything seems to be just fine and healthy," Unohana reported as she let her spells die off.

"That's good. I can't wait for the baby to get here. Do you think it will look like Ulquiorra's Resurrection the way Ajuga-chan looks sort of like Grimmjow-san's?" she asked.

"Perhaps… Ajuga-chan _is_ the first of her kind, so we really don't have any idea about what the next child will look like."

A knock on the door brought both women's attention to the worried-looking nurse at the entrance.

"Excuse my intrusion Unohana-Taichou, but Grimmjow-sama is here with Karin-Fukutaichou and he demands to see you," the nurse reported.

"What's wrong?" Orihime asked wordily before Unohana could.

"He wouldn't say. Karin-Fukutaichou appears to be unharmed, but she _is_ clearly unconscious."

"Oh dear," Unohana sighed and helped a worried-looking Orihime up. "What in the world has she done to herself this time?"

(POV)

To say Yammy was in a bad mood would be a severe understatement. But even though Byakuya knew he was probably going to be in a world of pain from Yammy's 'attentions', not to mention the utter humiliation of being seen by Karin in such a way, he couldn't help the little thrill of pleasure he had gotten out of watching her pound her fists into the Espada.

Her reiatsu had gone completely wild and while Yammy was a very powerful opponent, it was a power that was slow to build. She had gotten the jump on him and managed to kick him about a bit before he had time to react.

Once Yammy had gotten angry enough that his power had built to be on par with hers, Byakuya truthfully expected that she was going to be in a world of trouble, and there was _nothing_ he could do about it but watch.

The destruction admittedly left him slightly stunned. In all of the years Yammy had been abusing him it was Karin, of all people, who came to his defence. His own family be damned; they had thrown him to the wolves and coated him in blood for good measure.

Byakuya clutched the yukata one of the attendants had thankfully draped over him to his body. His back, rear and stomach were killing him. He remained where he was until long after Grimmjow had suddenly appeared and retrieved Karin.

Yammy was clearly pissed and turned his attention back to him.

He shooed his attendant away before the poor man could be caught up in the coming storm. The servant hesitated for just a second before bowing and quickly leaving. Byakuya forced himself to stand up as Yammy marched up to him.

It was hard to do with his lower body in agony but he managed. He braced himself for the expected hit and wasn't disappointed as Yammy's rage-fuelled backhand clipped the side of his face.

In his mind he heard Senbonzakura scream in righteous anger and beg to be used against the brute that dare to hurt him. As much as his desires matched his Zanpakuto's, Yammy own Claim-enforced orders prevented him from doing so.

"What does it say?" Yammy snarled, holding out the crumpled piece of paper Karin had dropped during the short round of combat.

Byakuya looked at it in surprise as he quickly read what it said, his eyes going wide in shock.

"Hime," Yammy growled warningly.

Byakuya looked up at him in surprise, and once again lamented Yammy's lack of intelligence. How was he supposed to read it to Yammy when he couldn't speak, thanks to the idiot's own orders years ago?

Yammy raised his hand again with the clear intent to hit him again. Byakuya quickly tapped his throat and Yammy paused, his fist halfway through the swing.

"Fuck. Of course…" he grunted irritably. "Oi, aide, get over here!"

One of the attendants that always hovered just out of sight approached them cautiously.

"Read that," Yammy snapped, pointing at the letter in Byakuya's hand

Byakuya duly turned the letter over to the servant. The aide took it gingerly and looked at it briefly before reading it aloud.

"By Kami-sama's orders, Kuchiki Byakuya is to report to the 2nd Division offices to assist with the administrative work in running the Division alongside Kurosaki Karin-Fukutaichou until such time that Ukitake Jushiro-Taichou is able to return to work," the aide read, voice quavering a little as Yammy's visage darkened with growing anger. Byakuya found he simply did not care at that moment what the brute thought.

He still could not believe it. Here was a chance to _finally_ escape from the bastard for several hours a day, to do something other than sit around looking pretty until Yammy decided to use him. Finally, he could recapture a little bit of his pride and honour.

"This shit for real?" Yammy demanded of the servant with an ugly snarl.

"It appears so, Yammy-sama," the attendant stammered, backing up until his back hit something solid and holding the letter in front of him as if it were some kind of shield. "This is Kami-sama's seal."

"Get dressed," Yammy turned and roared at him, startling Byakuya back to the present.

It was an order he was pleased to follow as he returned to his chambers, doing his best not to limp on the way, or at least keep it to a minimum. Servants were already waiting for him with a healing slave for his back and stomach to numb the pain and one of the many expensive kimono sets ready.

For the first time that Byakuya could recall, he actually wanted the servants to hurry up so that they might meet up with Aizen. If the contents of the letter were true, he could finally take a bit of his soul back.

Once he was fully dressed in the many layers of the kimono, he placed Senbonzakura through the obi and met up with Yammy by the front gates. In the time it took to change it seemed Yammy had calmed down slightly and cleaned himself up, but not by much.

For the first time ever since his slavery began, his steps felt light and the mortification of Karin witnessing his dishonour was but a small buzz of displeasure at the back of his mind.

That feeling of elation only rose when they finally met up with Aizen and it was confirmed that the order was to stand. As he dressed that next morning to report to the 2nd Division the fact that he had been forced to spend the entire night in his Master's bed pleasing him couldn't put a damper on the elation of finally moving forward once more, no matter how temporary it might be.

(POV)

It was too soon. He hadn't done anything wrong, so why had Aizen summoned him? Maybe Aizen just wanted some information on a report. Yes that was it. That had to be it. He hadn't done anything wrong or failed in anything recently.

How Szayel wished he had his Zanpakuto with him, but Karin had yet to return it. Hadn't he earned her trust yet? Hadn't he proven that he wasn't going to kill himself? Yes, he had a moment of weakness, but who wouldn't after going through that? Besides, he hadn't actually been trying to kill himself. If he had, he would have succeeded.

All he had been doing was trying to escape from the memories through a greater pain. To feel something other than the disgusting and painful feeling of Aizen in his body. To see a colour other than soft brown.

He finally made it to the throne room and he forced himself to stand up and compose himself. Aizen was like any other predator, one that fed off of fear. He could hear voices from the room and his fear turned to curiosity, despite himself.

It sounded like that idiot Yammy was throwing yet another temper tantrum in there. Curiosity was truly any scientist's weak point and his fear quickly drained away as he tried to listen into the conversation.

Apparently Aizen needed Yammy's pet for something and the imbecile wasn't taking it well. Szayel truly wanted to eavesdrop some more, but he had been summoned and he did not want to find a reason for Aizen to punish him for being late. Besides, by the sound of the conversation Yammy had barged in and was not here for an appointment.

Hesitating only briefly, for he really had no desire to draw Aizen's attention unduly, Szayel raised his hand and knocked on the door.

"Enter," Aizen ordered.

Szayel did as ordered, waltzing into the room to bow elegantly before Kami. Yammy was not alone; he'd apparently dragged his pet with him. While Szayel was definitely into women, despite the many lewd jokes about his rather girlish appearance that others made behind his back, he did have an appreciation for fashion and he had to admit Yammy's pet look positively gorgeous in that rather expensive ensemble. He briefly wondered how Nemu would look wearing something like that if her hair was let down out of its braid and felt a slight stab of lust at that thought.

Come to think of it, he wasn't sure he had ever seen her with her hair down and made a mental note to fix that little problem. Then he gave himself a mental slap and refocused his attention to Aizen.

"You summoned me Kami-sama?" he asked, pleased his voice didn't quake and that he sounded normal.

"Yes I did. This discussion is at an end Yammy. Your pet will report for work until I say otherwise. Is that clear? You know how much chaos in my empire displeases me," Aizen said deliberately, as if explaining things to a particularly slow-witted child. Then he smiled in a way that Szayel was all too familiar with, one that promised a universe of agony if he was disobeyed.

That smile came with an oppressive dose of reiatsu that would have made Szayel fall face-first to the floor had it been directed at him. Yammy's pet probably only remained standing due to the stiffness and high quality of the silk garments he wore. Yammy, for his part, looked as if someone much larger and meaner than he was, if that was possible, had pissed in his morning tea and shoved his face in it. And all the while, Aizen-kami simply stood there, the picture of nonchalance, as if he'd just swatted a particularly annoying fly.

"Hai, Kami-sama…" Yammy stuttered, still looking petulant. However, not even someone as foolish and pig-headed as Yammy could ignore that threat. With a sullen bow, the other Espada and his pet retreated.

"And Yammy," Aizen called just before the other left the room. "I would be very displeased to find out you took your frustrations out on your pet. Until his task is done I will need him in full _functioning_ order."

"Hai, Kami-sama," Yammy snarled.

The two exited and the sound of the door echoing as it closed with a 'slam' sounded far too much like a death knell to Szayel. Despite himself, the scientist could not force himself to raise his eyes from the floor to look towards Aizen and he felt a slight trembling take over his body now that he was alone with him.

Would Aizen force him to mate with him again? Would he be punished as a reminder of who was Kami despite the fact he had committed no crimes.

"My dear Szayel, do you know why I summoned you here today?" Aizen asked.

"Ile, Kami-sama," he answered honestly, his voice shaking only slightly.

"I had a rather interesting chat with Karin. It would seem that you have a severe lack of control over your emotions, and that lack of control kept her and her mate awake during our little session."

He felt mortified at this and his fear only increased.

"She did bring up a rather interesting argument about my own Claiming laws. I must admit when they were made the unique situation you find yourself in was never considered. Since I am such a lenient ruler, I decided it would be prudent to address your particular case."

"Kami-sama?" Szayel asked.

His mouth was almost too dry to say anything and he had to swallow a few times.

"You have three options before you Szayel, and you will be permitted to choose only one. When I am done explaining them to you, the only words out of your mouth will be the choice you pick for yourself. If you say any other words I will make the choice for you. Am I clear?" Aizen demanded.

Szayel nodded his head in understanding, wisely biting his lip.

Aizen almost seemed disappointed that he hadn't fallen for the trap, but nonetheless started to list the options.

"Option A. You will continue to be one of my Espada and accept all punishment for your crimes from me as I see fit."

"_The fate I already suffer from and hardly a change to my life,__"_he thought bitterly.

"Option B. You will be stripped of your rank as one of my Espada, and you will be demoted to a position in rank below every other Arrancar in my army. You will still be permitted to keep ownership of and run your lab and all punishments will be meted out by Grimmjow's hand when I order it."

"_A slightly better fate,__"_he admitted reluctantly while he waited for the third option.

"Option C. You may maintain your rank as one of my Espada, but it will become public knowledge that you are the direct property of the human girl Karin. You will speak to her with full honour, you will tell everyone yourself that she is your Master, and any punishments will be dealt out to you by her."

Szayel's brain actually froze for a second on that option. Was Aizen serious? Of course Aizen didn't know that Karin was his real owner. Everyone knew by now he had been Claimed and most had been informed that Grimmjow had been the one to do it and why it had happened.

"C," he answered without hesitation. _"__It would not be a far stretch for Grimmjow to order me to treat his mate as such. In all truth, other than openly admitting to Karin being my Master, this fate truly is a step up from reality.__"_

His choice actually seemed to surprise Aizen, but it was a surprise that was quickly covered.

"I see. Very well. That is the fate you have chosen. At tomorrow's meeting, you will stand before your brothers and sisters and inform them yourself that you have submitted yourself to the girl as her loyal fraccion."

Szayel gulped, but nodded his head. He hadn't expected Aizen to force him to make a public humiliation of himself before all the other Arrancar, but it was too late to back out now. No doubt there was going to be a large number of attempts to take his place, if not his life. He would definitely need his Zanpakuto back now and to beef up security at the lab. If he was truly so pathetic as to submit himself to a human woman, did he honestly have the power to be an Espada? Life was definitely going to be going to be Hell soon and thanks to Karin's direct, Claim-enforced orders, he couldn't leave any evidence lying around anymore.

"You are dismissed for now. I will see you tomorrow at the meeting" Aizen ordered, and smiled warmly at him.

"Hai, Kami-sama," he bowed and retreated, grateful that he was leaving that office intact this time, yet chagrined at what his future might be. Still, considering what might have happened, Szayel felt like a mouse that had just escaped a particularly nasty serpent with all limbs intact.

(POV)

Karin winced as she stretched. Her body was nothing more than one big dull ache and she was exhausted from burning through her reiatsu, but otherwise she felt fine. She would probably feel better if the resulting argument about her foolishly fighting Yammy hadn't ended in a wonderful evening of 'make up' sex.

In fact, with Ajuga and Hana living at the 4th Division to watch over Jushiro, Starrk and Lilinette out on constant missions, and Nanao spending the night in the 5th Division offices when she wasn't checking up on Jushiro, they had the entire Estate to themselves.

Karin frowned when she realized that it was rather early in the morning and Grimmjow was not by her side. Strange. Usually she had to fight him off of her in the mornings. She sought him out and quickly found him at the main entrance, with Szayel apparently.

"_That__'__s odd. I wonder what brings him here this early?__"_she wondered as she pulled a yukata on.

She was getting a sense of distress from Szayel and annoyance from her mate. She shared in Grimmjow's annoyance. It was way too early to be awake. She went into the kitchen put a pot of water on the stove to make a batch of the strongest tea they had.

Grimmjow and Szayel arrived a few minutes after.

"My apologies for disturbing you so early, Karin-sama," the scientist bowed.

"This had better be good," she sighed tiredly. "And stop with the 'sama' crap already, _please_."

Normally he would tease her about it, but this time his lips drew into a thin line and Karin straightened up. This did not bode well. Grimmjow must have also picked up on the odd behaviour and the two of them shared a worried look.

"What is it?" Karin asked worried. "_Is he having an anxiety attack related to his rape or did Aizen do something else to him while I was out of it?__"_

"Aizen-kami summoned me to speak to him last night about… some options since Claiming Laws for my case don't truly exist."

"_I knew Aizen was behind this somehow,__"_she groaned inwardly.

"So what were the options?" Grimmjow demanded, running his fingers through his hair.

Sighing, Szayel explained all three of the options that Aizen had presented to him.

"I took option C since it _is_ the truth…" he admitted "…for the most part."

"I fail to see how this is depressing news," Karin pointed out as she poured all three of them a cup of the now brewed tea and took a long, bracing sip of it.

"Aizen-kami is going to call a meeting of all the Arrancar today, where I am to stand before everyone and inform them I am submitting myself to be your fraccion," he said painfully, his eyes clenched shut and the grip on his mug of tea so tight she feared he was going to shatter it.

To her surprise, Grimmjow let out a taunting laugh. "Man, sucks to be you, genius."

Szayel flashed furious eyes at Grimmjow, but didn't make a comeback, instead staring into his tea as if he could find an answer to all of his problems in the bottom of the cup.

"Every damn bastard is going to be trying to off you now for your position if you can't even raise your head to a human woman," Grimmjow continued to laugh.

His laugh was cut short as Karin punched him in the ribs, hard, with a reiatsu-infused fist. Szayel's eyes actually widened at the violence and his mouth hung open for a moment before he shut it with a 'click'.

"This human woman can kick most of the Arrancars' asses, might I point out. Or do you think I am so weak as not to deserve respect?" she demanded angrily.

Grimmjow, for his part, looked as if he'd accidentally stepped on a rattlesnake and had it turn on him. Szayel was further amazed as he put up both hands in what seemed to be self-defence and winced.

"I…"

"Think before you speak, lest you dig yourself a deeper hole," Karin snapped before her mate could get two words out.

"I know better than that, but the rank and file Arrancar don't know you and that is what _they_ will think," Grimmjow said grudgingly, rubbing his side gingerly.

"All arguments aside, can I _please_ have my Zanpakuto back, Karin-sama?" Szayel begged.

"You won't try to kill yourself again?" she challenged.

Szayel looked upwards as if to ask for either help or patience, then waved her concerns away as if they were utterly misplaced.

"With all the position-hungry bastards who are about to come after me, killing myself is the least of my concerns."

Karin sighed, then nodded and took a sip of her tea as she considered the dilemma. Now that she thought about it, she knew both of the Espada at the table were right. The other Arrancar _were_ going to see Szayel as weak for submitting to a human, and the weak were fair game. There was only one thing Hollows of any level respected, and that was power.

"What time do you think this meeting will get out?" she asked, brow furrowed as she formulated a plan.

"Why?" both of them asked, confused, and then looked at one another.

"_Just_ answer the question," she insisted, and Szayel threw up his hands with no small amount of frustration, holding his head in his hands as if he had a headache.

"It's one of Aizen's meetings. It could last three hours, or it could last twenty minutes." Grimmjow grumbled in annoyance, before the scientist could say anything.

"Summon me the moment he dismisses you," she ordered Szayel. "I'll keep an eye on you all day. When the meeting adjourns, both of you pulse your reiatsu three times."

Szayel nodded in understanding, Grimmjow just looked at her with his arms crossed, clearly demanding an explanation. Karin sighed, knowing her mate wouldn't let it go until she fully explained her plan.

"Theoretically, what is the one thing _all_ Hollows respect?" she asked him.

"Power," he admitted.

"Right… the only Arrancar I know that are more powerful than me are the Espada. I can take the rest of them easily. If I pound a few heads in proving that point, it might get them talking more about me and less about you," she explained.

Szayel gave her a sceptical look while Grimmjow shook his head disapprovingly.

"You are drained from kicking Yammy's ass yesterday. You are in no shape to be picking fights," Grimmjow protested.

Karin cursed. He did have her there. Why the hell couldn't Aizen have waited a week before pulling this shit? There had to be another option to get the heat off of Szayel's back.

She needed him to be able to focus on his research on the Royal Family and into her blood. They needed him as a kingdom to find out about the accursed Swarm. Making him waste his valuable time watching his back at all hours of the day and night was simply unacceptable.

Then the answer came to her and she almost laughed at the simplicity of it. She just had to make sure that her assumptions about Hollow mating claims were correct.

"Aizen's law forbids the harming of another's fraccion, correct?" she asked the two of them.

"Yes," Szayel admitted. "But you are not an Espada," he pointed out.

"No. But does joint ownership exist in the Hollow world? Like, if Grimmjow owns something, is it also considered mine?" she inquired.

"Of course," Grimmjow snorted. "This is _our_ den with _our_ daughter and _our_ food,"

"And _our_ fraccion?" she interrupted, giving her mate a significant look.

Now both of them stared back at her in surprise, to her relief and inner satisfaction.

"After the meeting we make it quite clear that _I_ am your mate, and that you gave Szayel to me as a mate's gift. Would that work at keeping the others off your back?" she questioned.

"Karin-sama, you truly are the genius at this table," Szayel said, his compliment accompanied with a smile. "And I feel ashamed of myself for not thinking of the idea first. It's first rate subterfuge, more so because almost all of it is true."

Karin nodded and Grimmjow gave her his usual shrug, meaning he saw no reason not handle it this way, nor did he object to the 'lie'.

"Well, let's just chalk it up to the stress," Karin replied. "Agreed?"

"If that is your wish, _Karin-sama_," he said obsequiously as possible and bowed to her, leaving her staring at the top of his pink-haired head.

Karin sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Why do I get the feeling you are suddenly, actually going to start enjoying this and are going to use this to torment me to no end?" she moaned.

"Karin-sama, I am hurt you would think I would stoop so low," Szayel said in a pained voice.

She rolled her eyes at that and cast another glance at her mate, who looked as if he was attempting to suppress a long bout of raucous laughter.

"I'll bet. Keep it up and I just might have to give you another spanking, and this time it will be as you come out of the meeting."

Grimmjow gave up and broke down into hysterical guffaws while Szayel suddenly seemed completely mortified. Karin just took another sip of her tea


	71. To Rule a Division

To Rule a Division

No, it wasn't his imagination, he decided, and sighed in resignation.

He _was_ attracting undue attention and some strange looks from passersbyers as he walked down the street towards the 2nd Division. Yammy had not been happy about giving him up for duty during the day and had made it clear that he would have to put up with the brute's 'attentions' later on. However, Byakuya refused to let the promise get to him and instead flowed down the street as if he was still wearing his old 6th Division regalia and not the pretty kimono Yammy had forced him to wear.

The outer layer was white with pink sakura blossoms all over it, an overtly feminine garment. As usual, the obi had been replaced with his scarf and his hair held back by the clips Yammy had given him ages ago. The entire ensemble might have been appropriate on a ten-year-old girl.

"_I__'__m fortunate that bastard hasn__'__t decided to force me to put my hair in pigtails,__"_he thought.

If given a choice, he would have burned the entire outfit long ago and scattered the ashes to the winds, but once again that miserable Claim prevented him from destroying it. There were times he wondered why Yammy found humiliating him by dressing him as a woman entertaining. One would think that the novelty would have worn off years ago.

He reached the 2nd Division gates and handed his prewritten letter over to the guards. One of them took it and read it before offering him a bow and asking him to follow him. All Division offices were designed the same so that any Taichou could be found in an emergency and he really didn't need the escort, but he conceded to it anyhow.

He was pleasantly surprised to find Karin already in the office, talking to the few seated officers the Division had. Judging by the conversation it seemed to be about the training regimen.

"Any questions?" she asked at the end, meeting their gazes squarely and leaning forward in her chair.

From his vantage point, Byakuya could see that there seemed to be very little unspoken dissention among the officers; there was no fidgeting, no restlessness, no eye rolling and no questioning looks. That, at least in his experience, was all to the good; it didn't seem Karin would have any problems maintaining authority over the seats below her.

Apparently, she had also made whatever point she had to make to them and the look she gave them told him that she expected results. Of course, her attempt at assertiveness wasn't exactly helped by the numerous piles of paper stacked haphazardly on the top of her desk, one of which swayed a little with the movement of the floorboards beneath the her staff's feet.

"No, Karin-Fukutaichou," they said and saluted.

"Good, I will check on you throughout the day. Dismissed," she told them.

They bowed and departed, pausing only to look at him in surprise as he stepped out of the way to let them pass. Out of the corner of his eye, the swaying stack of paperwork moved a little from side to side, but thankfully did not give way.

"Karin-Fukutaichou…" his escort called, and then cleared his throat.

"What is it?" she asked. Looking up, she realized he'd arrived and her expression instantly brightened. "Oh, Byakuya-san, you are here! Thank goodness. You are dismissed as well," she said to his escort.

The Shinigami bowed and left as Byakuya carefully entered the room, moving to stand before her desk. She stood, equally careful and with a glare at the offending pile of paper, bowed as well, a little lower than was necessary for someone who would technically be his superior. He mimicked her, his movements precisely executed, and straightened just as the sliding door clicked shut, only to find Karin giving him a look of relieved gratitude mixed with a surprising amount of weariness.

With just the two of them alone in the office she finally let her exhaustion show and he noticed she sported a good number of bruises from her scrap with Yammy yesterday.

"Please forgive me for being presumptuous here, but I was really hoping you would be willing to take care of all this," she waved at the piles of paperwork, "with our Third Seat while I see more to the training. He was trying to show me how to do it yesterday and all I got was a pounding migraine after ten minutes," she complained.

Byakuya nodded and pulled out his chalk board from his sleeve.

'How much do you know?' he inquired.

"I can put together the training schedules and reports, as well as write up battle reports. But things like budgets and that stuff go right over my head. Remember, I technically have only a fifth-grade education. Debits, credits and all that is over my head," she groaned.

He nodded his head in understanding. Truthfully, she was far more educated than half the citizens living in the Rukongai. In a normal scenario, she would have worked her way up the seats and learned the paperwork along the way.

He gave the mass of undone paperwork on the desk a thoughtful look. Dealing with it was definitely fine by him. It was a familiar duty from his days of glory and there was nothing like drowning oneself in it to forget the bleakness of one's life. However, no matter how much he wanted to lose himself in it to temporarily forget his currently wretched living arrangements, his own sense of morality would not permit him to let her remain ignorant of the duties she should know as a Fukutaichou, regardless of how she came to the position.

He took the chair opposite her before quickly disassembling the pile that threatened to topple, rooting through the mess until he quickly found something that a Fukutaichou would normally handle. Finding another similar document, he placed it squarely in front of him, face-up on the desk.

Karin looked confused for a moment before bringing her chair around the desk to sit beside him.

It was going to be difficult to teach her without being able to speak and explain, but he was honestly pleased with the challenge to his intellect. It was about time he got some mental stimulation in his life again.

The sheet almost felt strange to him, for it had been a very long time since he'd had to fill this work out. He started at the top and was pleased to note she followed his example as they went through the form together.

She was not shy to ask questions, and that also pleased him as he wrote out the answers on his chalk board. He found himself relaxing into the familiar routine of paperwork and as much as he respected and liked Ukitake-Taichou, Byakuya couldn't help but to wish that he took a good while to fully recover.

Someone brought them tea around mid-morning and Karin excused herself once every two hours to check on the training exercises before returning after fifteen minutes. He was definitely pleased with her work ethic and once more wished he had met her before her brother, for she was a much more impressive representative of the family.

Karin caught on quickly and Byakuya surmised she was very much a visual, hands-on learner like Renji, though probably much smarter than his former lieutenant and certainly more patient.

It was actually rather pleasant working alongside her as she didn't feel the need for mindless chatter to break the comfortable silence. When she suddenly jumped a bit in surprise, he looked at her questionably.

"I have to go, but I'll be back in a few minutes," she excused herself before quickly leaving and launching into an impressively-executed Shunpo the moment she was out the door.

Curious, he followed her reiatsu as she headed towards what appeared to be every Arrancar in Aizen's army. He vaguely recalled Yammy being summoned to a meeting this morning.

"_A meeting with her mate perhaps,__"_he mused before dismissing the matter and returning his attention to the work before him.

(POV)

Karin arrived quickly; stopping just out of sight, she made sure that she looked completely regal and powerful, despite the fact she was honestly exhausted enough to fall over and longed to sleep for a week.

Once she approached the meeting, she noticed at once that many of the Arrancar were indeed looking at Szayel as if he was their next meal. Szayel, for his part, was doing a good job looking utterly unfazed by what had to have been a very debasing event.

Her confident march into the midst of a large group of Arrancar definitely drew all of their attention. Those that knew her, like Tesra, simply continued on their way after politely greeting her, ignoring the whole thing. That included Yammy, who spared her one dark, threatening look before he found someplace else to focus his attention. Those that had been pondering whether or not to try to take down Szayel decided to transfer that look to her, as if they wanted to remind her of her place amongst them and were probably only holding back because they could tell she was Claimed.

"_This is it,__"_ she thought. "_Time to give them something to think about.__"_

"How was the meeting? I trust all is now in order?" she questioned confidently as she marched up to the two Espada.

"Yeah, yeah," Grimmjow grunted. "Aizen-Kami made him announce it himself though," Grimmjow smirked at Szayel, perhaps showing a little more tooth than necessary, but it did help make the point.

Szayel looked flustered and adjusted his glasses.

"I honestly don't see why such an event was even necessary," he complained.

"Quit bitching, unless you want someone else taking care of you," Grimmjow snorted.

"No, thank you," Szayel scowled.

Karin closed the distance between herself and Grimmjow and quickly found herself in his embrace as he nuzzled her neck.

"You really didn't need to," she sighed.

"It would make me feel better knowing you got someone at your back," he said truthfully. "Not to mention someone needs to keep an eye on our daughter while we are at work now that Ulquiorra's bitch is knocked up," he added.

"Oi," she protested.

"Great, I have been reduced to your personal babysitter," Szayel grouched, rubbing his forehead.

"It's either that or you can become my sparring partner," Grimmjow smirked at him.

Szayel froze and then let out a very put-upon groan.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked Grimmjow.

"We are mates, what's mine is now also yours," he said firmly. "My territory, my food, my warmth at your back, and my _possessions_," he added, smirking at Szayel.

The crowd was starting to disperse, a great many of the lesser Arrancar looking unhappy that their easy prey was turning out not to be so easy while a great many more appeared curious to know who she was.

Of course most of them had heard that Grimmjow had a child with one of the infamous Kurosaki Ichigo's sister, but few of them had ever seen her up close. She felt many an appraising eye on her.

"Oi, you will serve my mate well, right?" Grimmjow glared at Szayel.

"Do I have a choice?" Szayel snorted back.

"No. You will obey her commands as my own, or so help me I will flay you alive and leave you for the crows to eat," he snapped in threat. "I may even use your hide later for a coat."

"Such threats are hardly necessary Master," Szayel bowed to him. "If I may be excused, Karin-sama, Grimmjow-sama, I have much work to do."

"Go ahead," Karin waved him off.

"Of course," he offered them another deep bow before disappearing into a Sonido.

"I must return to work myself before checking in on Jushiro-san. Thank you for the wonderful gift," she smiled at him, adding a gleeful clap of her hands for good measure. Grimmjow raised one blue eyebrow at that, but shrugged it off.

"I'll see you in bed tonight," he promised with pleasant growl.

"Insatiable," she chuckled as she untangled herself from his grip and disappeared into a Shunpo.

"You know it," he replied into the now mostly-empty courtyard.

Karin came out of her Shunpo at the research building, arriving a few seconds after Szayel.

"So, did it work?" she questioned him.

"It definitely defused most of the tension," he answered. "It was a rather stunning performance done by all. You were wonderful, my dear Karin-sama," he bowed elegantly at her. She rolled her eyes in response.

"Ugh. I _knew_ you were going to have too much fun with that," she grouched, irritated with the flattery.

"I do wish it was unnecessary Karin-sama, but as you know, Kami-sama is all seeing under the light of the sun," he pointed out.

Karin just gave him a pained look.

"Yeah, I know," she grunted in annoyance. "Look, I need to get back to work. Do me a favour and _try_ not to get into any more trouble, alright?"

"I will do my best to appease you, Karin-sama," he bowed again and retreated to his laboratory.

"Way too much bloody fun," she groaned as she jumped into another Shunpo and headed back to the 2nd Division.

Maybe if she was lucky Byakuya had finished all of the paperwork and she could go pass out next to Jushiro in the 4th Division for a while to regain a bit of strength and let her aching brain and body rest. Of course, with the luck she'd had lately, that seemed unlikely.

She tiredly and reluctantly dragged herself back to the 2nd Division and if she didn't know better she would have sworn Byakuya hadn't moved from his spot. However, the pile of finished paperwork astonished her as she took her place beside him. There was a neat stack on her side of the table, waiting for her attention.

"My apologies, but I needed to be elsewhere. I take it that this pile is mine?" she asked, regarding the stack of papers with a little resignation.

She took his nod as her answer. Karin picked up the top sheet and glared at it viciously before sighing in defeat and retrieving a brush and inkwell from her desk drawer.

"_Funny, I could have sworn when I agreed to join this outfit that all I would be doing was training the troops, not melting my brain with paperwork and reports,__"_she mentally groaned.

She filled out the form slowly, but in all honesty she was just too tired to pay much attention to it.

(POV)

He _was_ definitely curious as to what could have possibly dragged Karin away, but he was not discourteous enough to question her. She was clearly exhausted, both physically and mentally, when she returned. Considering _where_ she'd gone, he decided he might not like the answer.

She sat down beside him once again and after a moment grabbed the paperwork he had put aside for her. It was the most basic stuff any Fukutaichou learned to do. He continued on with the other more important reports.

It was a relief to note that Jushiro had a very well-organized structure in place and Karin had been called in before things could unravel or back-up too badly. That was one thing Byakuya had to admit about Aizen's Empire. There was certainly a lot less unnecessary paperwork since there was no reason to report to the now-defunct Central 46 or the Noble Houses that had once financed both the school and the military force.

"I am too young for this crap," Karin suddenly groaned.

Byakuya let out a soft chuckle of amusement at her statement. Normally people complained about being too old

"Yeah, go ahead and laugh," she grunted. "Kami, I should still be in school."

That was a strange statement. He knew she was younger than Ichigo, but he honestly didn't know much about human years. She looked to be about Rukia's age, but humans aged differently and looks could be deceiving.

He was sure he recalled Rukia telling him at one point Ichigo had been 15 years old when he rescued her. Surly, Karin couldn't be that much younger than her brother. Despite himself, his curiously finally got the best of him enough to dare ask one of the three taboo questions when it came to women.

'How old _are_ you?' he asked, the click of the chalk on the slate almost jarring in the quiet of the office.

"Eighteen," she answered softly, after seeing the question.

He blinked in surprise and his eyes widened. Eighteen! Byakuya did a quick mental calculation that nearly caused his jaw to drop. She would have been only fifteen, maybe sixteen at most when she became pregnant with Ajuga! She was so damn young, a youngster by any reckoning, human or Shinigami. He had assumed that she was, at the youngest, twenty-one or maybe twenty-two, not a child of eighteen. His incredulity must have been apparent because she looked away, shoulders slumped.

"I know, I'm too young," she sighed, "…for anyone to take me seriously."

She looked so fatigued and a little despondent that he overcame his initial shock and schooled his features, quickly writing out something that he hoped would help ease her self-assessment.

'You are now the youngest to have ever achieved the position of Fukutaichou.'

"I bet," she chuckled tiredly. "Look, I know it is your first day and all, but I have had a rough thirty-six hours. Would you mind terribly if we call it a day and start early tomorrow?" she questioned.

Byakuya cringed inwardly. He had absolutely no desire to return home, but she definitely needed the rest. He was honestly surprised she had done as much work today as she had since he had a firsthand knowledge of how beaten up she had been yesterday. He _still_ had no idea just what she had done, how her reiatsu had surged so impossibly high so quickly, but whatever the cause, it clearly left her drained for some time afterwards.

She must have sensed his reluctance regarding the end of his shift, because she suddenly sat upright and gave him a thoughtful look.

"I was going to swing by and check on the girls and Jushiro-san as well. Would you care to accompany me?" she asked.

He would take any chance at a reprieve from Yammy's attentions, especially one sanctioned by a superior officer. He gave a firm nod of his head and tried to keep himself from smiling in gratitude.

"Good. Let's clean up and retire for the evening."

After leaving some instructions for the Third and Sixth Seats, they made their way towards the 4th Division. Karin hadn't been there since the day before when she told Jushiro that she and Byakuya would be running his Division, so it came as quite the surprise to find his room assignment had been changed.

"Mama," Ajuga cheered happily. "…And Bya-san! Hi!"

"Hey brats. Did you two do something to Jushiro-san's room when I wasn't looking?" she accused them. "You didn't destroy his first room with your roughhousing, did you?"

"No," Jushiro answered for them, smiling fondly at the girls. "And it is good to see you looking well, Byakuya-san."

Both of them stared at Jushiro in surprise. For a man who had seemed ready to lie down in his grave the previous day, he was looking rather healthy, if still drastically underweight and clearly exhausted, today.

"Orihime-san came by and healed the damaged tissue," he explained, earning a stunned look from Karin and a somewhat puzzled look from Byakuya, until he remembered the girl's powers.

"I never thought about asking her to help," Karin admitted, smacking her forehead. "I figured since it was a bacterial problem, there wasn't much she could do."

"She can't get rid of the disease itself, but it seems she can heal the damage that the bacteria cause to the lungs. Unohana-san has me hooked up to all those medications with the convoluted names you informed her about. She hopes that, now that my immune system is up and the tissue healthier, they might help," he explained, looking more hopeful than Byakuya had seen him in a long time.

"I certainly hope so."

"Unohana-san said we can take 'take-ji home tomorrow, but it will still take a long time for him to recover," Hana announced.

"Yep, Hana-chan and I promised we would take care of 'take-ji until he is all better, and Sensei said he would come teach us," Ajuga added helpfully.

"Sensei?" Karin asked confused.

"Oh, thank you Byakuya-san for introducing me to Sensei," Hana said suddenly, and bowed politely, taking him by surprise. "I have learned so much. See?" she held up a page scrawled with an equation that admittedly left his head reeling a bit in its complexity. He had to look at it carefully before he realized it was differential calculus.

"Oh, oh, see my work, Bya-san," Ajuga held up her paper covered in various kanji. "Sensei said I can be reeeallllly good one day," she said proudly.

Byakuya carefully considered Hana's paper, giving her a nod, before turning his gaze to Ajuga's worksheet. He had to admit her kanji were impressive, more so because she was so young. He had almost forgotten how much he enjoyed calligraphy. It had been so long since he'd had the chance or desire to truly practice it.

He offered her a small smile of approval before gliding over to the table that was covered in various pieces of paper and picking up the brush. Excited, both girls moved over to see what he was doing while Karin took the opportunity to give Jushiro a verbal report on how his Division was doing.

Byakuya took a deep breath and let his mind clear of all of his troubles before letting the ink-laden brush flow elegantly over the paper. Both girls watched in silent awe as the figure slowly emerged on the page.

"Oooo!" Ajuga cried happily, blue eyes following the brush-tip as he formed the kanji for 'hard work'.

She picked up another brush and he watched, impressed as she settled down and looked at her page sideways. Hana dove right into trying to copy the intricate kanji he had drawn, while Ajuga continued to stare at her page.

After a moment she nodded her head and slowly dipped her brush into the ink and started to draw. Like she had done while hunting in his garden, there was no rush to her work now. He was amazed that someone with so much energy could remain so still and show such patience.

It was hard to consider that this girl was related in any way to Kurosaki Ichigo. Indeed, it was hard to believe Karin was related to the loud, over-eager, brash young man. With all the patience of a stalking predator, Ajuga slowly let her kanji take shape. It was still somewhat sloppy, but he attributed most of that to her young age and blamed the rest on the poor quality of ink, brush and paper.

Undeterred, she started again on another clean, part of her paper. Hana had already given up and was writing out an equation. Ajuga seemed happy to continue working diligently on the word he had provided.

For a very brief moment he almost wished that his family, Yammy, and Szayel were successful. For all of the love he'd had for his wife, Hisana, she had been far too sick to grace him with a child.

He had the barest memory of his mother, sitting patiently beside him, trying to get him to work on his own kanji while he had shifted impatiently, wanting to go back to weapons training. It wasn't until after his parents' deaths that he had picked up calligraphy in earnest.

His mother had been exceptional at it, as expected of a noblewoman. He had grown fond of it because each time he did so it reminded him of her calming presence, even if the memories of what she had looked like slowly started to fade and might have disappeared from his mind altogether were it not for the family portrait in the shrine.

"Bya-san?"

There was a small tug on his sleeve, jolting him out of his daydream. He blinked and found Ajuga looking up at him worriedly, but no one else seemed to have noticed his gaffe. Hana was still humming and working out her numbers while Karin wrapped up her report.

He offered Ajuga a soft smile to assure her he was fine. She looked at him sceptically, reminding him a little too much of her mother, but returned her attention to a fresh piece of paper and set about working on the kanji.

"Anything you can think to add?" Karin suddenly asked him.

Only years of noble training let him get away with the fact that he honestly had no idea what they had talked about, that he hadn't been paying attention. He thought for a second if there was anything he felt Jushiro HAD to know and came up blank. Byakuya decided that even if she had missed something, there was nothing so important it needed to be stated now. He gave his head a shake in the negative to answer the question.

"You look like you need some rest as well Karin-san," Jushiro admonished her. "You were brought in drained of reiatsu and injured yesterday, you know."

"I was?"

When Jushiro nodded again, she looked away, thumb and finger curled around her chin, frowning at that. "Strange, when I woke up I was at home in bed."

"Well, other than exhaustion and some superficial injuries you were fine. Grimmjow took you home right after," Jushiro explained.

"What happened, Mama?" Ajuga asked curiously.

"Nothing much hun," Karin assured her daughter with a smile. "I was having a heated debate with Yammy and things got a little… out of control," she answered truthfully.

Byakuya's shoulders tensed at that.

"_Truthful, if one could count several damaging blows to one of the thickest skulls ever created as a debate,__"_he thought sourly.

Jushiro gave her an unreadable look, stared down at his hands on the coverlet for a moment and then turned to the children at the table, giving a small clap so that he had their attention.

"Hana-chan, Ajuga-chan, I'm actually thirsty now. Do you think you two could get me some tea?" Jushiro asked sweetly. "And could you bring some for Karin-Fukutaichou and Byakuya-Fukutaichou as well?"

"Hai!" both girls answered happily before jumping out of their chairs and scampering down the hall, leaving the adults alone.

"What happened?" Jushiro asked her.

His tone was stern, and Byakuya knew the man would put up with no dissembling from the woman who had taken over in his absence. He felt his stomach clench in shame and more than a little fear, partly because Karin could not possibly leave out the reason behind her loss of control.

It was no secret that Yammy and he shared a bed, just as it was no secret that Starrk and Jushiro did as well. Until yesterday he had done a good job if hiding the fact Yammy had abused him so badly, and humiliatingly, over the last eight years. It was a task made easy since, despite his brutality, Yammy did not beat him often and when he did, he usually made sure that the marks weren't visible when he was clothed. Usually, after several hours, the pain would diminish enough to be simply annoying instead of inhibiting him physically. Byakuya swallowed and tried to keep his face expressionless, all the while wanting to sink through the floor.

"Yammy just objected to the thought of having to give Byakuya-san up and used his fists to say so," Karin replied, nonchalantly.

He looked at her, surprised at her words. He had honestly thought she was going to tell Jushiro the whole thing, about how she had found him pinned to the edge of the hot spring while Yammy raped him without hesitation, and much satisfaction, in front of her.

Jushiro gave them both a look that said he didn't believe them, eyes narrowing.

"Yammy is not the smartest Espada, but he would not attack you over something like that." Jushiro frowned at her. "He is not foolish enough to arouse Aizen-Kami's wrath so easily by flouting his laws."

Jushiro suddenly sighed and looked right into Byakuya's eyes. He felt fear and could honestly swear he believed the other was reading his thoughts.

"I wish there was something I could do to help the others unfortunate enough to have ended up with Arrancar who aren't inclined to look after their health," he sighed almost brokenly. "I have spoken with Aizen-Kami about it a few times; to ask that he lay down some laws and guidelines. I know he's made a few, but I have a feeling they are not being adhered to, nor strictly enforced."

The room went silent for a second and then Byakuya broke eye contact, staring at the tiles beneath his feet.

"Is Yammy abusing you Byakuya?" Jushiro asked gently.

He wanted to deny it, to inform his once fellow Taichou that he was fine, but he could not bring himself to lie any more than he could meet the other's eyes.

"I see. Following that line of logic, I'm guessing that you walked in on it Karin," Jushiro sighed sadly. "Am I right in that assessment?"

Karin's fists tightened, but she neither denied nor confirmed the claim, letting her gritted teeth speak for her. Neither one seemed to notice the drop in formalities either.

"I couldn't stop myself," Karin finally admitted. "How could anyone…" she didn't finish her question. "And his so called 'family' just stood there and watched!" she finished her broken sentence with a snarl of anger.

Jushiro's gaze rested on him next. He wanted to deny it, but the thought of the truth being out, that someone was actually angry on his behalf was just too tempting to resist. Biting back his pride, he nodded his head.

It was strange how that simple action seemed to lift such a heavy burden off of his shoulders, how he didn't have to pretend anymore that nothing was going on in his so called perfect, noble house.

Perhaps the most relieving part was that neither Karin nor Jushiro pitied him. He would not have been able to stand that. Both of them felt only anger at Yammy and his family for permitting such a thing to happen.

It was so much of a relief, that he found himself crying softly before he even realized it. Karin closed the distance and held him. In his mind he could hear the soft murmurings of Senbonzakura as his Zanpakuto also offered him comfort. Eight years of pent up frustration was finally let loose.

Karin didn't hold him for long, and retreated almost before he was ready. He had just enough time to recompose himself before the two girls returned, Hana carrying a tray with a teapot and Ajuga clutching three empty cups tightly in her arms. The younger girl set them down carefully on the table while Hana placed the tray on an empty spot on the table, then filled the three cups.

"We got the tea, 'take-ji," Hana announced as she handed him his cup.

"Thank you Hana-chan," Jushiro smiled happily at the girl and took a healthy slurp of it. "My, this is excellent! Thank you both!"

Ajuga looked up at Byakuya oddly for a minute while Hana filled the other two cups before she suddenly smiled and handed him the next full cup of tea.

"You smell like salt water, but a lot less sad now," Ajuga commented before returning to the table and her papers.

She hummed a happy tune as she set about trying to copy the kanji he had drawn for her earlier. A second set of footsteps sounded outside of the door, and the three adults turned to look at the new, unexpected arrival.

"Oh, Karin-chan, thank goodness you are looking better!" Orihime said cheerfully as she entered the room. "Oh, good afternoon Byakuya-san," she greeted him with a wide smile and a bow.

He offered her a nod in greeting. The human woman, Tatsuki if he recalled her name right, entered after Orihime and offered her own greetings.

There were two things Byakuya noted right away. One was that Orihime was definitely pregnant; the other was the simple golden band on Tatsuki's ring finger. Despite his slight curiosity, the suddenly crowded room offered him a means of escape.

Taking a sip of tea to fortify himself, he waited until the girls were too occupied with the work before them and Karin and Jushiro's attention had shifted to the newcomers to slip out among the warm greetings. The guards bowed as he entered the Estate and headed to his private garden. He pulled Senbonzakura from his sash and settled into the preferred Jinzen position, hoping to be left alone for a little while, at least.

He slipped into his inner world with ease. The samurai was waiting for him beside the only surviving tree from what had once been a glorious garden. When last he had been here it had been barely a sapling. Now it was taller than he and the first blooms were starting to bud.

It was amazing how much simply letting others know about what was happening and having their support could affect both one's mind and soul. And, he thought, it was also gratifying.

"You are not alone Master," Senbonzakura commented. "They may not be of blood, but they do truly care for our well-being."

"I know," he responded, pleased to not only hear his voice, but to have it come out steady despite the trail of tears once more slowly making their way down his face.

He watched in pleasure as one of the buds on the growing tree slowly bloomed before his eyes, a true sign that, even though it was tediously slow and would take a very long time, his soul had started to heal, one small piece at a time


	72. Trail of Tears

Trail of Tears

Orihime hadn't moved much from their bed since the night they had rescued Szayel, having only left for battles and to assist at the fourth. At first Ulquiorra didn't mind it in the least. It meant she was safe and sound at home, and since she was safe, so too was their growing child.

The thought of his impending offspring left him feeling warm. Szayel's detailed reports indicated all was going well and Kami-sama's wife had simply been a confirmation of the Espada's assurances. As far as he was concerned, all was well with his life.

Unfortunately, Ulquiorra was far too perceptive for his own good. Orihime was upset, and thus stressed. Stress was not good for a mother, and he would be damned if he would lose his offspring to something as pathetic as stress.

He wanted to confront her, to demand what she could possibly be upset about. She had a strong mate, a secure den, and even friends nearby ready to assist her with their child. He had half a mind to remind her just how fortunate she was to be his. However, he also understood that such a confrontation could cause more issues than it would solve.

He decided he would have to bring the girl's friend over. The woman had been rather negligent in her duties lately and he planned to have words with Tesra over it. If need be he would take the girl back.

His feet had followed his thoughts and before he knew it he found himself at Starrk's home. He could sense Tatsuki, Ajuga and Starrk's male pet. No one else seemed to be home at the moment.

He knocked on the door simply because it would be impolite to intrude upon his superior's territory unannounced, whether he was home or not.

Ajuga was the one to answer the door, the little girl looking up at him with a smile.

"'cora-san," she greeted. "Why are you here?" she asked curiously.

"I wish to speak to Tatsuki," he answered.

"Oh, this way," Ajuga chirped, opening the door all the way to let him in before leading him through the halls.

He followed the chatting girl without making any comments. His silence didn't seem to deter her any and soon enough they arrived at the patio Jushiro was resting on, the doors wide open to reveal what Ulquiorra guessed were his private quarters.

"Ulquiorra-san, to what do we owe the honour of your visit?" Jushiro asked politely.

"Orihime has refused to move from our bed and has locked herself in the room," he answered honestly.

Tatsuki and Jushiro shared a look before turning their attention back to him.

"Has she said why?" Tatsuki asked, alarmed. .

"No," he responded, pleased that at least she found the situation to be of concern.

"When did this start?" Jushiro inquired.

"It began shortly after the incident with Szayel."

Tatsuki gave him a confused look, for she hadn't been a part of that mess, but there was at least some understanding dawning in the eyes of Starrk's pet. He cleared his throat a little and motioned to Grimmjow's brat, getting her attention.

"Ajuga-chan, my throat is getting a little sore. Do you think you can make me a cup of tea just like Unohana-san showed you?"

"Hai," she said quickly and darted away.

Ulquiorra _was_ surprised to note that this time she actually walked. In fact, when he thought about it, she had walked on two legs on the way here as well. Turning his attention back to the adults, he folded his arms across his chest, getting down to business.

"I trust you have a theory," Ulquiorra stated once Ajuga was gone.

"I might. She seemed extremely distressed when the topic about what does and does not constitute rape among Hollows came up," Jushiro answered.

"What are you guys talking about?" Tatsuki demanded, looking back and forth between the two.

Jushiro sighed, but managed to quickly fill the human in on the events that had happened the night Ajuga had 'gone missing.' Once Jushiro had finished, Tatsuki shot Ulquiorra a look of anger before rising to her feet.

"Men, no matter the race," she spat out, in a scathing tone. "Do you think you will be okay with just Ajuga-chan, Jushiro-san?" Tatsuki asked the older man, voice moderating a little when she addressed him.

Ulquiorra, irritably, wondered why Starrk's pet seemed to be excluded from her currently wrathful definition of 'men', despite being one.

"I think so," Jushiro assured her. "She knows to get help if something happens. She is exceptionally sharp for such a young child."

"Hollows age faster," Ulquiorra pointed out.

"So it would seem," Jushiro agreed.

"I got the tea," Ajuga's voice broke into the discussion.

"Thank you, Ajuga-chan," he smiled warmly at her as he accepted the steaming mug.

Tatsuki bent down in front of the child, hands on her knees and smiled at the little girl.

"I have to go out for a while, think you can hold the fort and guard Jushiro-san while I am gone?"

"Of course," Ajuga replied.

"Alright, I trust you. Be good until I get back."

The conversation seemed to be at an end, and Ulquiorra turned on his heel and left, making for the gate. Tatsuki followed him out as they began walking back to his house. She eventually caught up to him and then moved in front of him, her stride determined. While he was glad that she'd finally realized how necessary her presence was to his mate, his annoyance with her was stoked a bit by her presuming to walk ahead of him.

"I am displeased I needed to fetch you at all," he grumbled. "You have become negligent in your duties to her."

"We have all been busy with this war and our duties," Tatsuki said in her own defence, squaring her shoulders. "Aizen-kami has had us all deployed."

"The fact remains that you were only permitted to leave the house should you keep up your duties to serve her as I directed. Should you fail in those duties, I will have no choice but to reclaim you to see…"

He never got to finish because Tatsuki had suddenly whirled and slapped him. It didn't hurt; her meagre human strength was nothing to his Heirro, but it did take him by surprise and he actually stumbled a little.

"You will do no such thing," Tatsuki snapped at him, outraged. "Do you know what this even means?" she snarled, holding up her left hand.

He looked at her hand, wondering what was so special about the ring adorning it. And why was it that human women seemed to have no fear of him? She obviously read his confusion because she let out a sound of utter frustration and shoved her hand under his nose as he regained his footing.

"_This_…"she pointed at the simple gold ring, "is what we HUMANS," she stressed the word, "wear to denote that we have given our souls to another. In your Hollow terms, it means I have accepted Tesra as a _mate_, as he accepted me. So you WILL NOT even THINK about separating us! Understand!"

"_Mate?__"_ Ulquiorra blinked green eyes at the shining metal around her finger. "_Mate! When did that occur?__"_

His silence only served to infuriate her further, because he found himself looking at a very angry, very bristling Tatsuki, her face inches from his as she proceeded to shout at him.

"Do you want to know _why_ Orihime-chan is depressed right now?" she hissed and without waiting for him to answer, continued on. "Well, I can tell you why!"

The angry words hung, festering in what little air there was between them as he reeled back from the unexpected verbal onslaught. Then, the woman had the audacity to stick the pointer finger of her ring hand right beneath his nose in an accusatory fashion.

Had she been a Hollow he would have taken evasive action immediately, expecting her to fire a Cero from the tip of the digit. As it was, Ulquiorra was actually surprised that a blast of energy _didn__'__t_ materialize, her reiatsu was that agitated. He was so astonished at the sheer, suicidal nerve she displayed that he froze, leaving her with the opportunity to continue upbraiding him.

"It's because _you_ are being an _insensitive idiot_! How many times do we have to try and get it through that thick, bone-encrusted head of yours? She is a HUMAN! She is NOT a Hollow! She does not instinctively know or understand many of YOUR ways, so STOP expecting her to follow them!"

That finger made stabbing motions in the air as she snapped out what sounded astoundingly to him like commands she actually expected him to follow.

"Stop just _assuming_ that she knows and understands everything! Stop just trying to bully her into your way of doing things and try actually doing a few things _her_ way! Yes, we know you are not human. Yes, we know you would sooner die than be or act like one, but would it honestly _kill_ you to try and be a little considerate to who and what she is?"

He blinked again and found that the finger had thankfully been withdrawn. Instead, she'd backed off a little and grabbed a handful of her own hair, pulling it in what appeared to be a great deal of frustration as she continued to rage at him.

"She is trying, Kami knows she is trying, to do things your way and to understand your customs, but she needs a helping hand to do so. Have you even been there for her even once since she informed you she was going to have your child?" Tatsuki demanded, panting for breath.

It took him almost a full minute to realize her rant had finished and that she had asked a question she was clearly demanded that he answer. His first instinct was to immediately punish her for speaking to him so, maybe even end her fragile life for her outrageous behaviour towards a superior being. He almost moved his hand towards Murciélago before reason set in.

That was, regrettably, an action which would defeat the entire purpose behind having her try to comfort his mate and reduce the effects of stress on her pregnancy and his unborn child. Getting a grip on the anger he felt boiling up in his own gut at her seemingly illogical tirade, he forced himself to go through her words, bit by bit, trying to follow her train of logic. Setting aside the first part, he eventually settled on what he thought might be an acceptable solution based on her understanding of the situation.

"You believe getting her a ring would make her feel more accepted," he finally said, hoping he'd made the right connection between her waving her hand around and Orihime's obvious human attributes.

Tatsuki stared at him in disbelief, and he had the sudden feeling he'd missed something vitally important, though for the life of him he had no idea what it could be.

"You are utterly, and completely hopeless," Tatsuki threw her hands up in despair before she changed course and started to march off.

"Onna, the house is the _other_ way," he commented, catching up to her easily and reaching out to try to grab her arm to point her in the right direction.

"I know, but I need to speak to someone else first," she snapped as she made her way to what he recognized was the path to the 2nd Division.

"This detour…" he began, and again, she made a rude cutting motion with her hand, the same one with that damned ring on it.

"Is necessary, trust me," she interrupted in a biting tone. "I know Orihime-chan far better than you do. I need to talk to someone else before I talk to Orihime in order to fix the problem."

He conceded that when it came to the emotional surges of his mate, Tatsuki _was_ far better suited to handle the task of calming her down then he was. Reluctantly, he let the woman lead him to the 2nd Division and waited outside while she clearly went to talk to Karin.

What was it, he wondered, that also made the human women who had no fear of him talk to him as if he was both blind and stupid?

When she came back out of the office about ten minutes later, she seemed pleased with herself and without a word to him, headed towards his house at a brisk pace. Whatever discussion she'd had with Karin had at least blunted the edge of her anger, but it hadn't gotten rid of it completely. She didn't speak to him again until they reached the front door.

"Do me a favour and wait outside until I call you or bring Orihime out," she ordered. "I'll deal with this."

Ulquiorra almost denied her the request, but once again he conceded that she was better-equipped than he was to handle this sort of emotional situation. Instead, he stood, exiled on the front step, and watched as the front door closed behind Tatsuki.

As long as Orihime came out of her depression, he admitted to himself that he didn't care what she did. He would put up with just about anything to make sure his child was successfully born, even to the point of being verbally abused by an upstart little human and ordered by the same out of his own den.

His back hit the wall of the house and he looked upwards at the blue sky of the Seireitei and the white clouds floating lazily in it. For a moment, he wished that the sky he was seeing was the vast, inky-dark firmament of Hueco Mundo, with its ever-crescent moon hanging like a lantern over the sands and stark walls of Las Noches. It was there, he thought, that everything in his life as an Espada had last made perfect sense.

He settled in to wait, until a familiar and entirely unwelcome presence made itself known to him as it approached and Ulquiorra moved one hand to pinch the bridge of his nose in utter irritation.

Could this day get _any_ more exasperating?

(POV)

Orihime jumped as the door to her room was literally kicked open. She stared at the intruder in surprise shortly before the door rebounded and slammed shut.

"Tatsuki-chan?" she gasped.

"Oh, bloody hell, that could have worked better," an annoyed voice on the other side of the door said.

The door opened again, this time by use of the door knob and in the way most doors were intended to be opened. Tatsuki marched into the room, stopping halfway and just glared at her.

"Get up. You have thirty seconds to get into that shower," she said firmly, pointing in the direction of the bathroom, "…before I put you in it myself."

"Huh?" Orihime stared at her friend in confusion.

"Twenty seconds," Tatsuki continued as she stalked the rest of the way to the bed and grasped the end of the blankets in a silent threat.

"Are you feeling okay?" Orihime asked worriedly.

"Ten seconds,"

"Okay, okay, I am going!"

Orihime crawled out from under the bedding and made her way to the bathroom. She honestly wondered what on earth had gotten into her friend as she crawled into the shower. Then she grimaced as she realized just how dirty she was. Didn't she take a shower just the other day? Strange, she thought, as she turned on the hot water.

It did feel good to be clean again and she pulled on a loose-fitting yukata when she was done. Orihime was surprised to see a bowl of miso soup and a cup of tea waiting for her on the kitchen table when she emerged. She never even realized how hungry she was until her stomach loudly declared its interest in the food. She blushed embarrassed and stammered an apology.

"You eat, while I talk," Tatsuki ordered firmly.

It was hard to really argue with that, Orihime decided. With a nod, she sat down and all but inhaled the bowl of soup without even tasting it.

"Ulquiorra came to me today and said you locked yourself up in the bedroom. Why?" Tatsuki demanded.

"I just don't feel like going out," she shrugged dismissively. "The 4th Division is in perfect shape, so it's not like I have been needed much. Maybe I am just nesting. Pregnant woman do that don't they?" she offered as an explanation. "I am pretty sure I read about it in one of the books Karin-chan loaned me."

"They do, but they generally hum and do housework at the same time, not mope in a dark room. No, something else is bothering you and I think I know what it is. I had a chat with Jushiro-san about the night Ajuga-chan went missing."

Orihime felt a bolt of fear spike into her stomach, followed quickly by a large bout of depression as Tatsuki continued.

"He said something about how the conversation turned to rape. So in your own words, what happened that night?" Tatsuki demanded.

Orihime felt a sob coming on, but bravely fought it back as she explained what Aizen had done to Szayel. A look of shock crossed Tatsuki's face as the story was told, followed quickly by disgust.

Orihime choked a bit when she got to the part where they had talked about rape. Why had they been so upset that Aizen had abused Szayel when no one got upset over everyone else having been raped and abused over the years?

Tatsuki didn't say a word, just moved over and hugged her tight. She had talked to Tesra about it during one of their 'this is me' discussions. It was hard to wrap her brain around how being taken from behind was any different from being taken from the front, but by the end of the discussion she sort of understood.

From behind it was impersonal. You didn't have to look at your assailant, making it easier to withdraw from the event. It was said that the eyes were the window to one's soul, and it seemed Hollows understood the sentiment as well, oddly enough. It was the perfect case of different customs clashing, in this instance, spectacularly.

"I don't agree with it either, Orihime-chan, but we do have to remember that, even though they look it, they are not human. Their ways are different from what we are used to. Do you like rabbits?" Tatsuki suddenly asked her.

"Of course I do. They are so adorable," Orihime exclaimed, wondering what rabbits had to do with their conversation.

"Yes, they are cute, but do you know that a male rabbit will kill his own offspring to breed with the female again?"

"Yeah, they mentioned it in school," she said, still not getting the point.

"But you still like rabbits, despite that fact," Tatsuki pointed out.

"Well, it's just their nature. They don't know any better…"

Orihime trailed off near the end of her sentence as understanding suddenly blossomed. She stared back at Tatsuki, who gave her a sympathetic look in return before she spoke.

"Now you get it. Yes, Arrancar are smarter than rabbits, but they are still driven by their instincts. They are a relatively young civilization, if you can call it that. Can you honestly say we humans were any better thousands and thousands of years ago?"

Orihime sighed tiredly.

"When you put it that way, it does make more sense. It's just, they are so much like us it's hard sometimes to remember they are not…" she sighed in frustration "…human."

"Tell me about it," Tatsuki agreed rolling her eyes. "We will just have to educate the ones who are at least willing to learn the best we can. Who knows, maybe we will be able to show them that slavery is bad, just like _we_ learned over time."

Orihime nodded in agreement. She certainly felt much better and a lot less depressed. It didn't make what was going on all around them any more right, but it certainly helped a little as far as understanding Ulquiorra's perspective.

"If you are feeling better, might I suggest a walk?" Tatsuki suggested. "You seriously need some fresh air, and some exercise. You are also looking a little round around the waistline," she taunted.

"Oooooo," Orihime glared at her. "I can't wait until it is _your_ turn to swell up like a hot air balloon."

"Yeah, but Tesra's base animal is a warthog, not a bat. I will likely be only pregnant for five months, not eight like you," Tatsuki replied teasingly.

"So you admit to liking the idea of having his kids," Orihime shot back with a smirk.

Tatsuki shrugged and absently twirled the ring on her finger.

"I am not opposed to it, just not right now when there is so much going on."

"I envy you, and Karin-chan," Orihime suddenly said. "You both found love a lot easier than I did."

"Hey, hey, none of that now… Karin-chan didn't exactly crawl into Grimmjow's bed because she loved him or thought he was hot, she did it to protect her sister. She would have done the same no matter who their 'Master' was. It was just good fortune that Grimmjow was the one who took them in."

Then Tatsuki seemed to regard her much more seriously, the fingers of the opposite hand tightening on the gold ring as if hanging on to a badly-needed good luck charm.

"As for me, well, I'm glad Tesra came around when he did. Otherwise, I would have been raped and Claimed that night. There is honestly no telling what Ulquiorra might have done in the morning. He might have killed the assailant, or he might have let it stand based on that whole 'Law' thing."

Orihime gave her a stricken look and Tatsuki held up both hands in a soothing gesture.

"It could definitely be worse, that's for sure, and there is one thing I do know without a shadow of a doubt."

"What's that?" Orihime questioned.

"He has a shitty way of showing it, but I do not doubt for a second that Ulquiorra loves you, and has for a very long time. He just doesn't know how to express it in a non-Hollow way," Tatsuki said and smiled at her.

Orihime nodded her head in agreement. That was definitely true. She would never forget the shock she had felt when he had confessed to her. Yes, she suddenly understood why they had been upset about the whole eye thing. When it came to Ulquiorra, the window into his soul was definitely his eyes.

There was a sudden flare of reiatsu off in the distance, one Orihime could recognize in her sleep. She looked that way in worry, but Tatsuki just smirked in pleasure.

"What's going on?" Orihime asked worried.

"Oh, it's nothing much. I just felt that Ulquiorra needed a pep talk as well from someone who would be able to communicate in a way he would understand."

Tatsuki's smirk widened.

"What have you done?" Orihime gasped in surprise.

"I just asked Karin-chan if her hubby could have a little chat with yours," Tatsuki chuckled.

Orihime looked at her in surprise and not a little horror.

"You are insane! Those two do _no_t get along." Orihime gasped.

"I don't care if they _are_ mortal enemies, just as long as _someone_ beats some sense into that boy of yours," Tatsuki replied and then folded her arms across her chest. "Now, about that walk…"

She stood up and stretched before looking at her pregnant friend expectantly. Pushing her empty bowl and mug away, Orihime also stood up and cracked her back.

"Fine, fine… we'll go for a walk."

"Good, because I left Ajuga-chan alone with Jushiro-san."

"You did what? She is too young to take care of him all by herself!" Orihime exclaimed.

"Oh I think they are fine, but we should go and keep him company, don't you think? And Hana-chan needs to be picked up from school soon," Tatsuki added.

"Dear Kami, I remember when we weren't even permitted to leave the house," Orihime chuckled.

"Yeah," Tatsuki replied with a soft grin. "But in all honestly, I wouldn't give up this freedom, even though it comes with a bit of baggage. If I'd been cooped up any longer in that house, I was going to go crazy."

"You mean _crazier_," Orihime taunted, good humour seemingly restored.

"Har, har, har," Tatsuki snarked, but matched her friend's smile with one of her own. "You're hilarious. Get your pregnant ass out the door already before I decide to kick it down the street."

"Yes sir," Orihime said and saluted smartly.

Shaking her head, Tatsuki followed Orihime out the door, only to be surprised by Tesra waiting for her instead of Ulquiorra. He seemed, at least on the outside, to be fully in control, but she could also tell from his stance that he was worried.

Belatedly, she remembered that he could feel any changes in her reiatsu, as well as any strong emotions and slapped her forehead at her own stupidity. Of course he would have felt everything across their link, including all of the anger she'd directed at Ulquiorra. Orihime gave her a puzzled look as Tatsuki took a deep breath and walked over to her mate, gently laying a reassuring hand on his arm.

She found herself enfolded in his arms and for a moment, she rested her forehead against his chest.

"What was all that about?" he murmured into her hair, fingers reaching up to brush it gently. "And is the person you were angry with still alive?"

She chuckled at the joke and took another deep breath before drawing away and looking him in the eyes. "Yes, I'm sure he is, at least for now. Sorry about that. I hope I didn't pull you away from anything important."

Tesra opened his mouth to say something, but his reply was lost as Karin seemingly materialized out of nowhere, a panicked look on her face. Orihime was so startled that she gave a little shriek of alarm before she registered who it was.

"Karin?"

The grim look on the other woman's face wiped whatever smile Tatsuki had off of her own. Karin gave Tatsuki a rueful look before grabbing Orihime by the arm.

"I apologize, but I need your help _now_!"

"Wait, I…"

Orihime never had a chance to finish as Karin launched into a Shunpo, dragging the other young woman with her before Tatsuki could say anything or stop her. She and Tesra were left to stare at the empty spot where the two women had been, before turning astonished eyes to one another. Finally, Tesra gave her a small squeeze and let out the breath he was holding once it became apparent that they'd been effectively ditched.

"Perhaps you'd better start at the beginning…" he suggested and Tatsuki inwardly cursed, her shoulders slumping.

Could this day, she thought, get any stranger


	73. Speaking with Fists

Speaking With Fists

Why was it that out of everyone Ulquiorra knew, the last person he wanted anything to do with always seemed to be the one who wanted to have these 'heart to heart' talks with him? Well, he had to admit that Nnoitra would have been a far less welcome alternative, but only just.

At the moment, Grimmjow was busy laughing his ass off at him. It was embarrassing and the urge to remove the other's head was growing, if only to shut him up.

"You…. how…?" Grimmjow wheezed, trying to regain his breath. "Okay... How is it out of all of us, _you_ have the worst woman trouble?" he laughed.

"I hardly find this amusing," Ulquiorra grumbled.

"You never find anything amusing, so your opinion doesn't count," Grimmjow sniped back.

He really, really, truly despised Grimmjow. And yet, he couldn't deny that when it came to things like this, the other had far more experience than he did. That, of course, only galled him all the more.

"So, according to Karin, your girl is upset at _you_ over what happened with _Szayel_?"

"That was some time ago. I fail to see how she could still be affected by something that happened to another."

"Did you even _try_ to comfort her afterwards? Chicks are more sensitive to others' suffering; it's instinctive in them, especially human women, so that they will care for their young."

"Comfort?"

The question only made the expression on Grimmjow's face all the more incredulous.

"Yes. Did you at least hold her? Please tell me you did that much at least."

Ulquiorra just blinked. Why would it have matter if he had or not? He had of course curled up behind her after going to bed. Nothing was going to get to her and his child without going through him first.

"Dear lord," Grimmjow groaned, smacking his forehead. "You are the most pathetic thing I have ever met. I am honestly shocked you even know how to use _it__…_" he smirked.

Ulquiorra's eyes widened in surprise at what the other was implying.

"…let alone know _where_ to put it."

That was a final straw. It was time to teach this piece of trash a lesson. Steel met steel. Grimmjow smirked in pleasure. Why was it only Grimmjow that could get under his skin like this? Well, Grimmjow and the human hybrid Kurosaki Ichigo. The latter he'd defeated and thinking about that defeat made him pause for a moment.

"I see," Ulquiorra finally commented.

"See what? How much of an idiot you are?"

"No, I now see why you chose Karin."

"I told you ages ago why I chose her," Grimmjow snorted.

"There is a fine line between love and hate, Grimmjow."

"And your point?"

"She is very much like her brother."

Grimmjow's eyes narrowed dangerously, and despite himself, Ulquiorra felt a bit of satisfaction at managing to ruffle the other's fur. It was frustrating to him that, when it came to these little 'heart to heart' talks, Grimmjow was always the one in control and seeing that control slip a little was very gratifying.

"She is _nothing_ like that shitty half-Shinigami," Grimmjow snarled in response. "She even told him to fuck off when they made it in that one time!"

"No doubt to defend her child and her brother. She is very much like her brother. I have no doubt she would throw _herself_ in Kami-sama's path if it meant protecting her family, regardless of the fact she would stand no chance against him. Just as her foolish brother does against us."

He wasn't normally a very vicious person, but right now he was in a somewhat foul mood and watching Grimmjow squirm was making him feel slightly better. He wasn't proud of himself for doing so, but even he could be selfish on occasion.

"Tell me, does Orihime-chan whisper your name in your ear when you fuck her, or does she whisper 'Kurosaki-kun' when she cums?" Grimmjow maliciously snapped back.

That was it, the last straw in a day that had tested his patience time and time again. Ulquiorra saw red. He wasn't even aware he had drawn Murciélago and moved to strike until a spray of warm blood splashed across his face and soaked his once-pristine uniform. It was like a bucket of icy water to the face as the red liquid slowly ran down his body and he stared at his hand and blood-soaked Zanpakuto in shocked disbelief.

(POV)

Alarms went off, causing Szayel to jump in surprise, shortly before wincing at doing so. Thanks to Karin's care he had mostly recovered from his ordeal at Kami's hands, but the nightmares were still a nightly occurrence and his nerves were shot. Loud, unexpectedly piercing noises set him off. He had also developed a profound hatred for the colour brown and had removed anything of that hue that wasn't absolutely necessary from his lab. There was also the nasty business of the scars that Aizen left on his body, and he'd taken to dressing himself for the day, only checking himself in the mirror _after_ he was fully clothed.

He frowned and stared at the tone of the alarm in surprise. He hadn't heard _that_ particular sound since the Winter War, when they had lost a few of their Espada. Shaking off his shock, he ran to the console and pulled up the data.

The vitals of all of the Espada came up on the large screen, one of them flashing orange. He stared at the data in shock before panic quickly overcame him. He forced that panic back down before it could overcome him.

The light was orange, not red. There was time still to get to him and take care of the damage. But what could have happened to bring one of the Espada down so quickly. Unless…

"_Please__…__ please tell me he didn__'__t piss off Kami,__"_Szayel thought worriedly.

He silenced the alarm and ordered his Division to continue working while summoning Nemu to his side. He was pleased to note that Grimmjow was at least moving towards the city at a decent pace so he was either still conscious or someone was carrying him.

"_He cannot permit himself to die. Karin may hold my Claim but that is not a known fact. Grimmjow is the only one protecting me from a rather undignified death or worse, demotion!_

"_If he were to die it would leave Karin up for grabs. I would end up under the thumb of whoever picked her up. At least she is strong enough that it would have to be someone with sufficient power.__"_

He didn't even want to think about what would happen should she die instead. It would mean a slow decline in his own health and the thought terrified him to no end. As a defenceless child he would be fair game as far as the other Arrancar were concerned, and he had a good number of enemies amongst the lower ranks. He indicated to Nemu to take over while he was gone, and then left as quickly as he could.

Szayel forced himself to walk with dignity as he followed the weak pulse of Grimmjow's reiatsu, and not run frantically to make sure his future was secure. The trail led him, shockingly, to Starrk's house. He noticed a trail of blood spatters and didn't even pause to knock as he barged in. He had expected to hear screaming, and he did hear some of that but it was from Karin and Orihime. What really caught his attention though was the sound of Grimmjow howling in laughter. He followed the sound around the last corner, finally spotting the gathering.

Grimmjow lay on the floor under Orihime's golden shield. His uniform was soaked in his own blood and he could see a very large, deep gash running across the Espada's torso slowly closing. Ulquiorra stood nearby, soaked in what could only be Grimmjow's blood, and judging by the blood on his Zanpakuto, he had been the culprit.

The normally-stoic Espada looked rather morose as both of the women were busy screaming at HIM. Even the docile Orihime was yelling at her mate while Karin looked ready to murder him.

Ajuga was curled up in Jushiro's lap looking like she either wanted to attack Ulquiorra or rush to her father's side in worry. The only one who seemed calm was Jushiro himself, and even he had an expression that hovered between amusement and horror.

"_Why do I always walk in on the most insane situations? What in the world happened this time? And why must there always be so much yelling involved?__"_

Sighing resignedly and acting out of a well-honed sense of self-preservation, Szayel picked the least agitated one of the bunch to approach.

"Szay," Ajuga greeted him somewhat happily, but most of her attention was on her father, who was trying to catch his breath.

"Dare I ask what's going on?" Szayel asked hesitantly.

"Papa and 'cora had a fight," Ajuga answered.

He noticed she hadn't used the honorific and had hissed out Ulquiorra's name. Interesting.

"Over what?" Szayel asked carefully, confused as to the motive for the fight.

"Women, by the sounds of it," Jushiro answered dryly. "I think Grimmjow-san won a war of words and Ulquiorra-san didn't like it much," he chuckled weakly.

Szayel took that into consideration. It would indeed have to be a great victory to get Ulquiorra to lash out. The Fourth was well known for his tight emotional control, at least over most matters. Where a mate was concerned, and a pregnant mate at that… well, that was different. It was Szayel's opinion that any 'victory' that left one bleeding to death on the floor wasn't much of one, but he decided that, at the moment, voicing that out loud would be a mistake.

"I'll at least admit that last comment was hitting below the belt," Grimmjow finally stopped cackling long enough to say.

"Indeed," Ulquiorra conceded, green eyes narrowing.

"_What_ comment?" Karin rounded on her mate, turning her full, furious glare on him.

It _was_ amusing to see any Hollow, more so an Espada, cringe in fear of a human woman. Wait… make that _two_ human women, as Orihime turned her pretty gray eyes to glower at Grimmjow as well.

"You were _supposed_ to have a chat with him to _explain_ things...!" Karin barked, and Szayel watched as Grimmjow suddenly seemed to adopt the demeanour of a housecat in search of a bed to hide beneath.

"It is of no consequence," Ulquiorra suddenly declared, taking everyone by surprise.

Who would have seen the day Ulquiorra would come to Grimmjow's defence? In fact, everyone was looking at him in utter surprise. Karin bit off anything she might have said, but kept shooting warning glances at the Sexta Espada, while Orihime refocused her efforts on closing the wound under her shield. When the flesh had sealed itself, the golden light disappeared.

"We are done here, come Onn…" he paused as he shared a look with Grimmjow, who raised one eyebrow, "Orihime," he corrected.

Orihime seemed surprised at the use of her name, but she smiled happily at it and moved to join her mate. The two left shortly after that, with Orihime giving Karin what Szayel had learned was a customary 'goodbye until next time' embrace common among human females. After they'd departed, Szayel moved closer to inspect Grimmjow's wound, or what was left of it. The slash was completely gone, but Orihime _had_ left a thin scar running the expanse of the healed wound. It was, no doubt, a silent reminder of what happened to those that crossed Ulquiorra.

Ajuga left Jushiro's lap to rush over to her father. Szayel noticed she actually ran instead of bounding on all fours this time.

"Well, if this is all that is going on, I shall return to my lab," Szayel said quietly, ready to excuse himself and get back to something other than what appeared to be a settled pissing match between two of the stronger Espada.

"Of course," Jushiro offered him a soft smile and a bow.

"Oh no, you don't! I need to speak to _you_ as well," Karin warned as she turned her attention to him, in a tone strong enough to make Szayel stand stock still, even though the order not to leave hadn't been Claim-enforced.

What now? What could Karin possibly have to speak to him about? He didn't have any new data about her heritage or the Swarm. His Claim was still strong and as far as he knew he hadn't done anything to displease her.

"Of course, Karin-sama," he bowed elegantly.

He got a small amount of satisfaction as she winced at the formality. She was right; he did plan on using that order to annoy her more than having to use an honorific with a human annoyed him. In fact, it was almost downright fun.

"Can you keep an eye on Jushiro-san and Papa while I talk to Szay?" Karin asked Ajuga.

"Of course," Ajuga smiled happily. "Papa is alright. Papa is strong," Ajuga said firmly.

"Better believe it, brat," Grimmjow smirked at her from his spot on the floor, reaching up and ruffling her hair.

"Come on," Karin ordered, and Szayel obediently fell in behind her, following her to the kitchen so she could apparently talk to him, although about what he was still clueless.

Could his day get _any_ weirder?


	74. Silver Garden

Silver Garden

It was a relief that they had changed the alarms so that they didn't stay on throughout the entire battle. Perhaps the biggest relief was that his wrist didn't hurt anymore. It definitely made doing his chores easier.

Not that he had enjoyed having sex with Szayel, but it was hardly as demeaning to him as it was to the Espada. He honestly believed Aizen had managed to break the scientist that time for he had never seen such a look on Szayel's face before.

"Your hand's better!"

Gin yelped in shock and knocked the bucket of dirty water all over the floor. His gaze darted to where Ajuga sat ever so innocently on the patio, watching him with curious eyes.

"Ajuga-chan," he greeted her. "What are you doing here?"

"I told you I would visit again," she pointed out as she walked up to him.

Yes, walked. He noticed she wasn't running on all fours anymore. She actually seemed fairly graceful too. No doubt a tribute to her somewhat feline heritage.

"So you did," he agreed with a smile while trying to clean up the water he had spilt everywhere without much success. "You seem to be walking now too," he noted.

"Oh, yeah. Yumi-san helped me. He explained it in a way that made sense."

"Yumi-san?" he questioned confused.

"Uh huh. He showed me how to walk until one of the other Espada, the old, bad-looking and smelling one, came and took him away," she hissed in displeasure.

It didn't take Gin long to put two and two together with that information.

"You mean Yumichika-san?" he questioned.

"Uh huh," she agreed.

"Well that explains that."

"Yep," she agreed as she finished closing the distance, but kept clear of the water. "Do you clean this whole place?" she questioned curiously.

"Just the chambers belonging to Unohana-sama," he answered.

"Oh. I like her. She is always so nice. These are her rooms?" Ajuga questioned curiously.

"That's right."

"Oh, I thought they were yours. Where are yours?" she questioned curiously.

"I don't have a room," he admitted softly.

"But you must sleep somewhere," she pointed out.

"I sleep in a cubby out in the hall," he answered honestly.

Cleaning up a bucket worth of water with a single rag was not an easy task and it was taking him forever. He scowled at the puddle of dirty water in displeasure.

"Why not use a mop?" Ajuga offered helpfully.

"Because I am not permitted to use one," he gritted out. "The only tools I am permitted are this bucket, this rag, one for the windows, and two bottles of cleaning solution," he growled.

"Oh," Ajuga looked crestfallen. "That's kind of silly," she commented.

"It is indeed," he agreed softly.

Ajuga disappeared and he went back to trying to clean up the large puddle of water. She returned after a moment with a mop.

"What are you doing?" he asked shocked as she started to mop up the water.

"Well, just because you can't use the mop doesn't mean I can't," she said matter-of-factly.

"But no one is permitted to help me," he protested.

"Why?" she questioned.

"Because that is what Aizen-kami wants," he answered.

"Why?"

"Because he is punishing me for something I failed to do."

"Oh. What was that?" she asked curiously.

He sighed in frustration, but decided to tell her the truth. Maybe it would scare her enough to get rid of her. Not that he found her presence annoying or anything, but he feared what would happen to her should Aizen catch her here.

"I failed to kill him," he answered coldly.

"Why did you try to kill him?" she asked with honest curiously, and no small amount of excitement. "Oh, were you a Taichou like 'take-ji?" she questioned excitedly. "Because you are obviously strong enough to be and you aren't like Papa, so you must have been a Taichou," she declared firmly.

He blinked at her in surprise. His answer hardly seemed to have fazed her and she had run with the context to get at least half of the truth.

"I was a Taichou at one point," he admitted softly. "But I left to follow Aizen-kami when he deserted them."

"Oh… You were stalking him?" she questioned.

Again he blinked at her in surprise.

"Sometimes I leave Mama and Papa behind when I am stalking something," she said. "They get upset over it, well Mama does more than Papa, but once I have a target in sight I have to finish the hunt. Do you know what I mean?" she questioned.

"I know what you mean," he chuckled softly in agreement. "And yes, I had to leave friends behind too to stalk Aizen-kami. Unfortunately, I failed to kill him when I struck."

He looked at his hands as they shook softly. His failure had cost so many, had cost HER, their freedom, dignity and so many other things. His failure had caused her far more pain and humiliation then his leaving ever had and had even cost Kira, and many members of his former Division, their lives.

He tried his hardest not to show it, but Aizen, knowing how much it would personally hurt him, had taken great delight in slaughtering a large portion of the former Third himself. Those that had survived were either too crippled, physically and mentally, to continue service or had run and managed to live what lives they could.

His had been the only Division purged in such a way. The rest had lost their warriors when Aizen had brought his Arrancar army through after sitting on the throne and let them run amok for the full day before he reeled them in. The survivors had been dragged before him to be given a choice of servitude or retirement.

Most had chosen retirement. The only Divisions to have been spared most of the purging had been the 12th because Szayel had been quick to claim it and because the Division defences had been rather impressive, and the 4th because everyone knew that Aizen had taken their Taichou as his wife and they had no plans on incurring her, and thus his, wrath. Gin hoped that her Division knew and appreciated how she'd sold herself to buy their protection.

He was jerked from his thoughts as he felt a hand softly pat his shoulder. His gaze shot up to look into deep blue eyes as Ajuga looked at him sadly. Dimly he realized a few tears had leaked out and he hastily brushed them away.

"I need to finish my chores before Aizen-kami returns," he stated.

He blinked as he realized all the water had been cleaned up. Ajuga-chan had clearly not been idle while he had been caught in the past.

"Mama says there is a difference between punishment and torture. This…" Ajuga paused to look around the room, "…is not punishment".

"No," he agreed softly and then looked at the rag in his hands again. "It is not."

"Gin-san?" she suddenly questioned.

The actual use of his name took him by surprise.

"Aizen was the one who hurt Szay the night Papa and I played Hide n' Seek, wasn't he?" she questioned knowingly.

"Hai," he agreed softly, dimly aware she hadn't used the honorific with Aizen's name.

"Why did he hurt Szay?"

"Because he wanted to," Gin answered honestly. "Because he knows he is stronger and he likes to remind others about it," he added.

"That's a stupid reason to hurt someone," Ajuga said firmly.

"Yes it is," he agreed.

"Are you done in here?" she suddenly asked.

He looked about the room. It was spotless and the water from the floor had been cleaned up.

"I am," he agreed.

"Then we can go play in the garden, right?" she questioned excitedly.

He blinked at her in shock. The serious child he had been speaking to had instantly reverted back to the excitable little girl he was admittedly more comfortable with.

"If Aizen-kami catches you, you will get in big trouble," he pointed out. "And so will I," he added. "He will hurt me just like he hurt Szayel," he warned.

"Then Aizen-kami will just have to not catch us," she smirked at him as she ran for the stairs leading down into the garden. "Right?" she questioned when she reached the top of the stairs.

He couldn't help it. There was just something about Ajuga that he found captivating. Maybe it was because he had become so lonely. Maybe it was because this was one way to 'stick it to Aizen.' But for whatever reason, the little girl brought out the playful side of him he had thought long since buried under Aizen's dominion.

"I guess not," he agreed with a smile as he stood up and picked up the bucket of dirty water and his rag. "Are you going to help me water again?" he asked as he joined her.

"Maybe I can hunt the mice and other pests instead," she suggested with a look of disgust. "I hate water."

He gave a real laugh this time. It felt liberating and good.

"Alright, you win. I'll water, but maybe you can pick a few weeds at least."

"Maybe," she agreed.

She may have become rather good at walking on two feet, but the moment they were on the grass she was once more down on all fours and gone. Gin just shook his head in amazement and made his way over to the well of water.

No matter how hard he tried, and he was damn good at it, he could not track her at all. It was as if she simply never existed. He felt himself relax a little at that. If he could not feel her presence, then he doubted Aizen would be able to as well.

It was just nice not to be alone and despite himself he found himself humming an old nursery rhyme he use to sing to Rangiku when they would huddle together under a single scrap of cloth to keep warm.

Gin couldn't recall where he had learned the song. He only knew that it used to sooth the two of them to sleep despite nearly frozen bodies and hungry stomachs. After two more hours of hunting, weeding, watering and pruning, the 'all clear' alarm tolled.

"I need to go," Ajuga said sadly. "But I'll visit again when I can," she promised.

"Just make sure Aizen-kami doesn't spot you," he warned, giving her as stern a look as he could muster.

"He won't," Ajuga assured him before darting away.

Gin really wished he knew how she managed to sneak in and out of the palace with no one being the wiser. It would be a good thing to know.

(POV)

Ajuga hummed happily as she skipped down the road back home. Most of the citizens were used to seeing her now and the members of her mother's Division, the 5th Division not the 2nd she was taking care of for 'take-ji, waved pleasantly at her.

She waved back and continued on her way to meet up with Hana-chan. Her playmate should be getting out of school soon and if she was lucky Sensei would give her some new kanji to try.

She loved drawing kanji. The symbols were so amazing and eye catching. She had perfected the one Bya-san had shown her. In fact, thinking of him gave her a great idea. She picked up her speed as she moved through the streets towards Sensei's house.

Her humming happily increased as she thought about her great idea. It was amazing. It was perfect. It was…

"Ajuga-chan?" someone called, breaking her train of thought.

She looked up to see Ran-neesan and Nnoitra waltzing through the city. Rangiku seemed a bit tired, but otherwise in a good mood while Nnoitra was covered in gore and seemed to be in a _very_ good mood.

"Oh, afternoon, Nnoitra-sama, Ran-neesan," Ajuga greeted them happily. "How was the battle?" she asked, taking in the condition of their clothing.

"Exhilarating," Nnoitra answered with a wide smirk of enjoyment.

"Exhausting," Rangiku answered with a shake of her head, then gave the little girl an odd look. "What were you humming just now?"

Ajuga thought for a moment and tried to think of the name of the song Gin had been humming, but she realized that the silver-haired man hadn't actually told her its name. She'd have to ask him next time she snuck over.

"Just something I heard from… somewhere," Ajuga quickly covered, hoping she made it sound like she was trying to think of _where_ she had heard the song and not from _whom_.

That was the tricky part. Aizen wasn't supposed to know she was in his garden, and she had heard the song from Gin this afternoon. If she said she learned it from him, people would know she had been at the palace. She didn't want to see Gin-san in trouble because she'd made a silly mistake.

"Oh, I see," Rangiku said, seeming slightly depressed.

"We need to get home and shower," Nnoitra broke up the conversation, sounding impatient.

Ajuga agreed with that, wrinkling her nose. They both smelled like bug guts and sweat and Nnoitra smelt strongly like her father did when he was 'playing' with Mama. Ajuga was too young to quite understand what the scent meant, but she knew it was important.

"You _are_ heading home, right Ajuga-chan?" Rangiku asked. "You are far too young to be wandering about by yourself."

"I am okay. I am strong, like Papa!" she assured her. "I got to get going or I will miss Hana-chan and Sensei. Bye, Nnoitra-sama, Ran-neesan!" she called and waved as she left them. _"__I wonder why Ran-neesan knows that song too. Maybe she was part of Gin-san__'__s Division,__"_Ajuga guessed. "_He was a Taichou after all__…"_

Humming away happily once more, she continued her way down the street, practicing her walking the way Yumi-san had showed her.

(POV)

It was a relief to take a shower and get all of the sweat, dirt, and in Nnoitra's case blood, off of their bodies. The only downside was the inevitable, post-battle molestation, although she supposed she should have been used to it by now.

Nnoitra was very often frisky after a fight and he tended to be impatient, as there was a limited time that Aizen-kami gave them to clean up and curb their instincts before they were required to attend the usual, hours-upon-hours long meeting.

Rangiku leaned her weight against the wall while Nnoitra pressed up against her from behind. Her hair was brushed to one side so he could lick and nip at her neck. One of his hands roughly fondled her breast while the other stroked a more sensitive part of her anatomy.

She sighed and tried to focus all of her attention on him, but she couldn't stop thinking about their strange run-in with Ajuga-chan. Did Karin know her daughter was running about the city? More importantly, where had Ajuga-chan learned the tune she had been humming? It was most defiantly not a song Karin or Grimmjow would have known since it was an old Rukongai song. She doubted Ukitake-Taichou would know it, coming from a Noble Family, regardless of the level of it.

"_Perhaps Nanao-san taught them, she might know it,__"_Rangiku guessed.

She suddenly gasped as teeth bit sharply into her neck, sharp enough to draw blood.

"What's got you distracted?" Nnoitra demanded in a hiss.

"Sorry, Nnoitra-sama, I was just worried about Ajuga-chan. A little girl shouldn't be wandering around alone like that," she replied.

"She's fine," he grunted in annoyance. "In our world, she would already be hunting with the pack. Now pay attention to _me_," he demanded sharply

He nudged her legs aside and she obediently spread them as he settled more comfortably behind her. The hand that had been playing with her guided his shaft towards her entrance and once the tip was in the rest followed in a single, sharp thrust.

She gasped as he filled her. His length was always impressive and she still wasn't used to being so deeply penetrated. No one could keep their thoughts straight when the feel of another was so deep within them.

"Moan for me," Nnoitra whispered huskily into her ear.

She did so, and didn't even need to fake it like she used to save herself from a beating. The hand that had guided him in rubbed circles around her clit and she felt her legs shake in pleasure until the only thing holding her up was the fact she was half pinned to the wall.

He let out a breathless moan into her ear, followed by a grunt of pleasure. He didn't take her quickly, but rather slowly; letting his full length run from tip to sacks inside of her.

There was no warning to announce his finish save for the long, jetting stream of his cum filling her, penetrating deep inside of her. It took her by surprise and she gasped in pleasure as he rubbed her nub until her legs shook violently with her own release.

He remained draped across her back and still in her as he panted lightly into her ear. She made no move to dislodge him as she tried to regain her breath.

"Fuck woman," Nnoitra hissed. "I love the feel of being inside of you."

The comment left her slightly flushed.

He pulled out and took a step back. She waited a second longer before moving from her place against the wall and they finished cleaning themselves before exiting the shower. He pulled on a clean uniform while she stood there hesitantly in nothing but a towel.

"What is it?" he demanded.

"If it is alright with you, I was hoping I could visit with Tatsuki-chan," she requested softly.

Truthfully, she wanted to see if Karin knew about her child's excursions, and where Ajuga-chan had learned that tune, while everyone else was off fighting, but she knew asking for Tatsuki was far safer. Since the woman was technically the pet of his fraccion, she was relatively safe to ask to see.

"Che, I'll get Tesra to send her over when he is done with her," he snorted.

"Thank you," she bowed politely.

"Whatever," he snorted as he left for the meeting. "Just so long as you are in bed when I get back, I don't care what you do so long as you don't leave the house," he called back over his shoulder.

"Hai, Nnoitra-sama," she bowed again, watching as he left for the meeting.

"_Che, I wish we could just shred the skin from his lousy hide,__"_Haineko grumbled in her mind. _"__He__'__s a bug himself and deserves to be squashed like one!__"_

"He is too strong," Rangiku sighed aloud as she turned to the closet.

She glared at the hated golden chain lying on the floor before she bent down and attached it once more to her anklet. She had learned long ago, the hard and painful way, to try to stay on Nnoitra's good side.

"Cats _do not do_ chains. _Those_ are for _dogs_!" Haineko snipped derisively as the feline manifestation of her Zanpakuto appeared, curled up on the bed.

"I agree with you, but until we can get this collar off our necks there is nothing we can do," Rangiku pointed out as she transferred her towel from her body to her hair.

She pulled on a loose-fitting yukata before turning her attention back to her hair. Nnoitra seemed to like it and it had grown a fair amount in the last few years, reaching well past her rear now. It was a right royal pain to take care of, unfortunately.

"I hate this caged feeling," Haineko complained. "It's like being caught in a net. Fish and birds belong in nets, not cats."

"I know," Rangiku sighed again, wrapping her arms around her body and for a moment, feeling too exhausted to do anything but indulge in a little, well-deserved self-pity.

Instead, she moved to the window, where the breeze could at least make drying her hair easier. The shaft of warm, afternoon sun that made it into the room helped as well, and she found herself leaning against the windowsill with her eyes closed. Unfortunately, even if she closed her eyes, the confines of her cage were still all-too apparent.

She could feel the restricting bars of Nnoitra's reiatsu imprisoning her own. Orihime might find the feel of Ulquiorra's Claim comforting, but Rangiku found it horribly claustrophobic. It was as if he had forced her to curl up in a too-small box, one that barely gave her room to breathe. Every time she approached the edge of the property she could feel the strands tightening around her like thick chains, holding her in place with their weight.

Certainly, Nnoitra had gotten 'better' over the years, if one could call it that. At the moment there wasn't even a mark on her body from him, minus the 'love bite' he had just given her, but he still slipped on occasion when stress was high. Absently, she became to hum that old tune Ajuga-chan had unexpectedly brought back to mind.

She hadn't thought about that old song in years; maybe that was what made her feel so damned melancholy, another layer that added to her feeling like a caged bird. The last time she had heard it was the last night she and Gin had fallen asleep _together_. The next morning he had been gone, off to join the Shinigami and by the time she caught up to him they had been older and 'sleeping together' denoted more than just keeping warm.

She gave a small, sad smile, with only Haineko to see it. As harsh as the Rukongai was, she would give anything to walk those same streets. She and Gin might have been hungry and cold as children, but they had at least been free.

It took a few moments for her to dredge up the actual words to the song from her memories, but once she found them, she began to sing them softly, staring out the window as if hoping to see all of the places she was no longer allowed to visit through it.

"_In the First district, when the winter winds blows_

_It carries with it the scent of fresh blown snow_

_In the Second district, when the street lamps dim_

_The sounds of the markets cease their hymn_

_In the Third district, when the rain chimes_

_It hums through the air a million, million times_

_In the Fourth district, when the drinks begin flow_

_The people prance about awash in afterglow_

_In the Fifth district, where the fish all swim_

_You can see the moon reflect, all on a whim__…"_

"Oi anyone home?" Tatsuki's voice caused her to jump in surprise and abruptly break off the song.

"I'll be down in a minute," Rangiku called.

"Gotcha," Tatsuki called back.

"In the Eightieth District, where the blood count always climbs, all is in right order, for the next set of crimes," she whispered the last verse softly.

Haineko, for her part, shook her head. Since her Zanpakuto had nothing helpful to add, she simply disappeared back into Rangiku's inner world while Rangiku herself forced a smile on her face and headed down the stairs to talk with Tatsuki.


	75. Hospital Visits

Hospital Visits

Orihime had to hand it to Karin. She wasn't sure _what_ the girl had done but Szayel was more or less back to his old self with nothing but the kanji carved into his back as a reminder of what had happened.

Even his Zanpakuto was back on his hip, which clearly meant that Karin trusted he wouldn't try to kill himself any time soon. That was good. Orihime hated seeing anyone get hurt, even an enemy.

"Almost there," Ajuga announced happily.

Orihime hummed in agreement. It was always a pleasure to watch the young girl.

"Good afternoon, Szayel-san," Orihime greeted him politely.

"Ah, Orihime-chan, how wonderful to see you," Szayel greeted her with a smile as they walked into the Science Lab. "And my favourite experiment is here as well, I see," he added, turning his attention to the child.

"Hi Szay!" Ajuga said happily.

"How are you feeling? Any changes to your condition?" he asked as they walked to the examination room.

"Oh, no, nothing other than the fact my belly is definitely getting bigger," she answered.

"That is good to hear. I will leave you so that you can change,"

"Do I need to change too Szay?" Ajuga asked.

"If you want to," he said, offered her a warm smile.

He left, leaving the two of them to change into the hospital gowns, or in the case of Ajuga who didn't bother with clothes, to put one on.

"What kind of test does Szayel-san do on you?" Orihime suddenly turned and asked worriedly. Any tests that he conducted on Ajuga were likely to be ordered for her offspring as well.

"Oh not much," Ajuga answered happily. "He takes blood and measures my height and weight and reiatsu and tests how strong I am and how sharp my claws are," Ajuga ticked off some of the test. "We listen to my heart too," she added. "That's the most fun test!"

"I see," Orihime replied, relieved, and smiled at her.

It sounded like a basic physical exam, one that any doctor in the Living World would perform, minus the claw measurement of course. Nothing scary at all. Szayel returned shortly after they had both changed, Nemu by his side. Orihime let out another sigh of relief. The presence of the other woman helped to ease her slightly.

"Are we ready to get started?" Szayel asked pleasantly with a wide smile.

"I think so," Orihime agreed.

"Yes," Ajuga cheered happily, not at all afraid of the upcoming tests. "What test we doing first today?" she asked excitedly.

"We will start with heart rate and blood," he answered.

Orihime felt herself relax as Szayel and Nemu worked their way through all of the tests. It was hard to stay leery when Ajuga was taking the same tests with enthusiasm. However, the last one made her slightly nervous.

It had been a while since they had the time to do an ultrasound, so she had to admit she was both excited and apprehensive about what the monitor might display. She wished Karin and Tatsuki could be here, but the first was busy at work while the later was busy watching over Jushiro-san.

He seemed to be recovering well, but his reiatsu was very slow in returning as was his strength. Just moving from his bed to the porch took most of his strength for half the day. Honestly though, Orihime half-suspected he was faking some of it.

"Alright," Szayel's voice pulled her attention back to the situation as he finished spreading the cold jelly about her growing stomach. "Are we ready to see the baby?" he questioned.

"Yes, yes," Ajuga cheered happily.

"You know, _you_ were the first one this monitor saw," Szayel smiled at Ajuga.

"I was?" she questioned in awe.

"That's right. Karin-sama was the first one I used it one when you were still inside her tummy," he explained.

"Neat," she exclaimed.

They all turned their attention to the screen. It didn't take long for the baby to appear.

"There it is," Szayel said and smiled happily at the screen. "Oh my, look at this," he said excitedly as he pointed to the monitor with one finger, tracing an outline of something that he obviously found fascinating.

"What are they?" Orihime asked worriedly.

She recalled looking at the ultrasound pictures Karin had shown to her of Ajuga, and Ajuga looked nothing like this.

"Those would appear to be a pair of wings," he explained intrigued.

"Wings?" she gasped in shock.

He nodded his pink-haired head in response, practically bubbling with glee.

"Yes, very intriguing. Everything else looks normal enough, but I think your child will have a tail. See…you can see here…" he motioned, his hand curving a little, "the tail bone is elongated. I believe your child will greatly resemble Ulquiorra-san's Resurreccion, much the way Ajuga-chan does Grimmjow-san's," he noted.

"What about horns?" she asked worriedly.

Not that she minded if her child had horns, she would love it regardless, but she feared the child might cut her during labour with them. He must have picked up a little on her concern.

"There are none that I can see, but such things tend to develop after the birth. Legs and arms are all completely normal. The feet seem a little strange, but I wouldn't say they were deformed. I think your child will walk on the pads of its feet. Would you like to know the gender?" he suddenly asked and raised one pink eyebrow.

Orihime thought about it. Karin didn't know, but Karin's pregnancy was over quickly. Orihime wanted to start planning the baby's room, had already started to do so and knowing whether or not she was expecting a boy or a girl would at least help her choose a color scheme.

"Yes please," she answered and she was surprised at how eagerly the words came out of her mouth.

"Alright, let's see here…"

Szayel humming a little to himself, squinted at the monitor first from one angle and then another, considering the grainy image for a few minutes as Orihime's curiosity grew. Finally, he seemed to come to a decision and turned around, spreading his arms wide.

"Congratulations! Ulquiorra-san will be greatly pleased. You're going to have a boy!" he reported happily.

Orihime gave a small sound of pleasure at that announcement. Ulquiorra would indeed be happy. Men were silly that way; although truthfully she suspected that men were just scared of girls. Girls needed protecting from unwanted suitors whereas boys did not. That and boys carried on the family name, a tradition that Hollows and humans seemed to overwhelmingly share. Grimmjow, however, had doted on his daughter.

"You seem happy as well," Szayel noted, eyeing her expression.

"I am," Orihime agreed.

"A _boy_?" Ajuga snorted unhappily, crossing her arms and lowering her head in a distinct pout, while her tail lashed from side to side. "Why couldn't it be a girl?"

The adults chuckled in amusement at the scowling child.

"Are we done?" Orihime asked, looking back up at the scientist.

"Yes, yes," he said, and then sighed a little in regret. "There is nothing more I am permitted to do today."

She giggled nervously at that, seriously not wanting to know what other kinds of 'tests' Szayel wished he could run on her or her child.

Szayel and Nemu left the young woman and the girl alone to change back into their normal clothes. Or rather, Orihime retrieved and put her own clothing back on while Ajuga slipped the hospital gown over her head and then folded it carefully. She'd never really given it much thought before, but now that she'd seen an image of her own baby, Orihime was struck by the fact that in reality, she'd never seen Ajuga wear any sort of clothing, other than the necessary diapers and the blankets that Karin had wrapped her in when she was a baby. Her mask fragments covered her chest and her white fur covered everything else from the waist down.

"Ajuga-chan, do you ever where clothes?" she asked curiously while pulling her dress on.

"No, why?" Ajuga asked curiously.

"Well, you know, for warmth and protection."

"I am warm enough, and cloth isn't really much protection compared to my skin," she pointed out.

"Well, it can be fun dressing up," Orihime tried.

"Clothes are too restricting and give something for bad people to grab onto," Ajuga snorted.

"Oh, I guess when you put it that way…" Orihime said slowly, giving that last part some consideration.

Clearly, there was no winning this argument. Shortly after they finished getting dressed, Nemu entered the room to hand her the picture taken from the ultrasound machine and to set up her next appointment.

Orihime gratefully took the picture and smiled happily as she headed back to the Estate to drop Ajuga-chan off with Jushiro. Various chibi-fied pictures of her child ran through her head.

Oh she just _knew_ he was going to be the cutest thing ever! She couldn't wait to share the picture and news with everyone. She was having a baby boy that was going to look just like his father.

The thought thrilled her. Ulquiorra was amazing in his released form, and her _son_ was going to look just like that. Oh, the girls would be _swooning_ over him indeed, and then someday she would have grandkids! Lots and lots of grandkids.

She giggled giddily as she thought of an entire army of offspring to hug and play with. She would never be alone again.

"_Oh Sora-niisan, I wish you could be here to see this. It is amazing! I am going to make sure to be the best mother, and grandmother, and great-grandmother, and great, great grandmother and__…__., well you get the idea, in the whole universe,__"_she vowed.

They arrived back as the Estate without a problem and before she knew it Ajuga went running off ahead to meet up with Jushiro and Tatsuki. The first was resting peacefully on the futon they had pulled out to the porch for him so he could enjoy the fresh air and garden while the second was nearby sharpening the katana that had once belonged to Starrk.

"We are back, 'take-ji," Ajuga called happily, dropping to all fours and running up to his side.

"So I see," he smiled at them both. "How was the appointment?"

"Awesome," Ajuga cheered happily. "Have you had your tea yet?"

"No, not yet," he admitted and winced as the little girl huffed.

" 'tsuki-neesan!" Ajuga glared at the woman with the sword.

"We were waiting for you since you can make it so much better than me," Tatsuki explained.

"Oh. Okay." And with that a slightly-mollified Ajuga disappeared into the living quarters to presumably start some hot water.

Orihime finished closing the distance herself.

"So what's the verdict?" Tatsuki asked curiously, sheathing her katana and setting it aside.

"I am having a boy. And look, he has wings and a tail!" Orihime answered excitedly as she sat down close to Jushiro and showed them the picture of her ultrasound. "Szayel-san said that all of the tests came back looking good," she added.

"Well, I take it you are happy about the news," Tatsuki said carefully.

"I am really happy," she agreed with a wide smile. "My child is healthy, what more could I want?"

"One that looks a little more human."

"Tatsuki-chan," she gasped. "_You_ are happy for me, right Jushiro-san?" Orihime turned her attention to him.

"Any child is precious, regardless as to what it looks like," he assured her with a warm smile. "Just so long as the baby is healthy there is really nothing to complain about."

"Precisely," she beamed happily and stuck her tongue out childishly at Tatsuki. "Besides, how do you know _your_ baby won't look just like Tesra-sans Resurreccion?" Orihime pointed out with a smirk.

"Now that you mention it, I have never actually seen Tesra's Resurreccion," Tatsuki mused.

"Oh, think of a Minotaur, but as a pig instead of a bull and really, really tall," Orihime explained.

"I'll take your word for it," Tatsuki frowned. "But I am not planning to have kids anytime soon,"

"Neither did Karin-chan," Orihime pointed out.

"Touché," Tatsuki agreed. "What about you, Jushiro-san, anyone special in your life?" Tatsuki turned and asked him. Jushiro seemed to understand her desire to change the subject, but shook his head.

"Ah no… My illness has forced me to lead a celibate life," he answered with a bit of a blush.

"You have never had a girlfriend?" Orihime gasped in shock.

"No. I never really had the time between my family, and studies, the running of my Division and well, as you young people would say, my illness is a rather large 'turnoff'."

"Wow, so other than Starrk-san you have never slept with anyone?" Orihime asked shocked.

A blush of mortification lit up his face and Orihime quickly apologised after realizing what she had said and how rude it sounded.

"Well, hopefully if this treatment works you can at least scratch your illness off the list," Tatsuki said, trying valiantly to salvage the situation.

"Hopefully," he agreed with a smile. "I would at least like to enjoy having a body that I don't have to worry about failing at inopportune moments."

"Tea's ready," Ajuga announced, carrying a tray with a pot of tea and a mug.

The child set it down and poured a cup before handing it to Jushiro and gave him an arch look until he took at least a few sips. Satisfied, Ajuga plunked herself down beside him.

"So, when is the baby going to come?" Ajuga asked curiously. "Will he come soon?"

"Not for several more months I am afraid," Orihime smiled at her. "I wonder what kind of name we will give him," she mused.

"Have you thought of any names?" Jushiro asked.

"Not yet," Orihime admitted.

"The name isn't known until after the baby is born," Ajuga piped up, causing the adults to look at her in surprise. "It's instinctive. It is bad luck to know ahead of time; at least that is what Papa said."

"I think I recall Tesra mentioning something like that once or twice as well," Tatsuki mused. "Karin did say Grimmjow knew Ajuga's name the moment she was born."

"Likely Ulquiorra will know your son's," Jushiro assured her, taking another sip of his tea.

"Well that is no fun," Orihime pouted. "What if I don't like the name he picks?"

"Well, you can always call your son whatever you want," Tatsuki laughed. "It's not like anyone could stop you from giving him a nickname."

"True," Orihime agreed, and then decided to change the subject. "How has your project been coming along, Ajuga-chan?"

"Awesome! 'take-ji has been helping me a lot. It is almost done…" she said, lowering her voice as if telling a secret. "Hana-chan is making one too, but I think mine is better."

"That is good. Oh, Ajuga-chan, before I forget, Rangiku-chan said she saw you wandering about the city while the battles were going on."

Tatsuki said this casually, but gave the girl a look that said she expected the child to tell her the truth.

"So?" Ajuga looked at them confused, and a little bit apprehensive.

"You shouldn't wander around like that. It could be dangerous!" Tatsuki admonished.

"Humph, nothing in the city can hurt me, and if it tried I could just hide. No one can hide like I can!" she protested, defending herself.

"One of the other Espada could hurt you, like Yammy or Barragan," Orihime pointed out, biting her lip.

She feared what could happen should Ajuga be caught alone with the 2nd Espada. He had made his interest in her quite clear the last time they had met and in the heat of battle it was very unlikely anyone could get to the girl before something could happen.

"They would be fighting," Ajuga pointed out and Tatsuki shook her head.

"After the battle," Tatsuki pointed out. "You know how battle affects a Hollow's thinking. We are just worried you could get hurt, or… worse."

Ajuga pouted, but did seem to understand where they were trying to go with the conversation.

"I'll be careful," she assured them. "Beside, like Nnoitra-san said, I should be hunting already," Ajuga bared her fangs and flexed her claws.

Jushiro chuckled while the two women sighed.

"Children, always so eager to grow up," he stated. "But you should take this time to enjoy being carefree, Ajuga-chan. Why don't you get some paper and I will help you with the next kanji for your project?" he suggested.

" 'Kay, but you had better finish your tea by the time I get back," Ajuga declared firmly.

"I will," he promised her, picking up his mug and taking a sip.

Satisfied, Ajuga wandered off to find the materials she would need.

"I still find it ironic how she can be so good at calligraphy when neither one of her parents have the best kanji in the world," Tatsuki mused.

"I wonder if my boy will be good at things like that," Orihime said, a little dreamily, causing Tatsuki and Jushiro to give each other a look before Jushiro drowned his next smile in his teacup and Tatsuki rolled her eyes heavenward.

Ajuga returned shortly with some paper, two brushes, a stick of ink, and the water well. She set about getting the ink ready before dividing the paper up between them all.

"Alright, are you ready for today's kanji?" Jushiro asked.

"Yep," Ajuga affirmed happily.

"Okay, this one if really difficult," Jushiro noted as he drew out the complex kanji on his piece of paper, each stroke was set down slowly and meticulously.

哉 slowly appeared on the page as he worked. Ajuga watched him carefully, with all the patience of any truly good predator waiting for just the right time to strike. Once done he waited for the ink to dry before handing the page over to Ajuga.

With a look of concentration, Ajuga began to repeat the symbol on the top, right hand corner of her page and worked her way down the side, repeating it over and over until she had it perfected four pages later.

"Okay, I got to add it now," she declared, running off to return with the ridiculously expensive piece of parchment she'd been using for her project.

"Oh wow, Ajuga-chan, it is coming along nicely," Orihime complimented.

"Thank you," Ajuga-chan beamed.

She drew the kanji out one last time on a spare piece of paper before adding it to the end of her line. When she finished, all four symbols were perfectly etched.

朽

木

白

哉

She had written each symbol in the centre of the parchment in the trunk of a Sakura tree with soft, pink petals floating down to the ground. Ajuga remained absolutely still as the ink slowly air dried.

There were other symbols as well, 尊, ?, 威 were drawn in a few of the falling petals while 千本桜 was splayed across the branches.

All in all, there were some very complex kanji in the picture, and Ajuga had painstakingly drawn each one. It was an exceptional piece of work for a child to have accomplished.

"Done," Ajuga smiled happily.

"You still have to sign it to seal it," Orihime reminded her.

"Oh, right!"

Ajuga quickly picked up the brush and wrote her name out on a scrap piece of paper a few times before turning to the page and signing the bottom with the date. Her calligraphy piece was finally complete and she looked both satisfied and excited.

"Can I give it to him now?" Ajuga pleaded, looking up at them.

"I don't see why not. Work should almost be done and I am sure Orihime-san or Tatsuki-san would be willing to go with you," Jushiro replied.

"But I want you to come with me. You helped!" she pouted.

"I would like to leave as well, but your mother ordered me to stay in bed, and you know what your mother can be like when her orders aren't followed," Jushiro pointed out.

"Oh, right," Ajuga frowned as she considered that.

"I know, 'tsuki-neesan and 'hime-neesan can ask him to come by after work while picking up Hana-chan!"

Ajuga turned two, big, watery, baby blue eyes to the two women in a silent plea.

"Oh, how can we say no to that?" Orihime cried in mock-dismay. "I'm afraid she has us there!"

"How indeed?" Tatsuki agreed with a smile. "Alright, alright, we surrender, we will make sure he comes by," she broke into laughter.

"Yes!" Ajuga cheered. "I'll take care of 'take-ji!"

Both woman stood up and stretched before heading out to pick up Hana and swing by the 2nd Division to deliver their message.

"I'll guard the picture if you want to take a quick shower so you will be nice and clean when he gets here," Jushiro offered.

Ajuga hesitated. She hated water with a passion, but reluctantly she nodded and wandered off. Jushiro watched her go with a smile and turned his gaze to the artwork. It was astonishing indeed.

(POV)

"Tatsuki-chan…Orihime-chan…what brings you by?" Karin asked in surprise as the two women approached her desk.

Then her eyes narrowed and her shoulders tensed.

"Is something wrong with Ajuga-chan or Jushiro-san?" she asked worriedly.

Byakuya didn't blame her for her concern. It was unlike the two to show up here and unconsciously he found himself seeking Jushiro's reiatsu. It was still very weak, but since he was so familiar with it and knew where to look, he found it easily.

It was completely at peace and Ajuga's unique signature wasn't far off. He turned his attention back to his work, safely presuming that the ensuing conversation had nothing to do with him.

"No, no, everything is fine. We just promised Ajuga we would let you know her project is done."

"Oh, she finished it?" Karin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, she wants to present it today after work."

"She does? Really?" Karin glanced at him briefly before turning her attention back to her visitors. "I'll see what I can do," she promised.

Both women left shortly after exchanging a few more pleasantries. Despite himself he was curious about this project but was easily able to brush it aside as he continued to work at the pile before him. The end of the day fast approached and the two of them finished their last papers before setting the completed forms aside.

"It looks like we are done here for the day."

Karin sighed and set her brush and ink stone to the side, rubbing her eyes. He nodded in agreement and held up the card wishing her a pleasant evening. Kami knew _he_ wouldn't have one. Yammy may have been forced by Aizen to let him come to work, but the bastard unfortunately made up for it when he got home.

Yammy was still a little upset over the trouncing an enraged Karin had given him and that frustration had been transferred to him. His lower back and rear were smarting from the brute reminding him just who owned who.

"Actually, I would appreciate it if you accompanied me home first. Jushiro-san is getting much better and I was hoping to return to my own Division. If we can convince Aizen-kami to let you remain here, Jushiro-san might be able to return to work sooner. He's getting restless," she conceded.

He nodded in agreement, both to her request and her statement. Escorting Karin back to her place on Division business was a good excuse to remain at liberty for a while longer, a reason not to return too quickly to the abuse he knew awaited him at home.

Karin left orders for the seated officers before they made for the door and began a leisurely walk toward Jushiro's Estate. It was a beautiful day and Byakuya let himself just enjoy it. They met up with Nanao half way there and the conversation turned to training regimens as they finished the trek.

They found Jushiro sitting comfortably on a futon on his porch as they approached from the garden. Hana was just bringing out a pot of tea with some cups while Ajuga stood beside Jushiro, actually _dressed_ in a beautiful spring yukata with her long, raven hair done up in a braid.

He noticed immediately that Ajuga seemed rather nervous, an unusual state of mind for the young girl. She was normally fearless, a trait he knew she'd inherited from both her father and her mother, and quite possibly her never-met uncle. Truthfully, he suspected that no member of the Kurosaki family knew the meaning of fear, an emotion he also doubted Grimmjow spent much time contemplating or indulging in either.

"My, my, Ajuga-chan, you are looking beautiful!" Nanao exclaimed, earning a blush from the child. "And is that fresh tea I smell?" she added.

"Hai," Hana reported happily. "I just made it myself," she beamed.

"Jushiro-san," Nanao and Karin greeted him together while Byakuya offered a slight nod of his head in greeting.

"I trust the children behaved themselves?" Nanao questioned as she found a spot to sit and accepted a cup of tea from her daughter.

"Of course," Jushiro assured them. "And both of them have been working diligently on their lessons," he added.

"That is good to hear," Nanao said and smiled happily as she took a sip.

Byakuya found a comfortably place to kneel as well, accepting the cup Hana handed him. He was surprised to note it was a rather expensive tea and figured Jushiro must have let the girl have access to his private stash.

He listened politely to the small talk they made and occasionally commented when he felt he had something to contribute to the conversation, either using the flash cards that the girls had made Jushiro and had somehow been bestowed upon him or writing out his response on Hana-chan's old chalk board.

Through it all he noticed that Ajuga remained oddly nervous, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. Finally, the girl seemed to muster up her nerve and approach him.

"Byakuya-san," he was surprise she had used his full name properly, "I wanted to thank you for the cal.. calligraphy," she stumbled slightly over the large word, "lessons and letting me play in your garden all the time, so I made you something," she said in a small voice.

One small fang came out to worry her lower lip. Hesitantly, she pulled a roll of parchment from behind her back and offered it up to him. He took it surprised, both by the fact she had made him something and because he could tell the paper was expensive and of high quality.

Slowly, he unrolled the parchment to reveal the picture. There in the trunk of a beautiful sakura tree was his name, perfectly etched along with Senbonzakura's name written in the branches and the kanji for Honor, Pride and Noble in the falling petals.

"I made it myself. Jushiro-san showed me how to do the kanji though," she admitted.

Even had he been capable of speaking, the gift would have rendered him speechless. Her kanji were beyond exceptional, the true work of a master. He had no idea that the act of showing her a single word in that hospital room would have evolved into this.

Byakuya set the picture aside and picked up his chalk board, to give her his verdict on the gift.

'It is an exception piece of work, and I am honoured to receive it,' he wrote out.

Ajuga beamed happily at his praise.

"She did all of it herself," Jushiro smiled fondly at the girl. "Even the tree and petals… It would seem our little Ajuga-chan is as talented in calligraphy as Hana-chan is with her numbers."

Both girls blushed at that and both Nanao and Karin gave their respective daughters proud looks.

"Well, at least you are both smarter than I am," Karin laughed. "I still can't do much more than basic math and Hana-chan's grasp of mathematics leaves my head reeling. Letters do not belong next to numbers."

"It's not _that_ hard, Karin-bachan," Hana said to the older woman.

'I regret I must return home. Again, thank you for the wonderful gift, Ajuga-chan.'

"You really like it?" Ajuga asked Byakuya nervously.

He gave a definite nod of his head. Such artwork deserved to be praised. She had done a remarkable job and he fully intended to hang the work up in his private quarters where he knew it would be safe. Other than the one time he had hit the wrong end of the beetle's horn and ended up incapacitated, Yammy left his private quarters alone and would not disturb him there. The bastard Espada would send a servant to fetch him if he was required.

"_Tell her I like it too, and am honoured she included me,__"_Senbonsakura whispered in his mind.

He was surprised that his Zanpakuto had spoken up at all, but relayed the message before carefully rolling the parchment back up. He offered them a bow and returned home, his steps lighter than they had been in days


	76. Strangers in the Woods

Strangers in the Woods

Karin and Grimmjow didn't argue very often, but when they did it was an event. Most of their disagreements usually involved Ajuga-chan, and Grimmjow could understand Karin's concerns. But his mate needed to realize that Ajuga was not entirely human and that this type of training was necessary.

Still, they had fought over it, but in the end he had won and so he found himself and his daughter out in the forest, patiently stalking a herd of wild boars. He had considered taking Hana as well but her mother had steadfast refused to permit her daughter out on such a dangerous excursion and when he had brought it to Starrk the 1st had merely shrugged and said it was her daughter.

He felt that Nanao's attitude was as short-sighted as Starrk's was disinterested. A pity, because the two girls worked well together and he was pleased his daughter had a potential training partner her own size. Then again, he had to admit that this kind of training wasn't Hana's strong suit. She was slightly impatient and not very adept at stalking like Ajuga was.

In fact, he had to confess his daughter was a veritable master of stealth, surpassing his own talents in that area long ago. He had no idea how she was capable of completely hiding her reiatsu, but somehow she managed to pull it off. If it wasn't for Szayel's birthing gift he would honestly have no idea where she was, not that he would ever admit it to the pink-haired twit.

He remained in his tree, lying across the branch leisurely while Ajuga stalked their prey from the other side. He had his eye on a nice, young boar arrogantly strutting about. His antics didn't seem to impress anyone and Grimmjow knew it would be chased from the herd by the alpha male soon.

The alpha male of the herd was hard to miss. An older, powerfully-built, scared boar that walked with dignity and mostly ignored the younger males until they needed a reminder of who was in charge. He gave that reminder quickly, effectively, and viciously.

This young one was about to get another lesson before the old boar suddenly paused. The younger one strutted and postured in pleasure shortly before the herd scattered in fright as Ajuga launched herself from her position and landed on the young boar's back, flipping them both over.

Her target shrieked as her claws and teeth sank into his hide. His hooves and tusks lashed about, but Ajuga was safely behind her target and with a deft slash of her claws, slit its throat. It kicked and squealed weakly for about a minute more before becoming still as it bled out.

Ajuga did not disengage right away and the boar gave a few weak kicks in death that might have hit her had she been foolish enough to believe it over. Smirking in pride, he rolled from his branch and landed gracefully on the ground. Only when he arrived and pulled the carcass away did Ajuga finally release her hold on the pig.

"I do good Papa?"

It was hard to miss the hopefulness in her voice.

"You did excellent," he answered with a laugh, reassuring her.

There was very little blood on her other than on the hand she had used to slash the boar's throat and a bit that ran up that same arm. It was a quick, clean kill and since Karin wasn't there to stop them or nag them about proper manners and behaviour, they eviscerated and ate it right there.

He offered the heart to Ajuga, who munched it with relish. They even broke the bones, consumed the marrow and by the time they were done, little remained of her kill. Crows and other scavengers waited nearby for their chance at the scraps.

"Papa, if Mama isn't one of us, how come you chose her?" Ajuga asked curiously setting down a bone that she'd nibbled the cartilage off of.

He blinked in surprise and gave his child an assessing look.

"You want the truth or a fairytale?" he asked.

"The truth. Hana-chan is the one that likes fairytales," she said with a look of disgust on her face.

"_Well,__"_ he thought, "_that settles that.__"_

"Alright brat, the truth it is…" he started, giving her a short laugh at her distaste for fairytales. "…your mother has a twin sister, and she was one hell of a good-looking broad. I had used my Claiming right to take the two under my wing because I have a beef with their older brother and was using them as bait."

"You mean Ichigo?" Ajuga questioned curiously, remembering the name Yumichika had mentioned the one time she had met him. Grimmjow gave her a suspicious look, but waved his hand a little irritably.

"Yeah, forget about him for now, he ain't important. Anyhow, your mother noticed her sister had caught my eye and she came up to me and offered herself freely instead."

"But you said you Claimed them both," Ajuga seemed confused. Grimmjow made a face and shook his head.

"Not physically, they were only little girls at the end of the War. I didn't Claim your mother until after it was discovered she was pregnant with you. Think of what I had with them the same way that Starrk has a relationship with Nanao," he explained.

"Oh," Ajuga nodded her head in understanding before looking at him, clearly waiting for him to continue.

"Anyhow, I accepted your mother's offer because my usual partners were getting boring and she was starting to turn into a good piece of ass herself. In exchange for her body, I would protect her sister. I noticed she had potential and began to train her. In all honesty, neither one of us ever presumed for a second she could get pregnant. Somewhere along the way she sort of worked her way in. Neither one of us were expecting you, no one was. No one had considered that a human and a Hollow could conceive a child together before."

His daughter looked down, as if taking that in, before she looked back up at him, worry on her small face.

"But you did want me, right?"

"_Now where did that come from_?" he wondered and hurried to dispel her anxiety.

"Both of us were happy when we learned about you," he assured her firmly. "I never expected to be one of the few blessed with a child of my own."

She smiled happily back at him as he said this. Seeing he'd at least put a few fears to rest, he thought he'd finish the story properly, and honestly.

"The night we learned about you, your mother came up to me and asked me to Claim her properly. Fuck she was so hot," he groaned in remembrance. "Your mother may be human, but she is one hot bitch who can kick some serious ass, and that is all that matters."

"Mama _is_ amazing," she agreed.

"That she is, just don't let her know I said so though. I got this tough-ass demeanour to keep up", he said and smirked at her. "Wouldn't want anyone to think I was going soft, now do we?"

Ajuga gave him a chirp of agreement and then giggled before settling down.

"Ready for the next hunt?" he questioned.

"Yep," Ajuga agreed quickly.

She was gone in an instant, and no matter how hard Grimmjow tried he couldn't get a read on her location. Only the tracking bracelet let him know she was out there at all. He allowed a real smile full of pride to spread across his face as he moved off to the side and followed her signal.

The boar had fed them well, but the rest of the Estate would still need to eat, and sharing his kills with Starrk and his pack was a very small price to pay for the protection living on his lands offered his family when he was away from the den himself.

No one, not even Barragan, would dare to incur Starrk's wrath by invading his staked lands. Sooner or later Grimmjow knew he would need to claim his own lands, but he was content to wait until Ajuga was older and capable enough to leave the den herself.

If he were truthful with himself, he didn't mind sharing land with Starrk. Both halves of the First Espada seemed content to sleep and let Grimmjow do as he pleased. The First was like the old wolf in a pack, still hanging about to care for the youngsters while letting the new alpha pair run the pack. He also, in his few reflective moments, thought that Starrk truly enjoyed having the company, as long as he didn't wake up on a regular basis with dyed and braided hair and drawings on his face. An old wolf's patience had its limits, after all.

Not that Grimmjow thought Starrk was old, but the First Espada really had no desire to do much more than sleep and do as little work as he could get away with. Leadership and responsibility were not things that Starrk desired or seemed to be good at. Plus, as annoying as Lilinette could be, she was a pretty good babysitter and could easily keep up with the children. Perhaps, he considered, she might even be persuaded to help train Ajuga when his daughter got a little older.

The two of them had become so engrossed in thinking and hunting that he didn't notice the sun was well past midday, the time he had promised Karin they would return by. In fact, he was so busy trailing the herd of deer Ajuga had decided to stalk that he failed to notice anything until her voice called to him.

"I thought I said to be back by noon," Karin snapped angrily, causing him to jolt in surprise and the herd of deer to startle and run.

Ajuga was by their sides in an instant, scowling in annoyance that her hunt was spoiled.

"Mama," Ajuga protested. "You let dinner get away," she complained.

"There is plenty of food at the Estate. It is dangerous out here with the Swarm being able to show up any time," Karin growled back.

And damn if that growl didn't turn him on. If Ajuga wasn't here he would have his mate naked and pinned against a tree before she even know what hit her. Hell, was there any reason not to? They could send their daughter back after the deer and he could have his way with her under the trees.

"Don't even think about it," Karin snapped at him in anger.

Damn that woman and her intuition.

"And as for you," she said, turning to Ajuga, "we are heading back to the city."

"I don't want to," Ajuga snapped, stomping one foot. "Papa and I are hunting."

They both looked at Ajuga in surprise. It was rare for her to speak back, and she had never raised her voice to either of them before.

"There are no bugs, if there were I would smell them. I want to hunt," Ajuga argued. "Papa said I can hunt today, so we are hunting. Why do we always have to do things your way?" Ajuga demanded.

Karin looked shock, and it took a large amount of his will power to hold back the bark of laughter he wanted to let out. Karin shot him a glare that suggested she knew how he felt anyway and if he let it out he would be very, very sorry.

"Ajuga-chan," Karin sighed. "I am your mother, and as such it is my job to worry about you. One day, when you have a child of your own, you will understand."

"Che, like any male will ever be good enough for her." Grimmjow snorted.

Karin muttered something irritably that he couldn't quite catch, and then suddenly snapped upright, staring off into the distance with a frown. Grimmjow wasted no time reaching out with his senses in that direction as well. He felt nothing, but that didn't mean much. People could suppress or hide their reiatsu, but they could not hide from Karin's 'sight'. If something caught her eye, then there was something there.

"How many?" he demanded.

"Four. They are breaking up, two heading this way and two heading elsewhere. They are strong, Grimmjow," she reported worriedly. "They're easily Taichou-class. I don't recognize them."

"Ajuga, go home. Now." Grimmjow ordered firmly, leaving no room for argument.

"Yes, Papa," Ajuga answered without hesitation, any sign of her early reluctance to go back gone for now. Then he sent Karin a warning look.

"Go with her," he ordered. "Make _sure_ she gets there.'

Karin looked like she was ready to protest, but finally nodded her head and turned to face the city.

"Come on Ajuga-chan. We are going to have to move quickly," Karin held her arms out and Ajuga jumped into them, their argument forgotten.

With a nod to each other and one last worried look, Karin took off in a flash on Shunpo while Grimmjow drew Pantera and turned his attention back to the direction Karin had been facing.

He ignored the apprehension he felt about letting his mate and child take off without him. He would stand here and give them as much of a head start as he could, using himself as a shield against the foe coming towards them.

If Karin didn't recognize the reiatsu then it meant the intruders were not Ichigo or that midget he hung out with. He finally felt a trace of their presence and spun to block the incoming strike with his own blade.

It was a woman, and it had been her foot aimed at him, not a sword. The other presence appeared before him shortly as he and the dark-skinned woman separated, the later springing away but never took her eyes off of him and was standing at the ready. The other tossed her green hair out of her eyes, gripping the hilt of the sword at her side, but made no move to draw it. This one he thought he recognized. The facial markings across her nose, the mask at the crown of her head, the impressive rack…

"Nel," he said, finally digging her blasted name out of his memories.

"Grimmjow," she returned politely. "We didn't come here to fight."

"Could have fooled me," he said with a curl of his lip, turning to the other woman. "Yoruichi, I take it?"

"You guessed right," she smirked at him and then gave him a bold look from head to toe. "I see what Karin-chan sees in you,"

Yoruichi's frank smile, one that threw him off for a moment, promised him a completely different sort of 'fighting'. He hurriedly stuffed down any interest that his inner tomcat might find in the offer before Karin could feel it across their link. There was no way he'd kick open _that_ particular hornet's nest.

"Sorry, but I will have to decline. Not to say it ain't tempting, but the only sheath I am permitted to put that sword in is Karin. You may not think much of us Hollows, but I _am_ faithful to my mate."

That earned him peal of laughter from Yoruichi, but he also noted that she never took her eyes off of him and didn't lower her guard.

"I do not question that. But Karin is the one we must speak with," Nel interjected.

Grimmjow shook his head at that, turning his attention from one intruder to the other.

"She is long gone, but if you got a message for her, you can give it to me and I might pass it on," he half-taunted.

When neither of them made any move towards a weapon, or took the bait he threw out there as an excuse to fight, he backed down a little, his brow furrowed, trying to figure out what they wanted with Karin.

"This is information Aizen cannot have," Yoruichi stressed, narrowing those golden eyes and frowning at him. "How do we know we can trust you with it?"

"We can," Nel said firmly, in that strange, self-assured voice of hers. "We tried to tell Karin before, but Szayel got in the way. It's about who and what her father really was, and it has to do with the Swarm."

That got his attention. He knew the Swarm was a problem in the Living World as well, but he had a hard time believing that it had anything to do with their current situation. Of course, if something was annoying, trust that there was a Kurosaki involved somehow. He snorted and his electric blue eyes bore into their gray and gold ones as he lowered Pantera's tip.

"I am listening, but if I don't find this so-called 'information' important, then I am out of here, and I might just let my blade taste your blood before I go," he warned them.

"Trust me, this is important, as it concerns your daughter as well," Yoruichi assured him.

That clinched it for Grimmjow. Karin could take care of herself, but Ajuga still had a long way to go before she could properly handle a real fight, especially when up against something like the Swarm.

"Start talking," he ordered, and settled back to listen to them.

(POV)

Karin raced back towards the city with Ajuga, but she could see the other two racing towards her. She was fast, but they were far faster as they moved to intercept her.

"Ajuga-chan, quickly hide," Karin ordered.

"Okay," Ajuga jumped from her shoulder and concealed herself so completely that if Karin couldn't see her reiatsu she wouldn't have known her daughter was there.

Karin spun about as the two unknown reiatsu appeared before her. She was no fool; she knew she stood no chance against the overpowering force of even one of these two. They were in a league far beyond hers when it came to sheer power.

The first intruder was a small, thin girl with spiky blond hair and a scowl on her face that eerily reminded her of Lilinette in a bad mood. The other was a very large, heavy-set man with short hair and bright pink hair and a pink moustache that could have matched Szayel's locks in hue. Their clothing was a little mismatched, but what bothered her most was the way that their reiatsu looked. It had that same 'off' quality to it that she'd noticed when Ichigo had completely lost control and morphed into that thing that was half-Hollow and half-Shinigami. Karin felt her blood run cold, but she still fell back into the defensive stance Grimmjow had hammered into her.

If anything, hopefully she could delay them long enough for Ajuga-chan to reach safety. They were strong, but they were not as strong as Starrk and she knew the Espada would defend her daughter if it came down to it.

"What do you want?" she challenged as they closed the distance.

"Oi, you Karin?" the short girl demanded, her scowl deepening.

Karin was startled they knew her name, but since they felt similar to her brother, perhaps they were companions of his.

"What if I was?" she challenged. "Who the hell are you?" she demanded.

"Oi, Hachi, I think this must be her. She certainly looks and acts like that bald idiot."

"So it would seem," Hachi responded. "Forgive us. I am Ushoda Hachigen, and this is Sarugaki Hiyori," he said politely, the introduction accompanied with a low, respectful bow. "Kuchiki Rukia informed us they were unable to pass on the message she wished to convey the last time they tried to make contact with you. We are…"

"I don't care who you are," Karin snapped. "Whatever the message was, it is unimportant now. I have discarded that life. Now if you will excuse me, I wish to return home," she said coldly.

The short blonde's lip curled back in disgust and she crouched as if to spring at Karin.

"Keh, we come here to help you and you spit at us? That's it, I'll just fix the situation by killing her," Hiyori snarled, drawing her blade. "I've had enough of this shit…"

"Hiyori," Hachi sighed, resting a massive hand on his small compatriot's shoulder to prevent her from doing anything more than throwing nasty looks Karin's way.

The big man's shoulders heaved with the sigh of a man burdened with one too many problems and too few resources. He gave Karin a pleading look.

"Will you please at least listen to our message? We have sacrificed much to bring it to you," Hachi asked politely. "Your father…"

"I already know," Karin said firmly.

"Huh?" Hiyori said, while Hachi just looked at her in surprise. Apparently, that wasn't the answer they'd been expecting.

"Szayel and I worked it out between us. There is nothing more to say. Now, are you going to let me go home or am I going to have to kick your asses?" she asked, letting the anger in her voice become more pronounced.

"Keh, you couldn't kick my ass if I had one arm tied behind my back," Hiyori taunted, teeth bared and a dangerous gleam in her eyes.

"Want to try me, bitch?" Karin shot back, adding that last bit out of sheer spite.

"Why you…" Hiyori tried to lunge for her, but Hachi merely rested a hand on her shoulder once more to hold her in place.

Confident that she was relatively safe, she summoned Ajuga to her. Both of the intruders looked at her daughter in shock as Ajuga leaped into her arms and glared at them, showing her fangs.

"I am going home, farewell."

"Wait you damn bald, broad," Hiyori roared at them. "We're not done here yet!"

"Please wait," Hachigan requested, his voice urging her to come back.

Karin ignored them and kept walking away.

"Kurosaki-san, please wait," Hachi called again, this time sounding utterly desperate.

Karin stiffened and tossed a glare back at them.

"I no longer have any right to that name, please do not refer to me as such," she declared bitterly before launching into a Shunpo, anger fuelling her steps.

The wind whipped by as she raced back home. Thankfully, neither of the intruders chose to follow her after that and soon their reiatsu disappeared, as if it had never been there in the first place. She hoped that they had returned to wherever it was in the Living World they'd come from.

"Mama?" Ajuga asked.

"What is it?" Karin responded.

"Why did they call you that?" she asked confused.

"Call me what? Bald?" she asked, trying to keep her answer deliberately vague.

"No. Kurosaki."

Karin felt a stab of pain in her chest.

"It is my family name," she finally admitted.

"Shouldn't it be like Papa and I?"

Ajuga seemed baffled about the whole thing.

That ache beneath her sternum increased and she found herself shaking her head.

"Your father never gave me permission to use his name, and I have no right to my old name," Karin answered softly.

The gates were finally in sight. She let out a soft sigh of relief as they continued on pass them to the Estate. So far it looked like the only ones home were Starrk and Jushiro. They were surprisingly near each other.

"Karin-chan?" Jushiro questioned as she appeared before them. There was a Go board between them, half covered in white and black stones already. Apparently she'd interrupted a match in progress.

"Can you watch Ajuga-chan?" she questioned.

"Of course but…"

Karin never let Jushiro finish before disappearing into another Shunpo.

"I smell trouble," Starrk sighed, not even bothering to look up from the board.

"Ajuga-chan?" Jushiro turned his attention to the little girl, who seemed only slightly less confused than they did.

The little girl wandered up to them and threw herself into Starrk's lap with a huff, folding her arms across her chest and glowering.

"Papa is being Papa again," she complained, clearly annoyed at her father. "He keeps forgetting Mama isn't like us."

The two adults looked down at Ajuga, then at one another, and back to the little girl.

"I see," Starrk replied, and placed a white piece on the board. Whether he was referring to the cause of Ajuga's irritation or to one of Jushiro's previous plays was up for debate.

"Dare I ask what part of a Hollow-human relationship they are stumbling over this time?" Jushiro asked warily.

"Names," Ajuga grumbled. "That's_ such_ a stupid thing to fight over."

Grimmjow listened to their tale with equal amounts of disbelief and worry, and if Nel, the former Third, hadn't been the one to tell it he would have thought that they were bat-shit crazy.

But this _was_ Nel, and per his past experience, he knew she wasn't in the habit of exaggerating things, either as the stumbling child he'd seen tagging along with that bastard Ichigo in Hueco Mundo years ago, or the calm, collected adult he saw before him now.

He knew Karin and Szayel had been working on something, that the Swarm did seem to have a taste for her blood and the two times those 'generals' had shown up they had done so in her vicinity. When Nel finally finished the story, the Sexta Espada had to admit that far too much of what she'd relayed made sense, given everything of late.

He may have been bloodthirsty, destructive and spoiling for a fight in the past, tendencies that had been mitigated somewhat with his mating to Karin. However, unlike Aizen, he was more than capable of putting two and two together to come up with a correct, if disturbing answer. By the end of the explanation he wasn't sure who he wanted to beat up first for keeping this from him, Karin or Szayel. He could feel agitation coming from Karin, as well as what felt like emotional pain, the cause of which he wasn't sure he wanted to deal with at the moment.

"_Szayel it is then_," he decided.

As much as he would have liked to end this conversation with the two intruders with a bloodied blade, they had given him a lot to chew on, as well as an upset Karin on his hands, which was never a good thing. Kami forbid, she could deny him sex. While nothing was better than the heated passion of make-up sex, the obstacle was the 'getting forgiven' part. Nel and Yoruichi vanished after that, to return via whatever means they'd used to sneak into the Seireitei. He could have care less where they went, as long as it was away from his family.

By the time he made it back to the city he had long since decided who he was going to have a chat with first about withholding some pretty valuable information pertaining to him, from him.

By the time he made it to Szayel lab he'd had some time to consider a few more aspects of the information he'd been given and his anger turned to a mix of frustration and relief.

Szayel had to know the whole truth, a truth Aizen would have been, and would still be, deeply interested to hear. It was no secret that the reason he had taken Unohana as a wife was to produce an heir of Royal blood. And here, right under Kami's nose, were two direct descendants of the former King. The irony wasn't wasted on him.

The thought of Aizen touching either his mate or his daughter sickened and worried him. Under no circumstance whatsoever could Aizen ever learn of Karin's heritage. He didn't even want to think about what the consequences would be for his family.

And Szayel, an Arrancar known for doing anything to sleaze his way up the ranks and who lacked any sort of moral code about the welfare of others, was the one with that knowledge. It also meant the same Arrancar who had been violently tortured and raped at Aizen's hands hadn't once let slip what he knew to save himself during his ordeal.

He knew Szayel was smart, as was Aizen, and he held no illusions that Szayel couldn't easily find a way around Karin's Claim-enforced rules about the secret. He could have offered the knowledge to Aizen to get the former Shinigami to stop his periodic torture sessions, or used the information to ingratiate himself further with the bastard. So the fact that Karin and Ajuga were still healthy, whole and with him meant only one thing. The conclusion he came to took him by surprise and left him a little unsettled.

Szayel had deliberately protected his mate and child of his own violation, despite undergoing some of the most gruesome torture Grimmjow could think up. He had never dreamed the other Espada capable of such an altruistic feat. It also left him with a great many unanswered questions, some of which he intended to pursue as soon as he got his hands on Szayel. He wasn't challenged as he made his way past the guards at the Science Division and he made a beeline for Szayel's usual laboratory.

"Grimmjow, how _unusual_ of you to visit me," Szayel noted as he waltzed into the lab, leaning back from a screen filled with scrolling numbers.

His dark-haired broad was typing away at one of the keyboards and the vacant-eyed red head was busy moving large pieces of equipment, but otherwise Grimmjow and Szayel were alone. That suited him just fine.

"How long have you known?" he demanded, his hands on his hips.

"Grimmjow, my knowledge is a vast thing. Perhaps if I knew what it is I am supposed to know this time, I could answer…."

"Karin. How long have you known?" Grimmjow demanded again, wishing that he'd actually Claimed the little shit, so that he could at least get a straight answer for once.

This time the scientist cocked his head to the side, considering Grimmjow's irritated state and demeanour, and turned to the woman seated next to him.

"Nemu, is the room secure?"

"Hai, Szayel-sama," Nemu said and pressed a button on the console next to her chair.

The doors hissed shut and locked behind him. Once they were closed, Szayel crossed his legs and clasped his hands around his knee, turning in his chair to face Grimmjow.

"I take it you are referring to her rather unique parentage."

"Cut the bullshit, how long have you known that she's one of the bloody Heirs to the throne that Aizen-fucking-Kami wants so damned badly?"

Szayel had the good sense to start talking at his outburst, saving Grimmjow the job of throttling him.

"I knew there was something strange with her the first time I drew and tried to analyse her blood. It was the General of the Swarm that informed us about her lineage and Ukitake Jushiro who confirmed the identity of her father," the researcher answered truthfully. Then he leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands behind his back. "In truth, because Ichigo has become corrupted with his status as a Vizard and because her twin sister seems to have inherited none of the DNA associated with the Royal bloodline, your mate IS the rightful heir to the throne Aizen-kami covets."

"And Ajuga?" he demanded, although he feared her knew the answer already.

Szayel must have noted his expression, because his voice turned hesitant, as if he were reluctant to be the bearer of bad news.

"Ajuga-chan inherited her mother's Royal blood. Either one of them could give Aizen-kami what he desires should they bear him a child. And since we are on the subject, although it is much, much weaker, Hana-chan also carries traces of Royal blood, but that is to be expected of the daughter of one of the four Great Noble Houses, however illegitimate she might be."

"So why haven't you spilled that info to Aizen yet?" Grimmjow asked pointedly, baring his teeth. "Or maybe to _me_, as Karin's _mate_ and Ajuga's _father_?! Were you saving it up for a special occasion?"

Szayel blinked at him, then sighed and looked off in the distance, even if the distance was only a couple of feet to the nearest wall. It seemed as if he was searching for the right words.

"Karin-sama… she is _something else_ isn't she?" Szayel said quietly, and then straightened his shoulders and cleared his throat before continuing. "If Aizen-Kami took an interest in her, I have no doubt that he would take her away, and I would lose my best opportunity to study a member of the Royal family," he admitted.

Nemu had stopped typing and was listening, though Szayel's other pet continued to move cabinets into place as if there was nothing going on behind him.

"That's the professional side of it, you see. I also have, as you know, a personal stake in Karin's well-being."

Szayel rubbed his forehead, and winced as his fingers brushed the place where his mask had cracked, as if touching it actually hurt. Well, Grimmjow thought, for all he knew, it might.

"Karin-sama, as you know, is also the only one willing to keep my condition stable. Without her intervention, I would degrade, taking on the form of a mere child. Despite all my amazing scientific discoveries, even I would be extremely vulnerable in such a state and I have no doubt I have made many enemies over the years that would be thrilled to take advantage at any sign of weakness on my part."

"So it's self-preservation and curiosity," Grimmjow snorted.

Szayel opened his mouth, then closed it and considered the more powerful Espada's assessment.

"I suppose you could sum it up that way," Szayel agreed, then paused. "Then again, as I said, Karin-sama _is_ something else. I know of few who would be willing to stitch the wounds Kami gave me closed."

Szayel's broad was giving him a sympathetic look, to which Grimmjow just rolled his eyes. Still, his mate's supposed 'fraccion' had a point and had actually been a bit pensive regarding that last part.

"Yeah," he agreed, "she sure is something alright. Don't forget it either."

He hadn't really been thinking too much about it, but thinking about her now he realized she had been sending a wide array of emotions down through the Claim at him. He frowned as he tried to make heads or tails of them and didn't like what he felt. Anger, frustration, despair, sadness, longing, misery… The emotions moved from one to another so quickly he had no idea which one was real. He frowned and closed his eyes to focus more intently.

He knew she and Ajuga had made it into the city. He had checked before returning himself. Ajuga was with Starrk and Jushiro, but Karin… Karin was, surprisingly, at the 3rd Division.

"_What business could she possibly have there?__"_

He contemplated going over to find out what on earth was going on, but given the intensity of Karin's anger and upset coming at him down the link he decided that it might be a good idea to let her calm down a bit before he approached her. Besides, he had fully intended to use this day off to train with Ajuga. The stupid war with the Swarm had seriously cut into that, and like Hell he was going to let his daughter grow up incompetent in combat.

Sensing from his silence that their conversation was over, Szayel unsealed the room and bid him goodbye before returning to whatever project the three of them had in the works. Grimmjow returned to the estate, intent on finding his daughter.

What met him instead was Starrk. The male half of the First Espada looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but standing before him. Behind him Ajuga and Jushiro offered the sleepy-looking Arrancar a smile of encouragement.

"We need to talk," Starrk finally said to Grimmjow with a sigh, scratching the back of his neck.

"Can it wait?" Grimmjow almost whined.

Why did everyone feel like they had to get in the way of him spending time with his daughter?

"It won't take long, and those two seem to think it's important," the other said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder.

Grimmjow held back a snarl of frustration, but he really couldn't say no to Starrk. This was his land and the First was far more powerful than he was. Considering one of the two who had put Starrk up to this was his own progeny, he gave in and simply nodded his head in agreement, following Starrk out of the room. Today looked like it was going to be one hell of a long day


	77. Cold Snap

Cold Snap

Work had, mercifully, kept him very busy. The Swarm took up much of his time and leading his Division rounding out the rest of his hours. The male Arrancar were not the only ones who became sexually aroused after a battle. But at least in his case, his Master's fraccion were just as happy to relieve said stress with each other. Halibel, for her part, didn't seem all that interested in sleeping with him in that regard either. In fact, when Toshiro really gave the matter some thought, it was rare that she did so outside of needing to refresh the Claim. It was one of the ways in which he felt he was far more fortunate than many others he could name.

He groaned and turned his thoughts away from things he had no control over and back to the paperwork in front of him. He had honestly been surprised he had been permitted to run a Division, and truthfully it was perhaps the only thing that had helped keep him sane. Well, that and the knowledge that Gin was getting his just desserts.

What a way of describing it, he thought wearily. Exhaling, he set his brush aside and rubbed his temples, trying to ward off the headache that threatened. So much had been revealed at the end of the war, and if he was honest with himself he was more upset that the snake had failed to kill that bastard Aizen than anything else Gin had done as a matter of betraying the Gotei 13. He even forgave him for the Hinamori's death.

Once Toshiro had calmed down and had been given time to actually _think_ instead of _react, _he realized Gin had done the girl a large favour. Hinamori had been irreparably broken with Aizen's betrayal. She had never been particularly strong, and this Hollow-controlled world would have destroyed what little was left of her.

The thought of his childhood friend, one he would even dare to call a sister, living as a sex slave to a hungry, abusive bastard of an Arrancar made him sick to his stomach. If she had to live with even half of the torment he knew others suffered... No, death had been a much kinder fate.

There were days he envied the dead. They did not need to live in this mockery of a world under Aizen-kami's tyrannical rule. They did not need to get down on hands and knees and take their humiliations up the rear, literally in many cases. Even someone as strong as Kuchiki Byakuya had nearly broken or he had been damned close to it. Something had once more hardened the noble's resolve and Toshiro wished he knew what it was so he could tap into it as well.

The only bits of good news as far as he knew were that the Espada that had Claimed Matsumoto was at least treating her a little better, and he finally had Hyorinmaru in his proper place across his back. The comfortable feeling of his Zanpakuto had helped him find a little peace in a household dominated by quarrelsome, sex-obsessed women.

"_Perhaps that is the source of Byakuya__'__s inner strength,__"_he considered_. __"__It is comforting to be able to talk to one__'__s own soul and share in the pain.__"_

He felt Hyorinmaru brush against his mind, and Toshiro sighed and gratefully brushed back. Yes, things had become so much easier to deal with now that the ice dragon had been returned to him.

He frowned as a sudden disturbance grabbed his attention and broke him out of his brooding. Someone, a rather emotional someone, was apparently storming his way and doing nothing to control their chaotic reiatsu. It was familiar and he felt Hyorinmaru perk up in his mind as the disturbance approached them.

It took him a moment to recognize the source, but once he did he felt his back stiffen and prayed nothing had gone terribly wrong. Karin stormed into his office without even a polite 'by your leave' and slammed her hands down on the edge of his desk while looking him dead in the eye.

"Fight me," she ordered.

"Huh?" was his intelligent reply, one that was echoed by Hyorinmaru.

"Come on Toshiro, you are not an idiot and my demand was pretty clear. Fight me," she ordered again.

"Why would I do that?"

"Because if you don't, then I will find someone else and that someone else might not make it to the end of the fight as anything but shredded remains. Now get off your ass and come fight me," she snapped in agitation.

Something had clearly upset her and he toyed with either accepting her request or denying it until he knew more about what was going on. Looking at the determined look in her eyes that were all but on fire with mixed emotions, he decided to take her up on the offer and interrogate her later.

Truthfully, a good sparing match would do him good as well and drag him out of his own, pointless brooding. Still, responsibility came first, even if it was an organization run by Aizen.

"Your Division?" he inquired.

"Byakuya-san has it well under control and today was supposed to be my day off anyway. Now, are you going to fight me or do I need to take my frustration out on your unseated Division members?" she half-threatened.

Now that, he thought, eyes narrowing, was going just a little overboard.

"I will spar with you," he conceded, standing up. "No need to be nasty about it."

Part of him was genuinely interested to see just how far she had come over the years. Other than catching flashes of her on the battlefield, Toshiro had never really had the chance to see her work and this would be a good opportunity to see how far she truly had come since the days when she'd hounded him to help her out with a ridiculous soccer match against opponents twice the size of herself and her friends.

"This way," he indicated, pointing down the hallway as they left his office. "There is a field out back we can use. And Karin…?"

"What?" she snapped at him, teeth gritted.

"It's still Hitsugaya-Taichou to you," he said with a faint smile.

She looked at him with a hint of surprise, but the barest hint of a smile touched her lips as well.

"And it's 'Karin-Fukutaichou' to you," she sniped back.

"We will see."

He led her out of the office building and to one of the larger fields out back, ignoring the whispers of his Division as their eyes, and shortly after their bodies, followed the two of them to the training field.

"Rules?" he questioned.

"Anything but your Bankai goes," she said firmly, falling into a defensive stance.

Her joints glowed softly as she fused her reiatsu into them.

"As you wish," he said, drawing Hyorinmaru. "Remember, you asked for this."

Toshiro might have questioned her sanity over fighting an armed opponent barehanded, but people like Soi Fon and Yoruichi had long since proven that having a sword didn't mean you were going to be the winner of a given fight. He contemplated using his Shikai, but he had a feeling what Karin needed right now was good old, fist-in-the-face pummelling to work out whatever dilemma was eating at her.

The dark-haired woman made the first move, charging in and lashing out with a fist. He brought the flat edge of Hyorinmaru up to block and felt his arms go numb at the sheer strength behind the blow. He barely had time to shift his Zanpakuto to block the next three she flung at him and the low sweep she suddenly dropped into nearly took him off his feet.

In his mind he felt Hyorinmaru begin to stir with even greater interest and Toshiro quickly realized that fighting hand-to -hand with her would get his ass handed to him.

Brawling or the martial arts had never been his strong suit, whereas she had clearly been well trained in both styles. Still, he didn't want to up the ante just yet and instead launched himself back at her as soon as his foot touched the ground, Hyorinmaru leading the way.

Karin batted the blade aside with a backhand and he noticed the reiatsu-fused to her hand prevented the blade from slicing into her skin, much the way Kenpachi's own inherited reiatsu would prevent a weaker opponent from drawing blood.

Toshiro frowned in confusion. His reiatsu was several times stronger than Karin's, even as pissed off as she was, so why had he failed to cut her? Several more swings and deflections later the tip of Hyorinmaru finally cut across Karin's upper arm, drawing a thin line of blood.

She didn't even flinch and her countering punch swiped the side of his face, causing them both to jump back and separate, resetting the dance. He freed one hand from Hyorinmaru's hilt to brush over his cheek, wincing lightly at the pain and knowing it was going to leave a bruise.

He studied her as she returned his scrutiny. Her hands and feet could take on his Zanpakuto's blade, but the upper arm had been cleanly sliced.

"I see," he commented. "You focus the strength of your reiatsu into one place, consolidating its power by doing so. That is why Hyorinmaru can't cut through your fist or feet, but I can cut you anywhere else, can't I?" he questioned.

"What of it?" she questioned.

"It just took me by surprise. Ichigo has very little control over his reiatsu, yet yours is rather impressive."

He had meant it as a compliment, but at the mention of Ichigo's name her eyes darkened and she charge in at him. He barely brought Hyorinmaru up in time to parry and block her furious onslaught.

"_All I did was mention her brother__…"_

He needed to separate them, and quickly. Seeing as how Karin was clearly ready to go to the next level, it was only fair he return the favour.

"Soten ni zase, Hyorinmaru," he declared.

Ice erupted from his blade and Karin leaped back, launching into a Shunpo to clear the distance between them. Toshiro didn't pause in his assault at all and the line of ice shaped like a dragon raced after her.

Karin dodged the gapping mouth and slammed a fist into the 'neck' shattering it and separating the head from the body before racing towards him again. He simply called forth another dragon, sending it after her while the first one dispersed into ice crystals.

It managed to stop her charge as she was force to deal with the new dragon. Like the last she sidestepped the head and attacked the body. He simply called forth another, and another.

He was driving her back and he switched from a two-handed hold to a single as he started to chant a Kido spell under his breath. He finished the incantation and launched the binding spell her way, hoping to tie her up.

The spell went off alright, but it slammed into a barrier that Karin managed to erect between her and the spell. The barrier shattered under his more powerful reiatsu, but it had done what it had needed to and cancelled his spell before it could hit her. His surprise, for he had seen her chant no spell herself, nearly cost him the match as she used his distraction to get past his latest dragon and close in on him again.

This time he did catch her lips moving and a binding spell of her own rose up around him. Cursing because he'd been so easily distracted, and amazed she knew Kido at all, let alone so well, he simply applied his reiatsu against the binding and shattered it with ease.

However, that still took precious seconds, seconds Karin had used to close the distance and he barely had time to bring Hyorinmaru up to block what would have been a very, very painful kick to the face. He felt the force hit his blade and nearly lost his grip as it was pushed back, nearly smacking his nose with his own sword.

That last move had put her within reach, not of his Zanpakuto's blade, but of its hilt, a tactical error on her part that was about to cost her dearly. Grabbing the chain, he twirled it about and tangled Karin up in it, pulling down and causing her to crash to the ground.

Both of them were panting heavily from the exertion as they got to their feet and despite himself he discovered he was having fun. Heaven on high, he hadn't felt so alive in years! In his mind Hyorinmaru was rumbling with pleasure at the match. He knew that if they really wanted to they could end it in a second, for she stood no chance against his full power, but that would completely defeat the purpose of training, and risk serious harm to each other.

Karin seemed to have calmed down a bit from whatever was frustrating her, but she seemed far from being happy. Still, they had been going at each other for about an hour now and physical exertion was physical exertion, regardless of whether or not they used the full brunt of their strength against each other.

Then reality reared its ugly head. Or pretty one, if one's tastes ran in that direction.

"Oi, Toshi-chan, Halibel-sama wants you!"

Toshiro closed his eyes and counted silently to ten as Apache's annoying voice cut across the practice yard. When he turned around he could see the Arrancar walking towards them. The Shinigami from his Division that had gathered to watch moved aside to let her through, though some of the less disciplined of the men ogled her figure as she passed them. A warning look from their Taichou, mostly for their own protection, made them look away just as quickly.

"It would seem we are required to cease for now," he noted unhappily.

"So it would seem," she agreed, extricating herself from the chain and letting it fall around her ankles. "Thank you for the match. It was diverting."

"Any time," he agreed before turning his attention to a frowning Apache. "Oi, get back to work," he snapped at his Division, letting a bit of his reiatsu leak out to chill the air around him.

They snapped to attention and instantly began to look like they were all doing something other than standing around like idiots. He tried not to shake his head in irritation while he followed the female fraccion towards his office. He could detect his 'Master's' reiatsu waiting for him, which set his inner alarm bells clanging.

He honestly had no idea what Halibel wanted with him this time. She actually didn't impede on his life very often and let him continue doing most of the things he'd once done with the 10th Division without comment. If she wanted to talk to him now, he had a feeling it was because Aizen was behind it and that never boded well for anyone.

(POV)

Karin would have normally felt great after the impromptu sparing match with Toshiro, for it had been one hell of a good work out, one that only Grimmjow had so far been able to give her. She was unfortunately too strong for Orihime and Tatsuki, a gift of her stronger reiatsu, and that left Nanao and Rangiku as her main opponents during their sessions. This had been much more satisfactory.

But now she was able to think, and think about HIM. She really shouldn't be mad at him, and in truth it wasn't anger that was eating her up. It was another far familiar and deeply painful emotion: the fear of rejection.

Orihime and Tatsuki both bore the names of their mates. Of course, only Tatsuki had been immediately informed that she was permitted to use it while Orihime had been clued in when Ulquiorra had deigned to call her full name as he saw it.

If she was truthful with herself, the thought of names and rights to them had never really come up in any of their conversations, and she had honestly been too afraid to bring it up since she was not sure what his reaction would be to the conversation. Whether or not he wanted a mere human to bear his title, the same human related to a man he considered his prey, was questionable.

She gave her head a shake at that thought and gave a mental groan of 'men.' Honestly, they fought over the stupidest things. She had never asked him how the rivalry with her brother had started because she had a strong feeling she didn't want to know.

"_I need a shower,__"_she noted absently.

She was covered in sweat and dirt from her sparing session with Toshiro and washing off the grime sounded better and better as she thought more about it. She would be able to face the world once more once she was cleaned up and in fresh clothing.

The shower was as every bit as refreshing as she thought it to be as the muddy water, tinted with a little blood here and there, ran down into the drain. She was able to just float in warmth as the pounding water messaged her aching muscles.

By the end of it she almost felt human again. Towelling herself dry, she noted it was high time to catch up on the laundry, as the only clean clothing hanging in their closet was the kimono she wore during Claim meetings, the one yukata Nanao had given them that Yuzu had insisted she keep, and two of Grimmjow's spare uniforms.

Sighing in annoyance, she pulled on the yukata before heading to the kitchen. It had been a long day and she was the only one on the Estate that could even attempt to cook their evening meal.

Jushiro was still confined to bed (if he knew what was good for him), Starrk was too damn lazy to lift a pan, Hana had been at lessons, and while Lilinette was capable of preparing food, she had no idea what went into making dinner for a large number of people. Karin wasn't sure if Grimmjow even knew how to boil water, let alone cook; she had never seen him do it before and doubted it was part of his skill set.

Thinking of her mate reminded her all too much of the turmoil she was going through and a scowl that would have made her Nii-san proud worked its way across her face. She attacked the job of making dinner head-on, taking out her pent up frustrations on the helpless food.

She was so worked up that for once she didn't see him coming. His voice took her by completely surprise, not just because she hadn't known he was there and wasn't expecting it, but because it held a serious tone that he rarely chose to use.

"It's yours if you want it, you know."

She spun about to face him, surprise taking a hold of her mind so that she didn't register the words he had spoken, only that he had.

"What?" she asked, eyes narrowing.

He looked rather uncomfortable, like he always did when mushy crap came up between them.

"My name," he said to clarify, "it's yours if you want it."

She stared at him, stunned for a moment, before her sullen glare returned.

"Do you want me to have it, or are you just saying that because I am pissed right now," she demanded coldly.

She could tell she hit a nerve with that statement. Grimmjow wasn't very good with emotions outside of lust (be it for sex or battle) and anger. Right now she didn't care. She was angry and feeling vindictive. At that moment she might have given Toshiro a run for his yen at the icy air around her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he countered.

"If you really wanted me to bear your name you would have said something three years ago," she snapped. "So what has changed now?"

Grimmjow stared at her for a moment before the heel of his hand smacked his forehead in exasperation and his other hand clenched into a fist.

"Because I didn't think of it," he snapped back. "Because I keep forgetting that you are not one of my kind and you don't instinctively know stupid shit like the fact my name was automatically yours when we took each other as mates," he snarled. "So don't blame _me_ for _your_ ignorance. If you wanted my name so badly why didn't YOU say something?"

She forced the hurtful words she wanted to snap back at him behind her teeth. Oh she wanted to tear into him so strongly, but he had raised a valid point. It was the same problem Orihime had with Ulquiorra. Briefly, Karin envied Tatsuki, who seemed to have had the easiest time of them all. The older woman got to draw on all of Orihime and Karin's experiences and was lucky enough to have a mate that had been giving the low down on human expectations and behaviour by Rangiku. There were benefits sometimes in coming in last in some things, and this was definitely one of those times.

Karin shook those thoughts away and returned her focus to the here and now. They were both being childish. Yes she could have brought it up sooner, but for all she knew of him, and for all she was sure she loved him, there was still the unknown issue between him and her Nii-san. And she feared to raise his ire with any mention of Ichigo. It wasn't that she feared he would hurt her physically, but she didn't want to fight with him, not when she had put so much work into making this strange relationship they shared work.

Briefly, she wondered what their 'marriage' would be like if she had never gotten pregnant. Would she have returned with Ichigo that fateful day in the park or would she have stayed here with him as she did?

She had a sudden desire to either have a bitchfest with Rangiku about men and their idiocies or a heart to heart with Jushiro-san, who always seemed to make her feel better. And she still hadn't answered his question.

She took a few deep, steadying breaths and focused on their bond, feeling the pain of uncertainty coming from him and meshing with her own. Her eyes widened in surprise at what she was reading from him.

He was actually worried she would reject him, just as she had been worried that he would reject her. The whole situation suddenly seemed ridiculously absurd and despite herself she started to laugh.

"We are both fools," she gasped out.

"Speak for yourself."

His words may have been gruff, but she caught the emotional relief and amusement in his own eyes.

"Karin Jaegerjaquez," she tried thoughtfully, looking at the ceiling as if trying to decide whether she like the ring of it or not.

"Oh, Kami say that again," he moaned.

She looked at him with a raised eye in amusement as she repeated the name. He made another sound and closed the distance between them, dragging her into his arms and catching her lips with his own. She could tell how turned on he was with ease as he poked her lower stomach.

"Are you this turned on because you love me, or because you love the thought of taunting Nii-san the next time you see him that I bear your name?" she demanded.

"Maybe just a little," he admitted. "Kurosaki is such a piss-poor name anyway. It sounds like black alcohol."

"And Jaegerjaquez is better?" she challenged.

"Infinitely," he smirked down at her. "By the way, you still look good in that," he commented, garnering a blush from her.

"Oh, is that supper?" Nanao questioned, coming into the kitchen.

Karin blinked in surprise before shoving him away from her to turn her attention back to the stove with a curse and a prayer that she hadn't destroyed dinner. He just laughed and earned himself a reiatsu infused elbow to the stomach, turning his laugh into a grunt.

"Oh, Mama's home," Ajuga said cheerily as she entered the kitchen as well. "Did you talk like Starrk-ji said to?" she questioned her father.

"Starrk-ji?" Karin questioned amused, noticing her mate seemed rather embarrassed.

"Yep. Starrk-ji was the one who talked to Papa about 'important relationship material.'" Ajuga clearly quoted the last three words and said them slowly to get them right.

"Who told you that squirt?" Grimmjow demanded.

" 'take-ji," she answered innocently as she pulled up her stool to the stove and set the kettle going.

"For tea?" Nanao questioned, having stuck around to 'help' Karin with dinner.

"Uh huh. It's time for 'take-ji's medicine. Hana-chan is making sure he is alright and showing him her numbers. We were working on calligraphy again while Starrk-ji and Papa talked." Ajuga beamed happily.

"Problems in the love nest?" Nanao asked her, ignoring Grimmjow.

"There isn't a nest in the world that doesn't have a few tangles that need to be ironed out from time to time," Karin replied.

"True," Nanao agreed in a distant voice, no doubt remembering some of those tangles from her own relationship with Hana-chan's father.

"Well, supper is ready if you want to bring a tray to Jushiro-san with his medicine," Karin turned her attention back to her daughter.

"Can Hana-chan and I eat with him?" Ajuga begged.

"Of course," Karin said with a smile.

"I'll help carry your dinners over," Nanao offered, looking at both Karin and a slightly disgruntled Grimmjow knowingly.

Karin loaded up a tray with four plates of food while the water boiled. When it whistled in the kettle, Nanao added four cups to the tray and let Ajuga carry the hot kettle out of the kitchen, while she followed with the carefully balanced tray.

Karin cast a grateful look at Nanao's back and nearly groaned in annoyance as Grimmjow grasped her from behind and began to nuzzle her neck.

"_One day I swear I am getting him neutered,__"_she grouched. _"__And I__'__ll get Szayel to do it,__"_she added. _"__Without painkillers,__"_she finished as his mask scraped her skin and she slapped her hand to his shoulder in complaint.

He muttered a sorry and switched to the other side of her neck so his bare cheek rubbed against hers.

"_I suppose it could be worse, at least he doesn__'__t feel the need to __'__mark his territory.__'_" she noted and had to hold back a snort at the mental image that suddenly came to her mind.

"What?" he demanded.

"Nothing," she denied. "Fluff got caught in my nose," she lied.

He snorted in disbelief, but went back to contently nuzzling her neck while his hands moved for the obi holding the yukata close.

"Alright, dinner smells great!" Lilinette exclaimed as she entered the room like a whirlwind.

"Maybe we should move this too our room, or hold it off for later," Karin sighed, as the little Arrancar lifted the lid on the wok to peek inside.

She barely had time to brace herself as she caught him gathering his reiatsu and launched them into a Sonido, ending up in their room. Before she could open her mouth to berate him he covered her mouth with his own, swiping his tongue across her lips and groaning in pleasure.

Any resistance she had was stripped away as the overwhelming feeling of his lust came through the link and in the feel of his reiatsu coiling about her. She sighed and surrendered, ignoring the smirk against her lips as he worked her down onto the futon and quickly out of her yukata.

"Karin Jaegerjaquez," he murmured.

"Be thankful I am the female, because I would love to see how well you would respond to being called Kurosaki Grimmjow," she taunted.

He growled loudly in protest and she silenced any objections he might have made at the mere thought of such a thing the same way he silenced her, with her lips on his


	78. Balloon

Balloon

It was frustrating not being able to see one's feet, and even more frustrating not being able to get up off of the couch without either taking ten minutes to gain her feet or without asking for help from someone else.

"Why did I want a child again?" she demanded in a moan.

"Because Ajuga-chan is so cute?" Rangiku suggested, setting down a cup of green tea with ginger and honey in it.

"Right, good point," Orihime conceded.

She _had_ to be due soon; in fact Szayel had assured her she could expect to go into labour at any moment. Thinking of the scientist caused her to play with the silver band on her wrist, the same one Karin had worn, or so she had been informed.

She picked up her tea and took a sip, sighing softly at the wonderful flavour and settling more comfortably (or as comfortably as a stomach the size of a beach ball would let her) into the couch.

"So, is there any juicy news from Karin-chan and her love life?" Rangiku almost demanded with a squeal.

"Other than finally being informed she could have Grimmjow's family name, nothing much," Orihime answered. "Ajuga-chan has been getting restless though and keeps disappearing at least once a week, usually during battles. I hope she hasn't been trying to participate in them…" she fretted.

"It's kind of funny when you think about it," Rangiku mused.

"What?! What is funny about a child trying to fight?"

Orihime seemed shocked, eyes going wide enough for Rangiku to shake her head.

"Not that," Rangiku waved her concern aside. "I mean the fact Karin was technically the first one to 'take a mate' and the last one to gain permission for the name," she chuckled in amusement.

"Oh, yeah that is kind of funny," Orihime agreed.

She winced as she felt a contraction. She'd been having the phantom pains for a week and a half and while she was glad they meant her due date was approaching, she'd also become annoyed with them. The book warned her they would become more common the closer she got to giving birth, not that they would come at the most inopportune times or that they would be a serious distraction. Orihime hoped nothing would go wrong with her child's birth like it had with Ajuga-chan's delivery. The thought of being sliced open made her shiver.

Szayel assured her that both he and Unohana-san were prepared for any complications that might arise. Then, unfortunately, he had ever-so-kindly informed her about all of the imaginable complications.

In reality, the possible problems that Szayel foresaw were minor. The only difficulty they were really concerned about was the likelihood of the umbilical cord getting tangled up in the boy's wings. The mask fragments adorning his head were smooth, rounded and small at this point so they hoped that there was little chance of his mask catching and preventing him from moving down the birth canal, like what had happened with Ajuga's torso 'mask'. Orihime sighed wistfully, absently rubbing her stomach and only half-paying attention to Rangiku's rambling.

She was pleased that Nnoitra had permitted Rangiku to keep her company. Apparently it had been Tesra's idea and he had actually been the one to approach Nnoitra over it. Word was that he had dropped some heavy hints into the Fifth Espada's ear that women tended to run in packs in almost all things, so when one was pregnant, the others started longing for a child of their own, resulting in an increased sex drive.

Orihime didn't know if that was true, but she could at least agree that when Karin was pregnant, and even more so after Ajuga-chan was born, the desire for a child of her own had definitely increased.

"Do you want one?" Orihime suddenly asked.

"Nani?" Rangiku asked, confused.

"A baby," she clarified. "Do you want one now that I am having one and Karin-chan already does?"

Rangiku's demeanour suddenly changed, and the enthusiasm she'd shown all afternoon slipped away. Her expression turned pensive and she bit her lower lip, looking down and away as she seemed to consider Orihime's question.

"Not really," she admitted slowly and softly. "I don't know what kind of father Nnoitra-sama would be. Things are a little better now than they were at the beginning, but…"

Orihime nodded in understanding. Nnoitra still occasionally 'slipped' when he got angry and Rangiku would subsequently show up at their training location with a black eye or other bruises.

"Things have definitely changed in the last ten years, haven't they?" Orihime sighed again.

"Yeah," Rangiku agreed, staring at her intertwined fingers. An uncomfortable silence fell over the two women, each lost in their own thoughts until the sound of the door opening and closing brought them back to the present, along with the sound of rustling paper.

"Oi, I leave for ten minutes to get something for dinner, and I come back to this. If I don't see smiles on those faces I am going to throw these into the trash and you can both starve," Tatsuki threatened as she came into the room, arms full of takeout bags.

"Ah, don't you dare!" Orihime protested, and then winced as she felt another contraction.

"Don't make me take you out back, woman," Rangiku told Tatsuki in a half-threatening, half-playful voice. "Those are fighting words, you know! A girl has to eat right to train!"

"I feel so intimidated," Tatsuki shot back in a dry voice and gave a fake shiver before setting down the bag of food on the table before them. "We all know that when it comes to Kendo I got you all beat," she smirked.

"Well, Haineko's strength really isn't in her sword work," Rangiku taunted. "And we all know I am the only one capable of using Kido,"

"Yeah, but your Kido is no match to Orihime-chan's flashy shield," Tatsuki pointed out.

Orihime ignored their friendly banter and dove for the food instead. She was utterly _starving_! Pulling out various containers from the bag, she grabbed the ones for herself and started to devour her dinner as if it was her last meal.

She finished her portion, licked her fingers and swiped one around the containers for good measure, then began to eye Rangiku and Tatsuki's untouched takeout food. Those two seemed content to continue their friendly sniping.

"_They won__'__t miss one small bite,__"_she told herself, opening up one of Tatsuki's boxes of chicken and picking up her chopsticks.

"Oi!" both women suddenly protested, turning on her in mid-argument.

Orihime froze, than blinked as she realized 'a small bite' had turned into 'eat everything in sight.'

"Oops, hee hee," she giggled nervously. "You two want some?" she asked.

Tatsuki sighed in frustration while Rangiku gave her a small laugh and ran her fingers through her long hair.

"Nah, that's alright, go ahead and finish it. You are eating for two and I need to watch my figure," Rangiku replied.

"I can't wait until that kid is out of you," Tatsuki sighed. "I'm surprised you aren't gnawing on the furniture, given your appetite of late!"

"Why, so you can spend more time with Tesra-kun?" Rangiku teased her.

Tatsuki scowled at her, but the faintest hint of a blush crossed her checks.

"No, so that Orihime-chan quits wolfing everything down," she answered. "More time with Tesra is just an added bonus."

Orihime nearly choked on her food as she held back a laugh at Tatsuki's admission. Her old childhood friend was definitely a lot happier than she had been since the Winter War. Tesra had certainly been good for the woman.

"So what time is Ulquiorra supposed to be back?" Tatsuki suddenly asked.

"I don't know," Orihime replied. "You know how these meetings go. It could be several hours yet."

She didn't want to admit it, but she felt a little insecure without him nearby. She remembered all too well the information Karin had given her about a child's reiatsu summoning others.

Normally no one would be foolish enough to cross Ulquiorra with the possible exception of Barragan, and she had brought that fear to her mate already. When an Arrancar's instincts ran high, rational thought tended to fly out the window without a pause to say goodbye.

It made her feel better knowing that Tatsuki and Rangiku were here. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that both women would be able to last long enough for everyone's partners to respond to any threat. Even Tesra would be capable of fending off an attack long enough for the two Espada to arrive, and Orihime had no doubt that Nnoitra would come if he felt Rangiku was in real danger. Even if she was positive the Espada didn't love her friend, she understood that males had this strange thing about possessions, and that possessiveness was especially true for Nnoitra.

"Well, I had better go back out and get the rest of us something to eat," Tatsuki sighed. "Are you still hungry, Orihime-chan?" she asked.

"Starving," she admitted sheepishly.

"Of course." Tatsuki rolled her eyes in mock exasperation. "I'll be back in another ten minutes," she promised.

(POV)

Ulquiorra listened with due diligence to Szayel's report on what little information his staff had managed to glean from the dead Portal bugs. Starrk looked like he was asleep, if not comatose. Nnoitra and Grimmjow both had identical 'dear Kami just kill me now and put me out of my misery' expressions on their faces. Yammy, that witless wonder, was busy using one of his huge fingers to clean out an ear. Halibel, at least, appeared to be focused on the report, if the direction of the teal-coloured gaze above her mask was any indication of interest, though it was hard to be sure with her as only half of her face was visible. That grizzled old lump Barragan seemed bored out of his mind. The only one who seemed to be paying full attention, other than him was Aizen-Kami.

Normally, Ulquiorra prided himself on being patient, but right now he truly wished Szayel would hurry and wrap it up. No one save possibly Kami-sama cared about the minute details about how he obtained his results.

"Enough with showing us the work, Szayel," Barragen grunted, echoing Ulquiorra's own private thoughts, "just give us an answer before the next ice age happens and I lose my patience."

Szayel looked rather affronted that his lecture had been interrupted.

"If I just gave you the answers, you would never understand how things work," Szayel countered, adjusting his 'glasses.'

"If I wanted the opinion of some human girl's pet, I would ask for it," Barragan countered.

"Oi, back off my mate," Grimmjow interjected, giving Barragan a menacing glare.

Ulquiorra held back a sigh of annoyance. Could these meetings ever go according to schedule for once? He glanced at Aizen-Kami out of the corner of his eye and noted he seemed more amused than angry at the disruption, which meant he wouldn't put an end to the bickering until his good humour ran out.

The longer the sniping continued, the higher his anxiety climbed. All he wanted to do was get back to Orihime and his unborn child.

Grimmjow and Barragen were busy trading derogatory remarks back and forth now, their argument shifting to when the Second had dared to go after the Sexta Espada's daughter. Aizen-Kami still didn't look like he was planning on stopping the pointless squabbling anytime soon and Szayel resembled a kicked puppy as he was unable to finish his rather detailed report.

He felt his leg begin to twitch in irritation and the fingers of his left hand began to drum on their own accord on his thigh. Aizen-Kami turned to look at him with a raised brow. Realizing he had let his anxiety show, he forced himself to hold still and mentally berated himself.

Generally he was capable of controlling his emotions, of burying them under cold logic, but his anxiety suddenly spiked instead of dropped and before he knew it he had bolted to his feet, causing the entire room to fall silent in shock at his abrupt movement.

The sound of something beeping caused all eyes to whip about to Szayel. With a frown, Szayel pulled the device making the noise out of his pocket and stared at it before the scientist's golden eyes darted up to lock with his own.

Suddenly, everything made sense. The anxiety he felt didn't belong to him, which was why he couldn't curb it. Instead, it was coming from Orihime.

"Something's wrong," Nnoitra suddenly stated, standing up as well, wide mouth turned down in a frown.

"May we please be excused, Aizen-kami?" Szayel asked politely with a bow.

"Why?" Aizen asked, in an almost bored voice.

"Because it would seem Orihime-chan has gone into real labour," Szayel replied.

Ulquiorra forced himself to hold still, waiting for Aizen's permission to go. He swore that Kami-sama took pleasure in seeing him squirm, internally anyway. He made damn sure that he appeared as calm as ever on the outside, eyes unblinking and his face a neutral mask.

"Of course you may. Szayel, Ulquiorra, you are both dismissed. I expect to hear good things come morning."

"Hai, Aizen-kami," they both bowed.

Aizen waved them away, and turned his attention back to Grimmjow and Barragan, who had momentarily dropped their quarrel.

It took every ounce of Ulquiorra's willpower to walk calmly out of the meeting room.

"At this time of night Unohana-san will be at the palace. You are far faster than I. If you could, please pick her up while I get to the women," Szayel requested, eyes intent on the device in his hand.

Ulquiorra quelled his first impulse, which was to grab Szayel by the collar and shake him until his mask popped off. The scientist's order _was_ logical and despite his desire to run to his mate, he nodded. However, he did reach out and with one finger, tilted Szayel's chin up until the other was forced to look up from the monitoring device and meet his gaze.

"If any harm comes to my mate in my absence, there will be nothing left of you for her to put back together," he threatened coldly.

Szayel, a little taken aback, nodded his head and they both launched into a Sonido in opposite directions the moment they were clear of the building. He had never traveled so fast in his life as he stormed his way into the palace.

The guards bowed and let him pass. He may not have been the First Espada, but he was well known as Aizen-kami's most loyal. If he was here then it was obviously with Kami's permission. He found his way to Unohana's chambers easy enough and forced himself to knock politely.

It was Gin who answered the door to her apartment. It had been a while since he had last seen the silver-haired ex-Taichou.

"Ulquiorra-san, what brings you here?" Gin asked with a smile.

It was a smile that was completely forced and Ulquiorra noticed several fresh marks, barely healed scars and bruises on the Shinigami's ill-covered body.

"I require Unohana-san at once," he answered monotonously.

"Oh, wha' for?" Gin asked curiously.

The anxiety coming from Orihime was climbing rapidly now and made his own temper short. It took all of his strength to remain calm and not either race to her side or reach out and break the neck of Aizen's servant. Neither action would help him now.

"Get her now, or I will inform Kami-sama you failed to do so," he commanded coldly.

The other failed to hide the flash of terror the threat created before stepping aside to let him into the main sitting room. Ulquiorra waited while Gin retreated to one of the other rooms before returning shortly with Unohana.

"Ulquiorra-san, what can I do for you?" Unohana asked politely.

She wore nothing more than a sleeping yukata and her hair was wet, clearly having just come out of a bath or shower.

"Orihime has gone into labour," he answered, pleased his voice came in a measured, non-panicked way.

"Oh. Give me a moment to get changed into something more appropriate," she requested. "Gin, if you please," she smiled at the other male.

"Your wish is my command, Unohana-sama," he bowed to her with a wide smile.

They both retreated into a space that he presumed was her bedroom. His hands clenched tightly in his pockets as he waited impatiently for them to remerge. His self-control was strained as he tried to remain standing still, rather than pacing in agitation.

Unohana emerged after a few minutes wearing her uniform, still as calm and patient, as if there was no hurry.

"I trust Szayel-san is already aware of the situation?" she asked as she walked serenely out the door and began to head towards her own Division.

"Hai," he agreed, silently wishing she would pick up her pace.

Ulquiorra mentally slapped himself; he was becoming as impatient as that idiot Grimmjow, and that only made him more irritated that he'd been before. If Unohana noticed his impatience, she made no sign as she continued on her way.

"You may relax, Ulquiorra-san. Szayel-san is well-equipped to deal with any potential problems this early into the labour. I do not expect the later and more dangerous parts of labour to begin for some time yet. It will most likely be morning by the time your son is ready to join us," she assured him. "But if it will make you and your mate feel more comfortable, I can find my way to my own Division," she smiled warmly at him. "You needn't accompany me."

He blinked in surprise before silently thanking her and taking off. He tried to find Orihime via their link and blinked again in surprise. It would seem Szayel had already gotten his mate to the 4th Division. He walked in, pleased that she was already there and that the staff instantly directed him to the room assigned to her.

A large amount of her anxiety went away the moment he entered the room and her eyes fell upon him. She actually appeared completely fine and that helped to ease his worry. She smiled as he walked up to her bedside and let her grasp one of his hands in her own, completely missing Szayel's expression, a half smirk and half-wince as he eyed their clasped hands.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her.

"Better, now that you are here." She smiled warmly up at him before gasping as a contraction hit her. "Szayel-san met up with us as we were making our way to the 4th," she answered.

Ulquiorra turned to look at the other people in the room. Tatsuki had been standing beside Orihime while Rangiku and Tesra both waited to the side. Clearly the Arrancar had felt his own woman's distress and had responding to the call. Admirable.

"I want to stay, but I should return home," Rangiku sighed reluctantly. "Nnoitra-sama will be home soon."

"That's okay, Rangiku," Orihime said soothingly, and smiled at her friend.

"Alright… Tesra-kun, if you would be so kind as to escort me home?"

"Do you wish for me to leave as well, Ulquiorra-san?" Tatsuki asked carefully.

He felt Orihime go still at the question. As much as he preferred to be alone with her, he understood that his mate wanted her best friend to be here as well. Then she surprised him.

"That's alright, Tatsuki-chan, you should go home too," Orihime smiled at her friend. "I wouldn't want to keep you up all night."

The woman looked about to protest, before looking at him and nodding her head, leaving reluctantly with Tesra and Rangiku. He was honestly a bit startled that Orihime had sent her away, just when he had resigned himself to letting her stay.

Orihime turned a pained smile his way as the other three filed out before it turned into a grimace as another contraction hit her.

"So far all is well," Szayel finally spoke up. "All there is to do now is to wait until the contractions come more frequently and there is more dilation to her cervix."

"So, you will know his name when he arrives?" Orihime asked nervously.

"I will," he assured her.

"What if I don't like it?" she asked with a pout. Ulquiorra looked down at her for a moment and then shook his head.

_This_ side of Orihime was at least familiar and therefore easier to deal with.

"I am sure nothing will stop you from thinking up a nickname to your liking, regardless of any displeasure I may have about it," he stated.

She chuckled in agreement before cringing again and clutching his hand tightly. There was surprising strength in her grasp.

"How long will this take?" he questioned.

"It should take anywhere from under an hour to over twenty." Szayel was quick to supply an answer happily.

Unohana arrived at that moment with Starrk of all people by her side. The First Espada looked very unhappy to be hauled away from his comfortable bed, but was there nonetheless.

"How are things progressing?" Unohana asked warmly moving to the other side of Orihime's bed.

"Well so far," Szayel answered.

Starrk yawned and moved off to a corner, leaning against the wall. For all intents and purposes, he appeared to fall asleep on his feet, arms folded across his chest and eyes closed

"How are you feeling, Orihime-san?" Unohana took the young woman's hand and with two fingers, took her pulse.

"Alright I guess. I will feel better when he's out though," Orihime answered honestly. "When I can hold him?"

_Fourteen hours later__…__._

Dear Kami-sama, he swore his hand was broken! Who knew such a small, human woman could have so much bloody strength!?

"That's it, Orihime-san, you are doing wonderfully," Unohana reassured her.

"Everything is coming along nicely," Szayel added giddily.

Starrk hadn't moved from his place by the wall and for all intents and purposes appeared to still be sleeping. For his part, Ulquiorra was having a difficult time remaining calm himself.

His mate was in pain and there was nothing he could do about it. He had never felt so utterly helpless in his entire life and just wanted the feeling gone. His apprehension rose at each cry she gave and each minute longer it took his son to arrive.

"_Is this what Grimmjow felt while waiting for Ajuga?__"_he wondered.

He was no fool, he knew that the reason Starrk was here was to restrain him if things got out of control. He grudgingly admitted that if the child wasn't born soon and his mate spared anymore pain he just might need Starrk to hold him back.

"You are doing excellent, Orihime-san," Szayel murmured happily. "And so are you, Ulquiorra-san."

"How much longer?" he found himself asking in a voice that was not-quite-devoid of pain.

"The child will come when he is ready," Unohana assured him.

Orihime let out another agonized cry and he swore she broke three more bones in his hand.

"Here we go!" Szayel exclaimed excitedly..

"Alright Orihime-san, just like we talked about. Take a few deep breaths, and then give us a push," Unohana ordered.

She did as she was told, and further mangled his poor hand as she pushed down. It took all of his astonishing control to keep his composure when all he wanted to do was start pulling his hair out in frustration that there was nothing he could do. He was completely and utterly useless, and that was something he wasn't use to being.

He closed his eyes and forced himself to take a deep breath as each whimper of pain she uttered tore into his supposedly nonexistent heart. Kami, he would do anything to end her torment.

"Almost there, keep it up, Orihime-san." Unohana's voice held nothing but encouragement. "Szayel I think we are almost ready here, can you hand me the supplies?" she requested serenely.

How the hell could the woman be so calm when his mate was all but howling in agony? Orihime gave another cry that nearly pushed him over the edge, and then another cry joined hers.

His eyes snapped open in shock as he looked at the bundle Unohana was handing over to Szayel. Beside him. Orihime panted softly in exhaustion.

"How is he?" Orihime asked weakly.

"So far he appears to be perfectly healthy," Szayel answered, and he was pleased by the sound of it. "You can hold him in just a second. I am almost done what needs to be done here…" he assured them.

Szayel deftly cut the cord before tying it off. Then he began to clean the crying infant up with a soft cloth dipped in cool water from a metal pan on a nearby table. Meanwhile, Unohana pressed down gently on Orihime's belly to expel the afterbirth. There was far more blood and fluid involved in this whole affair than Ulquiorra expected and the sight of it made him feel light-headed, almost dizzy. Was it okay for her to lose that much fluid?

Fortunately, Szayel's voice cut through the fog that had begun to seep in around the edges of his vision, grounding him before he could add a concussion from fainting to a pulverized hand.

"Good news! He seems completely healthy and his wings and tail appear to have come out completely unharmed."

The researcher finally put the washcloth down, picked up what looked like a large square of cotton and wrapped the baby up loosely in it before turning towards a small table in the back. Szayel quickly and efficiently began to gather the samples he needed from the child.

Unohana was busy wiping away the sweat and tears staining Orihime's reddened cheeks with another cloth and removing any sodden or dirty sheets. The older woman's hands then began to gently glow with Kido as she made sure that the new mother hadn't sustained any internal damage or tearing from the birth. When she was satisfied that his mate wasn't hurt, she moved back and motioned Szayel forward.

Szayel approached them with his son and he felt himself go still as the child was presented to his mate. Orihime smiled with a mixture of happiness and suddenly seemed to have gained a small second wind as she finally released his throbbing hand and held her arms out to receive the bundle. The Fourth shook his hand in an attempt to draw a little blood back into his fingers and to see if she had actually splintered any of the bones or if it just felt like she had.

"He's so beautiful," Orihime breathed, eyes wide as she stared at the baby. "What's his name?" she asked suddenly, turning her head to look up at Ulquiorra expectantly.

"Diaemus Cifer," he answered without a moment's hesitation.

"Diaemus Cifer." She tried the name out a few times before a massive yawn overtook her. "I like it…"

With that, she traced a fingertip along her son's cheek before her eyelids began to droop. Her breathing evened out quickly as exhaustion finally won and she fell asleep, cradling Diaemus to her chest.

"Do you wish to remain for observation or return to your home?" Unohana asked him softly.

Szayel was busy writing down the data he had gathered gleefully onto a clipboard while Starrk finally yawned, stretched, and made to leave since it was clear there would be no freak outs that required his attention.

Ulquiorra's first instinct was to return to the den, but he was hardly as emotionally and instinctually driven as that idiot Grimmjow.

"Your recommendation?" he asked her.

It was obvious that she'd expected a different reaction when she blinked and paused a moment before answering.

"I would like to move her into a room and observe both mother and child to make sure everything is okay until at least tomorrow morning," Unohana answered honestly.

"Then that is what we will do," he agreed.

"Very well… If you would like to take Diaemus please, we will move Orihime onto a stretcher and into a cleaner room."

Take his son? Hold something so tiny and helpless, where the slightest mistake in the control of his reiatsu could seriously harm the sleeping babe? Hesitantly, he slowly untangled his son from his mother's arms and held the child gently.

Diaemus fussed a bit as he was exchanged between parents, but settled down quickly enough. His son was so light it was hard to believe he was even holding onto anything. He felt his instincts both settle down and focus sharply as he held onto the little life in his arms.

Unohana was no threat to him; the woman was the mate of Kami-sama after all. He felt no stirrings to defend his mate from her as Unohana set about moving the comatose Orihime from the birthing chair onto a gurney. While Szayel might once have been a threat, he was now a Claimed being, the pet of a human woman who wouldn't be pleased if Szayel tried anything suspicious.

Szayel left the room first, murmuring to himself and writing things out on his clipboard in a near frantic pace, taking the samples he had gathered from Diaemus with him. Unohana and Ulquiorra followed him out a moment later.

The halls were completely clear as Unohana led him to one of the far wings away from most of the occupied rooms. Once in a new room, she moved Orihime onto the bed and rolled the gurney out of the way.

"I will make sure you are not disturbed. I will not be offended if you do decide to return home, better that than an unfortunate accident occurring."

"I am hardly as foolish or as mentally immature as Grimmjow," he muttered.

"Yes, well, _you_ did not witness your mate being sliced open and your child being forcefully removed from her womb, covered in your mate's blood," Unohana pointed out in a rather sweet voice that still, somehow, managed to make him feel three feet tall and slightly embarrassed at his own self boasting.

He was a little embarrassed when she put the situation into perspective like that; for she was correct. Orihime's labour, for all that it had made him feel utterly useless, had gone fairly smoothly, without any complications other than its lengthy duration. Unlike Karin, Orihime would probably be up and about within a few days or so, faster if she healed herself.

Unohana excused herself, leaving him alone with his mate and child. He moved up to the bed and returned the baby to his mother before slipping into the bed behind her. Orihime stirred briefly to nestle up against him and curl up around Diaemus.

He took the time to truly study his new son now that they were alone. As promised, the boy had been born with wings and tail, both leathery and much very like his own when in his released state. His tail, on the other hand, was also webbed. It was very much like the bat he was named after, unlike Ulquiorra's own more percentile like tail. It was clear Diaemus inherited his mother's bright hair, which was elegantly crowned by his feather shaped mask fragments. What color his eyes were remained to be seen.

Time seemed to stand still as he gazed at his family. For the first time in his life, Ulquiorra thought he finally understood what it meant to be 'blissfully happy'. It was both a frightening and yet wonderful feeling to experience


	79. First Day

First Day

Orihime awoke to the sound of a baby fussing. For a moment she was confused as she looked around the obvious hospital room. She recalled what Karin had said about Grimmjow becoming incredibly territorial after Ajuga had been born and had prepared herself to wake up at home. She was honestly shocked, and somewhat relieved, to find herself still at the hospital.

The sound of Diaemus's fretting brought her attention back to the child, frowning when she noticed he was not by her side. Looking about, she found her son cradled in the arms of her mate, who was staring down at the baby in his arms with a look Orihime couldn't place.

She would, if asked, swear that there was an expression of what could only be called a mixture of peace and wonder on his face. It was as if he could not believe what his all-seeing eyes were telling him.

"I think he is hungry," she spoke up.

Ulquiorra jumped a little in surprise and his gaze shot up to her. She gave him a smile while sitting up and holding her arms out. He remained still for a moment longer before standing up and bringing their child to her. He hesitated again before handing their son over.

Orihime cradled their son, sighing happily as she held the little boy in her arms before setting about adjusting her hospital gown so she could feed him. Her son nuzzled her nipple for a moment before latching on and began to feed. It was perhaps the most wonderful sensation she had ever felt.

She felt the bed shift as Ulquiorra sat down beside her, his own eyes wide in wonder as he watched his son take his first real meal.

"I honestly thought I would wake up at home," she remarked, breaking the comfortable silence.

"Unohana-san requested we remain for a day to determine all was well with both of you," he answered.

"I see. So, you aren't going to lock me and Diaemus-kun up at home for months on end?" she asked hopefully.

She felt him stiffen.

"I would prefer for you both to remain home," he answered.

"What about company, like Karin-chan and Tatsuki-chan?" she asked softly.

She felt him bristle at that, but in the end he conceded that the two women were acceptable company, but he made it clear no one else was permitted near the house.

Orihime sighed in relief at his permission. She wouldn't be left alone to her own devices. She knew that with the war going on he wouldn't be able to remain at home like Grimmjow had, but she had a feeling every spare moment he had he would be at her side.

Diaemus finished eating and she stared down in surprise as he gurgled, the faintest trace of blood on his lips with a small amount trickling from her nipple. Surprised, she brushed his mouth with the edge of her blanket and after determining the blood was not from him, turned to her own body.

The blood was from her, but her nipple didn't hurt in the least, in fact it almost felt a little numb instead of tender like she thought it would have.

"I think he bit me," she said, surprised.

"Let me see," Ulquiorra took Diaemus from her and opened his mouth. "Ah, I see."

"See what?" she demanded. "He's not going to start trying to eat people is he?" she asked horrified.

The thought of her son becoming a bloodthirsty Hollow did not sit well with her.

"Ile," he assured her. "Ajuga is capable of drawing reiatsu from an outside source; Diaemus draws his from blood, much like his namesake."

"Oh," she sighed in relief.

Karin had told her how Ajuga had drawn on her reiatsu when feeding before being able to get what she needed from her food. It would seem Diaemus would draw on her blood until he was old enough to drink his own.

"Will he be able to get what he needs from any blood?" she asked worriedly as thoughts of her son stalking human prey to feed from raced through her mind.

"Why would the source matter?" he questioned.

"Well, Vampires require human blood to live and…"

"A fictional creature?" he asked confused.

Diaemus fussed a bit, bringing their attention back to their son.

"He needs to be burped," she chuckled.

Ulquiorra handed their son back and she rested him on his shoulder, patting his back as he gurgled contently. They sat in comfortable silence for several minutes before both eyes suddenly snapped to the door.

There was no mistaking the reiatsu approaching. Orihime felt fear touch her breast before she sat up straighter, adjusted her clothing more properly and held Diaemus close. Ulquiorra stood up as well, with his posture straight and his hands in his pockets.

There were four polite raps on the door before it opened and Aizen stepped in, a small smile on his face as his eyes swept the room.

"Aizen-kami," they both greeted him politely.

Ulquiorra offered him a deep bow while Orihime inclined her head in submission.

"I see everyone seems to be doing well," he noted, his smile widening. "I am pleased to see that you have maintained your composure in light of this new addition. As expected. You do Kami proud, Ulquiorra."

Orihime noticed that the compliment was met with a straightening of her mate's body. How that was even possible she wasn't sure, but she could tell the praise pleased him.

"Have you decided upon a name?" Aizen asked.

"Hai, Diaemus Cifer," Ulquiorra answered.

Orihime clutched her son to her slightly tighter. She feared Aizen would take him now, and more so she feared Ulquiorra would let him. There was a big difference between Ulquiorra and Grimmjow. While she didn't doubt for a second that Aizen could have taken Ajuga if he had truly desired, Grimmjow would have made one hell of a big mess in the process where as Ulquiorra would allow Aizen to take their child without question, regardless of his own thoughts on the matter.

She didn't follow the conversation at all, her thoughts worrying around in her head as a thousand horrid nightmares came before her mind until one of Aizen's questions broke through her whirling thoughts.

"Would you mind if I hold him?" Aizen asked.

Orihime froze, and she felt her mate do the same. Her grip on her son tightened once more and he started to fuss at the change in tension. Both Ulquiorra and his mate knew the request wasn't really one at all.

"Of course, Kami-sama," Ulquiorra answered after a second of hesitation.

It was small comfort to Orihime to know that that one second of hesitation indicated he was just as nervous as she was about handing their son over to an entity far more powerful than he was.

Aizen closed the distance between himself and Orihime's bedside and held his arms out expectantly.

Orihime fought back the urge to take her baby and run as she reluctantly handed Diaemus to him, praying he would be returned to her arms after Aizen's curiosity had been sated.

Diaemus fretted a little as he was held by the unknown reiatsu but he didn't start to cry as Aizen gently held him, mindful of the small wings and the tail. Orihime clenched the blanket covering her tightly to keep herself from reaching out and begging Aizen to give her back her baby.

"A remarkable child," Aizen noted, sounding pleased. "I see he takes after you in many ways, Ulquiorra…" The Soul Society's 'Kami' adjusted his hold on the child and very gently lifted an eyelid. "…many ways, indeed. I hope he will have your countenance as well."

Orihime almost sobbed in relief as Aizen returned Diaemus to her grasp.

"He will be raised properly," Ulquiorra assured him.

"I expect so. I will give you two days to get your family settled. I trust you will not require more than that."

"No, Kami-sama. Thank you."

Ulquiorra bowed. Aizen nodded and left. Once he was gone Orihime finally broke down and started to cry softly, holding Diaemus to her. Her son made a few, small unhappy-sounding noises before settling down and falling back to sleep.

"Onna?" Ulquiorra, frowning at his mate's obvious distress, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Promise me," she whispered.

"Promise you what?" he demanded, a little annoyed at the half-question.

"Promise me you will never let anything happen to our son. That you won't let anyone, not even Kami-sama, take him away from us. Please!" she sobbed. "Please," she pleaded again.

She felt him take umbrage beside her. Even as she begged she knew that he would never be able to make such promise, his devotion to Aizen was too strong.

It just made things worse and she wept harder. She had wanted a child so badly, but now that he was here she wondered if it wouldn't have been better not to have one if it meant that Aizen could do whatever he wanted to their baby.

"I promise," she heard him say and her eyes darted up to him in shock, "that I will let no harm come to our child that I can prevent," he said firmly.

While she disliked that immensely, Orihime had to acquiesce to it, for it was by far the best and only oath he could offer her without openly defying Kami.

"I want to go home," she whispered as she tried to dry her tears.

"I will check with Unohana-san," he assured her, and left the room, intent on finding the 4th's Taichou. Orihime continued to feel edgy and agitated until both her mate and Unohana entered the room.

"Orihime-san, how are you feeling?" Unohana asked warmly, her presence relieving a little of Orihime's unhappiness.

"I feel fine. I just… I want to go home," she answered, wiping her eyes with her free hand.

Unohana gave the two new parents sympathetic and perceptive look, tinged with what Orihime thought might be a whisper of sadness in her dark eyes.

"Of course, I understand your desire to return to a place you feel is more secure. With your permission, I would like to check you both out before I clear you to go home."

They both gave their consent at that. Ulquiorra held Diaemus while she underwent Unohana's examination. Unohana's hands glowed with healing Kido as she made sure that Orihime was indeed well enough to walk home. When she was done she made a small sound of approval at the young mother's state of well-being. She lowered her hands and clasped them in front of her, clearly happy with Orihime's current condition.

"You seem to have recovered somewhat since yesterday. May I see Diaemus now?"

Unohana made the request softly. This time there was no hesitation on Ulquiorra's part as he handed Unohana his infant son. A genuine smile lit up the Shinigami's face as she held the newborn, gently but thoroughly examining him as well. Her slender finger tapped his small mouth and Diaemus, in the manner of all newborn things, tried to suckle on it. As he did so, the woman raised one of her eyebrows and withdrew her fingertip. A small bead of blood welled up from the tiny prick.

"Strange, he has a tooth already, a hollow one that is secreting a clear fluid," she murmured in surprise.

"He is feeding from my blood," Orihime admitted slowly.

"I see. That's somewhat unusual."

Unohana handed the baby back to Ulquiorra and with a swab, took a sample of the clear liquid and studied it under the glow of her Kido.

"I will need to analyse this a little more thoroughly, just to make sure it will have no harmful effects on you, Orihime-san, but I think I know what it is."

"What is it?" Orihime asked.

"It seems to be an anti-coagulant. See, the small puncture is still bleeding even though it should have stopped by now," she pointed to the small puncture on her own fingertip, and then to the cut on Orihime's breast. "Many creatures that require blood to survive secrete such fluids to prevent the prey's blood from clotting and preventing them from obtaining their meal. Ajuga-chan drew on Karin-san's reiatsu to feed her Hollow requirement for sustenance. It would seem Diaemus-kun will initially get his from your blood."

Orihime couldn't help the worried expression that crept over her features at that pronouncement. Fortunately, Unohana held up one hand and gave her a reassuring look.

"Do not worry, Orihime-san, I am sure your son will be able to get what he needs from raw meat when he is older, just as Ajuga-chan gets what she needs from consuming her kills," Unohana assured her with a confident smile. "If the amount of reiatsu he requires is anything like Ajuga's, you should be fine as well. I doubt what he takes will even be enough to cause mild anemia."

Orihime let out a sigh of relief. It made her feel so much better hearing such news from Unohana.

"If not, I am sure Szayel-san will come up with something. He has certainly changed considerably over the last several years. He even asked to borrow 'The Code of Ethics' book we use here at the 4th," she noted in a genuinely pleased voice.

"Karin-chan might have something to do with that," Orihime chuckled.

"Regardless, it is nice to see such changes. I see nothing wrong with either one of you, but with your permission, Ulquiorra-san, I would like to check on them both bi-weekly for a while. If it would make you more comfortable, I am willing to do the check-ups at your house," she offered.

"It is acceptable," he agreed, pleased that he wouldn't have to rely on anyone else to make sure his mate and son remained unmolested on their way to and from the 4th Division.

Kami's mate was more than welcomed into his den. Neither one of them could ever recall Unohana harming a single soul, both before, during, and after the war. She was probably the safest creature in existence, provided, of course, that one followed her instructions exactly.

There was something behind her closed eyed smile that hinted she could be very, very dangerous when angered. He surmised, from the way many of those within and without her Division treated her that no sane person would try to pick a fight with the woman. If the possibility of rousing her temper had been enough to make the late Soutaichou crawl meekly back into his bed, then that same temper was something that even Kami-sama might hesitate to deal with head-on.

"I will file your discharge papers then, and will see you in two weeks. Would you like me to clear the corridors or anything for your exit?" she asked politely.

"I shall be fine. Unlike Grimmjow I can control my instincts and do not feel the need to 'bare my fangs' at everything around me in a flashy show of dominance meant to compensate for my lake of intellect and strength," Ulquiorra assured her.

Orihime had to hold back a giggle at his response. Only Ulquiorra could insult someone while truthfully complimenting himself.

"Very well, then. I will see the two of you in two weeks."

Unohana excused herself from the room, and closed the door behind her, taking her soothing presence with her.

"You need to get dressed," he commented, holding his arms out.

She handed Diaemus over and crawled out of bed. She paused, once she was standing, to simply stare at him. Somehow Ulquiorra just looked so natural gently holding his son. It was a beautiful thing to behold and it drew a large smile.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said, turning her attention back to getting dressed in the spare kimono that had been brought for her.

He gave her a look that said he didn't believe her, but didn't push the issue. Once dressed Ulquiorra handed Diaemus back to her, wrapped up snugly in a blanket. The trip home was uneventful, but she did notice one thing that gave her a faint smile. For all of his posturing about controlling his instincts and emotions, his eyes never once remained still and one hand rested on his Zanpakuto's hilt the entire way. It wasn't until they'd arrived back home that his shoulders and stance relaxed.

Orihime thought about calling him on it, but decided to leave well enough alone. For someone like Ulquiorra, who liked to be in control at all times, this must have been an uncomfortably unnerving situation. It was to his credit that he'd managed to curb his instincts as well and for as long as he had. She hated to think of what might have occurred to some poor innocent bystander on the way home if Ulquiorra had any less control over himself.

Now that she was finally home she realized just how sticky she was, still covered in the dried sweat from her labour that Unohana hadn't managed to wipe away. Suddenly, the thought of a shower was a very welcomed one.

"Can you watch Diaemus-kun for me while I clean myself up?" she requested.

He nodded his head in agreement and once more took his son. Orihime retreated to their room to gather a change of clothes before heading to the bathroom. After a much-needed cleansing, she came back out. What confronted her made her blink in surprise.

Her mate lay on the couch with Diaemus balanced on his chest. They both appeared to be sleeping soundly. She took in the scene for a few moments before turning on her heel and hurrying to their room. Smirking, she returned to where they lay, the camera Karin had gotten for her ages ago in her hands.

It was, she decided, the perfect time to start a photo-album of memories. One day Diaemus would have a girlfriend, and when that day came she would make sure she had several collections of baby pictures with which to embarrass him.

Besides, a little bit of blackmail material involving her mate wouldn't hurt either. She just knew Ulquiorra would do almost anything to prevent such a picture of him being so soft and vulnerable from being spread


	80. What I Still Don't Have

What I Still Don't Have

Gin was in pain, the metallic smell of his own blood thick in his nostrils. He lay on the floor of his mistress's quarters as the blood slowly seeped across the tiled floor to form a warm, red lake around him.

"_An__'__ the floor took so long to clean too__…"_he couldn't help but think, lightheaded from the blood loss and the beating.

One minute he'd been scrubbing the floorboards in Unohana's chambers and the next moment Aizen had him by the throat, lashing at him with both his reiatsu and his fists with an unprecedented level of fury. Gin had frantically tried to figure out what had enraged the ex-Shinigami this time; he hadn't been home all day and while Gin hadn't finished all of his work yet, he was still technically on schedule.

It was while he was being bounced off of one of the walls that Aizen had asked him what his latest act of sabotage entailed. It took a few minutes, but by the time that Aizen had abandoned beating him in favour of ripping into his flesh and drawing blood, he made the connection between Ulquiorra's visit to fetch Unohana the previous day and the frustration that vibrated through every slash the bastard inflicted on him.

"_Someone_," a remote part of him, one that could still think independently despite the abuse he was busy enduring, thought, "_was jealous_."

His suspicions were confirmed after a particularly bad blow temporarily knocked him out. He woke up a few minutes later to the agony of Aizen kicking him none-too-gently in what he thought might be a broken rib and making threats against both himself and Unohana if he found that either one of them had defied him.

Then, before he could begin to process what he was hearing, the _real_ violence began in earnest.

At the moment, Gin couldn't have moved even if his very life depended on it. At some point, his lower back must have been broken, as he could still feel his fingers twitch but he could not feel nor move anything below the waist. Which was probably a mercy, since everything above his hips was awash with blistering agony. He wondered if Aizen would allow anyone to heal him when this was all over or if he would be forced to drag his body around while trying to complete his chores.

With one ear pressed to the floor he was able to hear the sound of footsteps approaching her room. He squeezed his eyes shut and willed for this to be some terrible nightmare, that she wouldn't walk into her own chambers to see her husband, who had regained his composure, calmly sitting in his chair reading a book while her naked servant was splayed out and slashed up, laying in a steadily-widening puddle of his own blood, the strands of his once-silver hair stained crimson.

The door opened and he caught the soft gasp of horror she let out as she froze in the entrance, her hand over her mouth in shock.

"Ah, welcome home, my dear," Aizen spoke, turning his brown eyes from his place on the page before him to look up at her. "How was your day?" he asked nonchalantly.

"It was well," she answered in a surprisingly calm voice, considering the expression on her face. Even she, with her famous level of self-control, couldn't manage to hide her shock and distress at the scene in front of her completely.

"That is good to hear," Aizen replied, and appeared to turn his attention back to his book.

Gin could hear her footsteps echo on the tiled floor as she approached them. He wished so desperately that he could speak, could tell her to run and forget about him. The thought of killing himself had become a regular occurrence of late, and he would have tried if he wasn't 100% certain Aizen would just get Ulquiorra to order Orihime to 'fix it'. He wasn't entirely certain that the girl could reject death itself, but from everything he'd seen so far, it was a possibility.

"You smell like work. I suggest you take a shower first and then we shall talk," Aizen ordered without looking up from his book.

"As you wish," she responded softly.

Gin followed the sound of her footsteps as she forced herself away from the brutal scene in her sitting room and retreated to the bathroom to do as ordered. Because he knew her so well by now he noticed the slight trembling to her steps. He couldn't tell if it was due to fear or anger, or perhaps it was a mixture of them both. It was, he supposed, the same thing these days.

As soon as she was gone the binding to keep him silent faded.

"Why?" he questioned weakly.

"Why what, my dear Gin?" Aizen asked, turning a page in his book as he did so.

"Why are ya doing this to her?" he rasped out. "Ya know it ain't her fault."

"Are you confessing to sabotage then?" Aizen asked sweetly.

Gin's entire body, at least the upper part of it, trembled at the thought, recalling all too well what had happened when Aizen had caught him drugging his wife, and even what Aizen had done, and forced him to do, to Szayel simply because he thought the scientist was being lax in his study of the Swarm.

Aizen was definitely losing his patience and Gin was positive that to Aizen, the Swarm's invasion was just the icing on a cake made from his mounting anger and frustration. Unohana's continued failure to produce a Royal heir was truly starting to get to him.

Yes, Shinigami had low fertility rates, but as a trained medic one would have thought Unohana would have at least conceived by now. The fact that yet another of Aizen's subordinates had managed to do what he had not seemed to be what had triggered the latest round of the 'abuse Gin for the flimsiest of reasons' game.

So if it wasn't Unohana… Perhaps it was the blood loss and the way that Gin's brain was jumping around at the moment, but a strange thought suddenly occurred to him and before he realized it, he'd uttered it out loud.

"Have ya considered yer own reiatsu might be too strong?"

"What was that?" Aizen asked, sounding surprised that Gin had actually dared to speak up.

"Well, what if your reiatsu is too strong an' it's killing the eggs?"

Gin muttered the suggestion into the blood-soaked floorboards. He was really only grasping at straws now in an attempt to spare the only creature that still gave a damn whether he lived or died the pain he knew Aizen had planned for her, but those odd threads of logic that looped crazily through his brain were actually kind of starting to make sense as his pain-hazed mind sought to sort them into some kind of order.

"I am quite capable of controlling my reiatsu, even if it is troublesome to keep it contained so as not to crush the insects which scurry ever-so-amusingly underfoot," Aizen stated coldly and Gin let out another soft cry of pain as said reiatsu knifed into his abused body yet again.

"What about tha' sperm?" he gasped desperately, fingers clutching at nothing as waves of pain followed the crash of reiatsu. "Maybe there's too much power in 'em an' _it__'__s _killing off the eggs."

The oppressive hold on him let up as if it had never been there and when he cracked one swollen, bloodshot eye open it was to see that Aizen actually seemed to be pondering the suggestion. Gin let himself hope that it meant Aizen might consider the possibility and thus spare Unohana the planned punishment that Aizen had described earlier to Gin, in full gory detail, from coming about.

"That's an interesting concept," Aizen finally admitted, a hint of intrigue in his voice. "It might even explain why there have been so few successes amongst the others as well. Most of my Arrancar are far more powerful than their Shinigami pets, despite controlling their reiatsu. I will have to get Szayel to look into it…" he mused.

Unohana returned at that point, her hair pulled back and damp from her shower, wearing a silk yukata and a deliberately bland expression on her face. Aizen turned a satisfied smile her way as she approached them.

"That's much better. Please sit," he indicated one of the chairs nearby. "It would seem Gin here has brought an intriguing idea to my attention, one that you might even have knowledge about."

"May I stop his bleeding first?" she asked, but didn't dare let her gaze waver from Aizen's.

"Perhaps I'll allow it… in a minute. Sit," he ordered again.

She did as instructed this time, taking a seat in the chair opposite her husband and folding her hands demurely in her lap. It was at that point that Gin felt his grip on consciousness waver. The pain receded along with it, as if his nerves had finally been overloaded and were incapable of sending anymore sensations to or from his brain. He knew it was shock setting in, a dangerous state to be in, as it meant that he'd probably lost too much blood. As such, he floated along for a while, paying little attention to the conversation as the voices conducting it burbled in and out of his ears without the actual words registering.

When the warmth of Unohana's reiatsu flowed into his abused body after what might have been a few minutes or a few hours later, easing the haze of agony and bringing things back into focus, he concluded that his desperate theory might have actually had some credence. It had, at least, kept Unohana from being hurt or tortured and for that he was infinitely grateful.

He let out a cry of pain as something in his lower back shifted slightly and he could suddenly move his legs again, albeit only with a great deal of agony. Aizen must have been very pleased with his suggestion because once he was healed enough to move he was actually helped along to his so-called bed, where Unohana continued to try to repair what she could of his unwarranted punishment.

That momentarily bewildered him. Aizen _never_ let anyone heal the wounds that were the results of his 'discipline'. Did this mean he'd guessed right, that his hurt-dazed mind had found the answer Aizen had been looking for all this time? If so, what happened now?

"Unohana-san?" he asked, weakly, lifting a hand.

"Hush Gin," she admonished softly. "A part of me wishes you had never found the answer while another part is indebted to you, as you have spared us both what I surmise was going to be a very unpleasant evening," she sighed in regret and relief. "Thank you."

"Ya knew all 'long?" he accused, but there was no real anger behind it. He couldn't summon up the energy.

"It was one of my theories. It was a situation I had no plan on correcting if it turned out to be true," she admitted. "Honestly, the situation isn't something I'm _able_ to correct at all. I have no control over Aizen's reiatsu."

He gave that some thought as the glow of her Kido surrounded him again.

"Now what?" he croaked out.

"Now," she sighed, "he will have to drain his reiatsu until it is of a strength that won't endanger a new life. With his pool of raw power, such a thing could take several years, for as much as he drains, more gathers."

Gin closed his eyes, trying to envision being able to drain away Aizen's reiatsu and then shaking his head at such an improbably image.

"Like tryin' ta empty a tea cup while someone is still pouring more tea inta' it?"

The analogy made sense and Unohana nodded at his assessment while she worked.

"Precisely," she agreed and then focused all of her attention on the largest problem beneath her hands, his still-damaged spine. "Some of these wounds are pretty bad, especially the ones to your lower back."

He could feel her Kido moving along the nerves and the battered muscles, along the injured and fractured bones and tried not to weep as she knit blood vessels back together and tried to stem some of the worst of the internal bleeding. Finally, she wiped the back of her small hand across her forehead, careful not to smudge the kimono she wore with his blood and sighed in frustration.

"Hold on, I am going to take you to Orihime-san. The damage to your lower back is extensive and I am afraid that without her help it would require several rounds of surgery to correct. We both know Aizen-Kami does not have that kind of patience," she commented, gathering him up in a sheet and picking him up easily, despite the difference in their sizes.

Gin couldn't help it; he cried out as his body shifted, a flare of pain shooting along his spine like a bolt of lightning before her Kido suppressed it.

"Are you sure it's okay?" he asked weakly, voice barely above a whisper. "Ya know he doesn't like me away from tha palace…"

Unohana gave him a look and a small smile.

"Aizen-Kami is in a very good mood right now. I doubt he will care very much," she replied. "There is one thing that does concern me about this, however."

"Wa's that?" he asked, voice laced in pain as she carried him through the room, carefully avoiding walking through the blood on the floor.

His body was started to hurt like hell even with the pain-numbing Kido she had administered, which just showed how badly Aizen had messed him up.

"Orihime just gave birth yesterday and while Ulquiorra-san seems to be handling it much better than Grimmjow-san did, I do not want to push our luck with regard to what he considers his territory. We will have to tread carefully."

"I'll keep mah mouth shut," he assured her faintly.

"Good, because Aizen-Kami promised only that _he_ wouldn't kill you," she pointed out. "He never promised that another might not try to end your life instead."

Gin winced in her arms and fell silent as she walked past the guards, stepped out of the Palace gates and launched them into a Shunpo. It felt nice being cradled in her arms, to be surrounded by loving warmth. It was a feeling he hadn't enjoyed since he was a child.

Despite his current state, he was reminded of a long ago winter's night, being sheltered under a ratty-yet-warm blanket and watching the snow drift down outside the barn in which they had taken shelter. He could almost feel the girl that Rangiku had once been curled up around him, muttering incoherently in her sleep as she tightly hugged him - as if she were afraid he would try and leave her while she slept.

He felt a few tears leak out as the memory replayed itself over and over in his mind. Perhaps she'd been more perceptive than he had given her credit for. She _had_ been right, of course. He did end up leaving her, not while she slept but rather while she was awake to watch his retreating back as he walked away.

If Unohana noticed the tears, she made no comment on them.

"_I wonder, can Orihime-chan reject tha__'__ pieces of a shattered heart?__"_he wondered absently.

Ulquiorra and Diaemus hadn't woken up yet by the time she got out of a long and soothing shower. It was unlike him to sleep that much but she had a feeling he hadn't gotten a moments rest since the night before she went into labour.

With both father and son sleeping soundly, Orihime was able to retreat to the kitchen after getting dressed and was finally, _finally_, able to enjoy red bean paste spread over a piece of bread dipped in some soy sauce without the threat of throwing it back up.

She sighed in pure bliss as she ate. Oh, how she had _missed_ the taste of red bean paste. Truly, she had no plans on having another child anytime soon, so help her Kami. She was able to finish her fourth slice of bread when she heard Diaemus begin to fuss in the other room.

Sighing, she went back into the living room to see her son now wide awake and clearly hungry. Ulquiorra was awake now as well and was just starting to stand up while cradling their son easily in one arm.

"_It__'__s amazing how fast he has adapted to being a father already,__"_she noted pleasantly. "Here," she said and held her arms out.

Ulquiorra blinked and then walked towards her, his eyes going to one of the chairs.

"Sit down first," he suggested.

Orihime sat down and adjusted her clothing before accepting her son. She watched him closely as his mouth latched around a nipple, but she felt neither the pierce of his small fangs into her breast, nor felt him draw her blood.

"As long as he doesn't draw too much blood in the future there should be no problem with this," she noted aloud. "I don't even feel it."

"No doubt that the fluid he secrets also has a numbing agent so his prey is unaware he is feeding from them," her mate noted. "Just like his namesake."

"Hmm," she agreed, humming contentedly as she watched her son nurse.

Her mate suddenly stiffened and frowned, eyes turning towards the door.

"What is it?" she asked nervously, ready to defend her child from any threat.

"We have company," he noted, displeasure mixed with a little confusion lacing his voice.

Orihime turned her attention to the door, instantly recognizing Unohana's reiatsu but having a bit of a harder time with the other. It was familiar so she had felt it before, but she didn't recognize it and it was very weak.

"Maybe she forgot to tell us something," she mused aloud, most of her apprehension fading.

There was a polite knock on the door and he went to answer it. Orihime finished feeding Diaemus, looking at the small puncture as blood droplets oozed slowly out while she patted his back.

Whatever it was Unohana wanted must have been important because the woman came into the house straightaway and Orihime could hear her mate and the Captain of the 4th Division coming towards her.

"I hope it's not something bad," she worried to her son, who merely yawned and burped.

Ulquiorra was the first one in the room, followed by Unohana, who carried something very large and unwieldy. No, not something, _someone_. Diaemus began to fuss as he caught the scent of blood, and there was a lot of it soaked into the sheets wrapped around the person in her arms.

"What happened?" Orihime gasped as she stood up and handed Diaemus to his father. Then she approached Unohana and her charge, hesitantly reaching out one hand and then drawing it back.

"My husband was in a foul mood," Unohana answered.

Whoever it was within the makeshift bandaging whimpered pathetically as if in affirmation.

"Quick set them down, and then let me see what I can do," Orihime ordered.

"Where would you like him?"

"The tiled floor in the bathroom," Ulquiorra interjected immediately.

Both women retreated to the bathroom. Once Unohana laid her patient out on some of the towels Orihime had set down she was finally able to see who her patient was.

"Gin-san?!"

Dull, once-blue eyes cracked open to look at her hazily before he closed them again.

"Hiya, Hime-chan…" He greeted her weakly, his face as pale and blood-spattered as the sheet wrapped around him.

"What happened?" Orihime asked again as she cast her shield around him, its golden light bathing his abused body.

"I fell down tha' stairs," he answered mirthlessly.

Had she not been so horrified by the situation she might have found some slight humour in the joke. But there was nothing funny about the damage report her powers gave her.

The injuries weren't as bad as what Aizen had done to Szayel that one time but it was still pretty brutal. His lower back had been broken and his flesh all but stripped from his body. Someone had at least eased the broken bones back into alignment and kept the vertebrae from slipping and pinching or compromising his spinal cord but they had not been unable to reattach the bone via the proper ligaments and tendons.

Gin let out a sigh of relief as she focused her powers there first, returning his backbone to normal and healing the damage done to his spinal cord. Since the wounds had come from Aizen they were infused with his reiatsu and battling it was like wading through a river of wet cement.

As a result, it took almost two hours to fix his back. It was yet another sign of just how powerful Aizen was, for the wound Ulquiorra had given Ichigo hadn't even taking a tenth of the power or time this one cost her. It didn't help that she was still exhausted herself from giving birth.

"I am sorry," she finally gasped, feeling completely drained. "There is just too much oppressive reiatsu. I was able to mend his back, but everything else…" she trailed off.

"That is quite alright, Orihime-san. Everything else I can treat and with time, those injuries will heal on their own. It was his back that no one short of you, or days of intrusive and intensive surgery, could ever hope to fix. You just gave birth; I did not expect you to be at full strength. This is more than enough."

Unohana gave Orihime an encouraging smile and Gin offered her a weak one as well.

"I feel so much better. Thank you, Hime-chan."

"It's nothing…" she replied and blushed softly at the thanks.

Green light infused Unohana's hands as she checked over Orihime's work with a growing smile of relief and satisfaction.

"It is as if the worst of it never happened. Your powers are truly remarkable," Unohana noted with gratitude.

The sound of her son fussing reached their ears. Orihime frowned and checked the time.

"Oh Kami, I never realized it was so late. The poor boy must be starving!" she gasped.

"It's quite alright," Unohana assured her, helping Gin rise to his feet. "We'll take our leave now."

Time, as well as the combined effort of Unohana and Orihime, had stopped most of the bleeding and he was able to stand on his own, albeit with a gasp of pain.

"Thank you for your time, Orihime-san," Unohana thanked her again.

"Oh, no problem," Orihime waved the thanks away. "I am just happy I was able to do something to help."

She escorted them both to the door and waved as they left before turning her attention to her family.

"I swear, his appetite is bigger than my own," she chuckled as she made herself comfortable on the couch and accepted her son.

"May it not be as interesting, or as varied," Ulquiorra commented dryly.

"Oi!" she protested.

Diaemus didn't feed for long and she was surprised to note he hadn't drawn her blood this time.

"You should rest," Ulquiorra commented.

She made a sound of agreement, carrying their son to their room. She noticed the bed had been moved up against the wall with a lining of pillows set up along the wall. She set Diaemus down and let her clothing slide to the floor before joining him in bed.

Orihime took the wall side as Ulquiorra crawled into bed beside her. To her surprise he picked Diaemus up and deposited him between her and the pillows.

"Nothing gets to him without going through us," he answered her unspoken question.

"And nothing gets to me without going through you," she smiled up at him warmly, catching his mouth with her own for a soft kiss.

"Hai," he agreed once he was able to.

Orihime felt that peculiar warmth in her chest again and curled up around their son, who was apparently already dead to the world. She felt Ulquiorra slid up against her and she relaxed against his chest, sighing softly.

One of his arms encircled her and came down to rest against the stacked pillows, effectively using his own body to cover theirs. Any attack would hit him before coming near them.

Orihime drifted off to sleep quickly, but woke a mere two hours later, roused by a fussy and hungry Diaemus. He drifted off after feeding and she was able to join him. Two hours later he awoke again. And another two after that.

Surprisingly, Ulquiorra didn't stir at the disturbance, or at least she didn't think he did. His reiatsu and breath remained even throughout each feeding.

"_Perhaps that__'__s because he senses no threat,__"_she mused exhaustedly.

She awoke again another two hours later. Something was wrong. Blinking open her eyes she looked down in shock to see Diaemus nestled against her, feeding contently. She just stared in shock as her son finished and then curled back up to sleep, snuggling under his wings like a makeshift blanket.

"You do not seem rested. Have you not been sleeping?" Ulquiorra's voice took her by surprise.

"I have been up every two hours to feed Diaemus-kun."

He seemed genuinely puzzled by her short, testy answer.

"Why?" he questioned.

"Why? Because he was hungry," she declared, shocked not only that he would consider starving their child but that he thought she wouldn't wake to feed him.

"Diaemus is capable of feeding himself," he said dryly. "He will feed from you whether you are awake or not. Hence the reason the nest has been set this way."

"I wish I knew that sooner," she grouched.

She felt his chest vibrate against her back and she shot a glare over her shoulder just to check that yes, he was laughing at her, or rather chuckling since outright laughing seemed beyond him.

"I should make you sleep on the couch," she grumbled.

"Go back to sleep. You need rest," he ordered softly.

"Hai," she agreed sleepily, and yawned as she relaxed against him, closing her eyes.

It wasn't hard to slip into slumber again. She didn't wake up again until sometime later, sprawled out on their bed with no sign of either her son or her mate. She blinked, looking around the room in surprise and might have panicked if she hadn't heard Diaemus complaining from what sounded like the bathroom.

Crawling out of bed and pulling on a yukata she followed the noise and blinked at what she found. Both father and son were in the tub, a shallow layer of water on the bottom. Diaemus didn't seem to like the water much and squirmed as his father went about cleaning him.

"You are awake," Ulquiorra noted without bothering to turn his attention her way.

"Yeah," she agreed with a warm smile.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Much better this time," she assured him, moving into the room and grabbing the nearby towel.

Ulquiorra finished wiping Diaemus down before handing their son over. Orihime wrapped him up in the blanket, mindful of his wings and tail while Ulquiorra drained the tub and stepped out.

Diaemus fussed and complained as she brought him over to the bed and laid him down, drying him off before dressing him from the waist down.

"What are we going to do for clothing, Diaemus-kun? Your wings are going to be in the way most of the time…" she admonished him, not really expecting an answer.

Green eyes just blinked at her before he promptly curled up under those wings and shifted into slumber. She shook her head and crawled into bed next to him, not at all opposed to the idea of getting some more sleep herself


	81. When One Sees Too Much

When One Sees Too Much

Jushiro was feeling infinitely better. The new treatment regimen for his tuberculosis that Karin and Unohana had given him seemed to be working. The only downside was that his reiatsu was slow to recover. Physically he was more or less okay, but he continued to tire easily.

Aizen had declared he was fit enough to return to work and so return to work he did, sending Karin back to Nanao, although she had left a match schedule for him. Honestly, the thought of inter-division soccer games as a form of friendly competition and training was still a somewhat baffling thought. Morale among his Division members, however, was at an all-time high since their defeat.

Jushiro shook the thought aside and continued on his way, nodding to his subordinates as they bowed and expressed how happy they were that he was back and feeling better. He returned their smiles and greetings, doing his best not to let his weariness show through.

"It is a beautiful day outside, neh, Byakuya?" he greeted as he entered their shared office.

Aizen had been kind enough to let him keep Byakuya for now, until he could make a full recovery, and the resulting easing of his workload was greatly appreciated.

However, all appreciation was forgotten when he noticed the noble barely nodded his head in agreement and clearly had trouble sitting. He also wore one of the many too- feminine kimonos today with his hair down to conceal most of his face. His hands shook so slightly that had Jushiro not been so familiar with Byakuya's flawless script he might not have noticed the fact they trembled at all.

"Byakuya-san?" Jushiro asked, concerned now.

'I am fine' he held up the pre-made sign with its message.

Jushiro closed the door completely and walked up to him. Byakuya continued to pretend to ignore him and didn't stop working until Jushiro grabbed his chin and forced his head up before brushing some of the long, silken, black strands away from his face, revealing the noticeably finger-shaped discolorations along the back and sides of his neck.

His frown deepening, he pulled the back of the collar of the kimono out a bit and looked down the younger man's back, noticing more bruises and small cuts adorning his back. Jushiro transferred his attention to his subordinate's hands, grapping one of Byakuya's wrists and pulling back the sleeves of the kimono to reveal both forearms matched his neck, bruise for purple bruise.

Jushiro let out a sharp breath as he considered the damage he had seen and the other likely additional injuries hidden beneath the layers of Byakuya's kimono. Byakuya took his hands back, and averted his eyes as he picked up his brush and tried to return to the papers on his desk.

"This needs to stop," Jushiro sighed.

This was hardly the first time Byakuya had come into the office after a beating from his so-called 'master'. It tore him up to see the man he had known as a hyper young boy chasing after Yoruichi being treated like this.

Byakuya let out a sigh of resignation before pulling over an empty piece of paper.

'You and I both know that there is nothing that can be done but to endure,' Byakuya wrote out slowly. 'I will not have the brute running free and destroying my family and home. If a little pain is all that is needed to keep my honour, then so be it.'

Jushiro shook his head, but reluctantly conceded that Byakuya was right. There really was nothing that could be done short of planning Yammy's death, but even that they both understood was risky. As a former Taichou, Byakuya _had_ to be Claimed to continue living. There was no guarantee a new Master would be any better than Yammy. Even if he could convince Starrk to accept the young man, his own 'Master' was already at his limit as far as allowed Claims went.

As much as it pained him to do so, Jushiro left Byakuya alone and walked over to his own desk, pulling over the first piece of paper to begin his own work. After a moment, the sound of Byakuya's brush running over the paper whispered in the room.

They worked in silence, but the noble's situation continually worked its way back into his mind during the remainder of the day. He tried to think of any possible way he could help, anything at all that he could do or at least something he could set into motion to help the man.

In reality, there was depressingly little he could do, and from what he knew of the Kuchiki family and all Great Noble Families actually, he doubted Byakuya got much in the way of assistance from his kin.

He doubted he could talk to Yammy about being nicer. From what he knew of the Espada it would just make the situation worse. It was already lunchtime when he realized he hadn't completed a single form, his mind lost in turmoil.

He came back to the present when Byakuya rose slowly to his feet. It was clear only to those that knew him that the other was in deep pain. But Byakuya didn't even let out a whimper as he finished standing. He nodded to Jushiro, and then left, presumably leaving to get something to eat.

"_Kami, this is painful. But what can I do? What can anyone do?__"_he tried to rationalize the situation with himself, with little success. _"__We knew losing the war was going to be costly, but did any of us truly understand how costly it was going to be? If we had, would we have fought harder? Could we have fought harder?__"_he wondered despairingly.

It was unlikely. Everyone had given it their all but Aizen had simply been too powerful, too well-prepared to counter even their best efforts with long-planned traps and weapons of his own devising. He had known everything about them while they knew nothing about his army. They had also, perhaps, relied too much on the strength of one Substitute Shinigami. When that hadn't worked out…

" 'take-ji, your medicine!"

Jushiro nearly leaped out of his skin as he looked down in shock at the little girl holding out a steaming cup with two pills in her hand.

"Ajuga-chan?" he gasped, surprised to find her right under his nose. "Shouldn't you be with Orihime-san?" he questioned.

"She had her baby so it's better to stay away for a while," Ajuga answered. "But 'tsuki-neechan said that 'cora-san said we could visit soon," she giggled happily.

"That is good," he smiled at her.

She returned it briefly before a look of sadness crossed her face and she looked off in the direction Byakuya had retreated.

"Ajuga-chan?"

"He is dying," she whispered. "Bya-san smells like blood and pain."

He stared at her in shock. Her observation was too good, too precise and too deep for such a young child. She turned vivid blue, watery eyes up to him.

"Yammy no baka is killing him," she hissed, nearly spitting out the other Arrancar's name. "It hurts," she complained. "Bya-san is so nice. He lets me play and hunt in his garden and sleep in his lap when I am tired. I don't like seeing him hurt!"

"I don't either," he agreed softly, reaching out to ruffle her dark hair a little.

They sat in silence for several minutes until Ajuga broke it.

"You need to eat and drink, 'take-ji," Ajuga reminded him. "I don't want to see you get sick again."

"Oh!" He drank his medicine and took the pills under Ajuga's scrutinizing gaze. When he was done she took the cup and smiled up at him.

"I got to get home. Lily-chan said she would spar with me. Come home safe, 'take-ji," Ajuga ordered.

"I will," he assured her.

Byakuya returned after half-an-hour. The rest of the day passed in silence as they two of them finished up their respective paperwork. Jushiro sighed as he picked up the small stack that needed to be brought to the 1st Division.

Normally Byakuya would be the one to drop it off, using the longer walk as an excuse to delay returning home, but honestly Jushiro could tell the other was suffering from sitting all day behind a desk with his wounds.

"I'll deliver them. You get some rest," he ordered.

The other didn't seem too pleased about being sent home so early, and Jushiro didn't blame him.

"Ajuga-chan stopped by earlier. She said she missed you. Perhaps you could swing by on your way home to visit her," he offered.

The suggestion seemed to take Byakuya by surprise, but he didn't miss the nod of gratitude as they went their separate ways. He was most of the way to the 1st Division when he spotted Aizen just leaving. Apparently he was spotted as well for Aizen turned a soft smile his way and greeted him.

"Jushiro."

"Aizen-Kami," he offered the other a deep bow.

"Ah, the Division papers, I presume."

"Hai," he handed them over.

"Walk with me while I go over these," Aizen requested.

"As you wish, Aizen-Kami,"

Jushiro fell into step beside him as they walked leisurely towards the palace.

"You appear to be recovering nicely," Aizen commented. "Physically, at least, I sense your reiatsu is still debilitated."

"Hai," he agreed. "Unohana-san says it might be a side effect from the drugs they have me on, but she determined it is worth it because there are obvious signs of my tuberculosis weakening."

"That is a pleasant thing to hear. You have been affected by that particular ailment for as long as I can recall," he noted.

"I've had the illness since I was a child," he admitted reluctantly.

They walked in silence for several minutes as Aizen flipped through the pages of the reports, given each a quick glance. While Jushiro was not opposed to long stretches of silence, this one made him uncomfortable, especially when Aizen paused to scrutinize several of the pages with a slight frown.

Jushiro knew the information was right, and he had made sure to look at each one before coming to hand them in, but something clearly had Aizen's attention. He couldn't tell, however, if the other was displeased or merely curious.

They arrived at the front gates of the palace and he hesitated, staring up at the beautifully crafted building of white walls and red tiled roofs. He had never been in the palace before and he felt his apprehension rise a bit.

The guards greeted them with a bow and a murmured, 'welcome home, Kami-sama' as they passed through the gates. Aizen returned their greetings with a warm smile and a pleasant greeting of his own.

"My office is this way. Come," Aizen ordered.

He followed Aizen into a beautifully done up office, tastefully decorated with several different doors opened to view various styles of gardens. A pot of tea and some snacks were waiting on the desk.

"Tell me, how well did Karin-chan do running your Division?" he asked, kneeling on the cushion behind the desk and indicating for Jushiro to do the same.

"She had some problems with the administrative stuff, but seemed to be fine coordinating the troops," he answered as he also kneeled on one of the cushions across from Aizen. "She has little to no formal training, so it is hardly a surprise."

"Continue," Aizen bade when he paused.

"She was a quick study from what I heard from my seated officers. Apparently she spent a large amount of time with Byakuya-san learning what was required while trusting my seated officers to do their jobs. She also checked up on them and learned what she could from them," he answered honestly. "I believe she did better than expected."

"Her _request_ to 'borrow Byakuya' was rather amusing. I am pleased she took full and appropriate use of the situation. I honestly expected her to dump the paperwork off on him, but a surprising number of the reports have come to me with her scrawl on them. She is an intriguing young woman," Aizen noted, taking a sip of tea.

Jushiro could only nod in agreement.

"Byakuya is still working with you, is he not?" Aizen suddenly asked.

"Hai. He has been invaluable as an assistant since my Division is still short several seated officers, including a Fukutaichou. The 1st and 5th are the only two divisions right now with both top officers," he noted.

Of course Aizen was aware of such details. He knew everything that went on within the Divisions. Aizen let a slight frown touch his lips as he pulled out a few of the forms and handed them over.

"This does not appear to be his writing."

Jushiro took one of the forms and looked at it. It was still done in nice kanji but Aizen was right. The writing was hardly the firm and beautiful art that Byakuya was known for. Aizen, having been the former head of the Calligraphy Club, was well acquainted with Byakuya's fluid style.

"I find it hard to believe that he would hand in anything that was less than perfect. It is not in his nature."

Jushiro bit back the harsh words he wanted to say about how Aizen could know anything about any of them anymore. Most of them have suffered greatly since their defeat.

"He was injured today," Jushiro forced himself to say this calmly.

"Injured?" Aizen scoffed. "I find that hard to believe. These bugs," he said the word loathingly, "would hardly be a challenge for someone of Byakuya's strength…"

"It was Yammy who did it to him," Jushiro snapped. "Every day he comes into the office covered in new and old bruises and cuts. Today he could barely sit and if nothing is done soon…" Jushiro trailed off, realizing he had stepped considerably over his bounds.

"I can't stand to see him, or anyone, hurt like this. Day after day of endless pain and humiliation. Please, do something, anything to stop this needless torture…" he almost shouted. "We lost, we know that, but do we need to be constantly reminded of that loss when there are more important threats surrounding us?" he finished with a whisper.

The room was filled with a tense silence as he waited for the inevitable reaction his minor outburst was sure to bring about. Aizen did not like being talked to in such a disrespectful manor, but at least he felt slightly better for getting it off of his chest.

"You have been stressed lately, with your illness and running a Division," Aizen finally said. "Come with me."

Aizen stood up and Jushiro followed him. They walked through the halls and came out into a rather stunning garden.

"What do you think?" Aizen asked.

"It is beautiful," he admitted truthfully with perhaps a touch of awe.

"It is my wife's. For all of his faults, Gin does an impressive job maintaining it."

The walked in silence until they reached the centre and Aizen turned to face him.

"Sometimes I think I have let you run too free, Jushiro. I must admit your words often hold invaluable and timely wisdom and as such I have been gentle with you in my reminders as to who is in charge, but I am beginning to think that perhaps I was too gentle and you now believe you are above reproach."

"My apologies," he bowed, clenching his hands tightly. "It was not my intent to question you."

"Yes, I know. Your compassion for others is one of the many things I admire about you. It is simply in your nature to leap to the defence of those in need. I will do something now to ease your own sorrow."

…there was a flash of light...

"I will give you less to see so that you may no longer be tormented with the sight of others' suffering."

…followed by blinding agony as blood sprayed from his face.

Jushiro cried out in anguish and collapsed to his knees, clutching his face as blood flowed freely from the horizontal slash going across his eyes. The blood gushed through his fingers in a stream of red and pooled on the ground before him.

"What is going on?" he heard Unohana ask from the entrance to the garden.

"Nothing more than a lesson, my dear," Aizen answered, walking away and past his wife. "I will see you shortly."

Unohana was by his side in an instant.

"Jushiro, let me see," she ordered, trying to pry his hands from his face.

Everything was a sea of red and black and pain.

"Gin!" she shouted, no longer trying to keep the fear and urgency out of her voice.

Jushiro reeled with the force of the blow that caused the wound and it was hard to maintain concentration and resist going into shock.

(POV)

Gin arrived at Unohana's frantic call to see her kneeling next to a white lump. Rushing to her side he was shocked to see the white lump was a whimpering Jushiro clutching his face with a large amount of blood dripping from his hands and already pooled on the grass.

"Wha' happened?" he demanded, taking the injured man's other side.

"It looks like Aizen slashed his eyes out," she responded in a horrified voice.

She ripped a section of her uniform off and got Gin to restrain Jushiro's hands away from his face so she could wrap the binding tightly around his eyes. It was quickly soaked through with blood.

"We need to get him to the 4th now," she ordered, picking him up.

"I'll take 'im," Gin offered, holding his arms out to relieve her of the burden.

"He needs immediate medical attention," she pointed out and then fell silent as Gin gave her a look that quelled any protest.

"If you are not in Kami-sama's bed in four minutes, then tha' situation will get worse for all of us. You an' I both know that we cannot treat this anyway. It was clearly a punishment an' ya know what Aizen does to those that try and fix that!" he pointed out softly but firmly.

She looked about ready to argue, but in the end a look of frustration and anguish settled on her face. She nodded her head before handing Jushiro over.

"He will know you are gone," she pointed out.

"I know. It's a good thing you ordered me to go, neh?" he questioned, adjusting his grip.

She nodded, than stood there and watched as Gin launched into a Shunpo, taking the fasted route he could to get to the 4th. It hurt, but she knew he was right. No one would be crazy enough to do any more than keep a compress over Jushiro's eyes and hope for the best.

Aizen's punishments were not to be trifled with, and the corpses of the few who had tried to circumvent his 'justice' had been put on display for the entire Seireitei to see as a warning.

"_At least at the 4__th__ the wound can be cleaned and wrapped properly,__"_he thought, taking what little encouragement he could find in the situation.

"Gin-san?" A familiar voice called out to him, nearly causing him to trip as his eyes darted to the caller.

Ajuga was racing his way with her mother and Hana hot on her heels. No doubt the Hollow child had caught the scent of blood and had come to investigate, bringing her mother and friend with her. When they saw the injured party their expressions changed from concerned to shocked and horrified.

"What happened?" Karin demanded sharply once the three of them reached him.

"Aizen-Kami slashed his eyes out," Gin answered, trying to keep Ukitake upright.

"To the Research Building, now!" Karin snapped and the silver-haired man flinched at the force in her words.

"But the 4th…" he protested.

"Will not be able or willing to do anything," Karin quickly interrupted him. "Hurry, before he loses more blood or other fluids."

The 4th Division or Szayel's labs, either place was about as equally useful in this situation and Gin wasn't going to get in a fight with her over where they took the injured man. Szayel met them at the entrance and Nemu stood ready with a stretcher.

"Do what you can," Karin ordered.

"You do know that countering Aizen's punishments results in a fate worse than death, right?" Szayel asked nervously.

"Then it is a good thing I am the one ordering you to do so and you have no choice in the matter," she said firmly.

Nemu rolled the stretcher down the halls and into a room, followed in by Szayel. Karin prevented anyone else, even herself, from entering.

"Is 'take-ji… going to be okay?" Hana asked worriedly.

"I don't know," Karin admitted softly.

"I should get back before I am missed," Gin sighed softly.

"Thank you for bringing him here," Karin thanked. "If you have the time, can you swing by the Estate and let the others know what is going on?"

"I think I can do that," he agreed.

"Do you know where it is?"

"Yeah."

(POV)

Nanao was the first to arrive, Lilinette right behind her. No one really expected to see Grimmjow since Aizen had sent him out on a long-range scouting mission. He wasn't due back for at least a week. Starrk was also away, but they expected him back later that evening. For now, Lilinette was the only part of the First Espada available and she didn't look happy.

Time seemed to pass slowly and painfully as the two women sat beside each other on a bench in the hall with their respective daughters curled up beside them. Lilinette leaned against the wall, in a pose oddly reminiscent of Starrk, brooding and looking at the clock on the wall as if she wished she could speed up the movements of its hands.

"How long has it been?" the little Hollow asked, breaking the stifling silence that had settled around the group.

"Four hours," Karin answered softly.

"How much longer should it be?"

Lilinette gave the clock a glare and Karin sent her a sympathetic look. Lilinette wasn't known for her patience and this had to be a trying ordeal for her.

"I don't know. Eyes are a complicated part of the body and the damage was pretty bad," Karin replied.

The door to the lab opened and Szayel walked out, his uniform soaked in blood, a few other, unnameable fluids and a great deal of antiseptic. He looked completely exhausted and Karin didn't blame him.

"Well?" Karin asked.

"I did what I could," Szayel answered tiredly, peeling off his used surgical gloves and dropping them into a nearby metal pan. "The wound was deep. His right eye was completely destroyed, but I managed to reconstruct the left. Only time will tell if he will retain his sight.

"The wound is deeper on the right than the left. I predict he must have either tried to step back to avoid the strike, or instinctively flinched out of the way," he reported. "Do you know why Aizen struck him like this?"

"I don't know. It seems incredibly stupid to want to blind one of your top fighters. Granted, Jushiro-san hasn't been able to fight much lately." Karin said ruefully and sighed.

"Can we see him?" Lilinette asked Szayel.

"Nemu is moving him to a recovery room now. His eyes are bound and will have to remain that way for some time to let his remaining eye heal", Szayel answered. "Any visits should be short, about five minutes at most and we shouldn't surprise him with loud noises or sudden shocks. I want to keep his remaining eye as stable as possible, even if it is bandaged."

Karin nodded in understanding.

"Thank you Szayel. If he does retain his sight, it will truly be a testament to your incredible skills…" she complimented him and he held up his hands in mock protest.

"Please, Karin-sama, such praise is not necessary. Perhaps in time I could construct an artificial eye, if given enough time to study the patient. Regrettably, I am rather busy as it is and we all know the other reason my hands are tied."

"Yeah, I know. Come on, let's go check on Jushiro-san and then get the brats some food and into bed," Karin suggested.

"A good idea," Nanao agreed sleepily.

Karin turned her attention to her daughter, and then blinked in surprise.

"Ajuga?" Karin called, looking about the room.

There was no sign of her daughter. Concentrating quickly, Karin spotted Ajuga's reiatsu just leaving the building.

"Where the hell is she going?" Karin hissed.

"Hana-chan, stay here with Lilinette," Nanao ordered as both women raced after Ajuga.

The few people they passed during their mad sprint to the entrance way were quick enough to plaster themselves to the walls before the two women could bowl them over.

Ajuga was moving at a fast pace, but fortunately was far too young and inexperienced to learn Sonido yet. Both women launched into Shunpo as soon as they were clear of the doors.

"Ajuga!" Karin shouted as they closed in on her daughter.

Ajuga completely ignored them and kept racing on all fours across the buildings at an impressive speed.

"I'll tie her up, you grab her," Nanao ordered.

"Got it," Karin agreed.

"Bakudo Yon: Hainawa," Nanao called out, aiming for the girl.

Golden chains tangled up around Ajuga, causing the child to trip. With another burst of Shunpo, Karin snagged her daughter before she could face plant and fall off of a tiled roof.

"LET ME GO! HE HURT 'TAKE-JI!" Ajuga roared, fighting and struggling violently, claws lashing at anything that tried to hold her down.

"Ajuga-chan calm down," Karin ordered, letting out a soft cry of pain as her daughter's claws tore into her soft human flesh.

The shock and pain caused her to lose her grip as blood started to gush down her slashed arms, and she swore both wounds went to the bone. Ajuga managed to squirm free of her grip and the binding gave way as she landed on the roof.

"I am going to hurt him for hurting 'take-ji!" Ajuga snarled, trying to resume her mad dash to the palace. Karin forced herself to ignore the pain emanating from her shredded arms and managed to snag Ajuga again before the girl could get too far. Nanao appeared in front of them and cut off Ajuga's primary escape route should the girl manage to free herself a second time.

"Ajuga-chan, calm down!" Karin shouted out the order.

Her daughter either didn't hear her, or chose to ignore her completely. This time she was wise enough to fuse reiatsu into her arms to prevent Ajuga's claws from cutting into them, but the damage had already been done.

"_Shit, she__'__s gone to the bone,__"_she noted as she saw a flash of pale yellow amongst the muscle of her arms as Ajuga fought desperately against her.

So sharp were her daughter's claws that their tips left thin white scrape marks on the skin not already red with her blood as she struggled to get free.

"Let go Mama!" Ajuga cried.

"Calm down!" Karin ordered again.

"LET GO!" Ajuga roared.

"NO! Stop it NOW!"

Her thrashing legs managed to catch Karin across the chest, slashing through the meagre cloth material of her uniform and into her unprotected skin and even scratching her ribs. Karin cried out in pain as blood began to gush down her chest and she subsequently lost her grip on her daughter.

Ajuga darted to the side, but didn't make it far as she was scooped up from the ground and held tightly, like a frightened kitten, to her captor's chest.

"Let me go. Let go. He has to pay. Let go!" Ajuga struggled fruitlessly against her new assailant.

"What is going on?" Starrk asked almost lazily.

"He hurt 'take-ji! He attack pack. He pay!" Ajuga answered in a roar, her speech reverting to something more animalistic and childlike.

Starrk frowned in confusion and turned his attention to the two women, hoping for a better explanation than what he was likely to get from the child in his grip.

"Aizen-Kami attacked Jushiro-san," Nanao answered as she ran to Karin's side, quickly applying pressure to the any part of the damaged woman's body she could reach.

"Let me go," Ajuga continued to fight against his hold; biting, clawing and scratching and while her sharpened claws did leave marks on Starrk, they hardly pierced his strengthened Heirro.

"Ajuga, enough," Starrk ordered firmly, and gave her a small shake to reinforce the command.

"He hurt 'take-ji!" she protested angrily.

"And you just hurt your mother," Starrk snapped, his patience with the child at an end.

Ajuga froze as the scent of her mother's blood finally got through her rage and her eyes widened in horror as her gaze darted to where Nanao was doing her best to help Karin bind the large gashes in her arms and the lines in her chest. Any and all struggle on her part ceased.

"Mama!" Ajuga gasped.

Her squirming resumed, this time as she tried to free herself to go to her mother, but Starrk held on to her tightly as he approached the two women.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit," Karin hissed in pain, trying to use her good hand to stop the bleeding.

"Oh Mama, I am so sorry," Ajuga started sobbing.

"It's okay, you were just upset," Karin tried to assure her with a smile, but it was weak and full of pain.

Ajuga had done a thorough job of tearing up her arms and chest and she was starting to feel light-headed from both shock and blood loss. There was no use hiding the damage now.

"I need to get her to the 4th," Nanao told him, urgency in her voice.

"Take her and go. I will take care of this…" Starrk moved his arms slightly to indicate the girl still in his grasp. Then he frowned, as if remembering something. "Where is Jushiro now?"

"He's at the Research Building. Szayel did what he could for him…" Nanao answered him. "Lilinette and Hana-chan are already there."

"Mama, I am so sorry," Ajuga sobbed. "I shouldn't have hurt you. I didn't mean to hurt you!"

Karin gave another hiss as Nanao tore a strip from her shredded uniform and quickly bound up one of the wounds on her arm in a makeshift field dressing.

"I'm okay, Ajuga-chan. Go with Starrk-ji and make sure 'take-ji is alright. Nanao-san and I are just going to get these scratches cleaned up and we will be right there. Okay?"

"Okay," she sniffed.

Starrk disappeared with Ajuga in hand, launching into a Sonido so quickly that Karin couldn't follow it.

"Nanao."

"Yes?"

"Get me to the 4th, I am losing a lot of blood and I am starting to feel faint…"

"Right."

(POV)

Ajuga remained quiet as Starrk made his way to the Research Building. He had of course noticed something was up when he had felt a faint, almost negligible flash of panic earlier from Jushiro but he had been out on assignment and thus was unable to return quickly.

In all honesty, he hadn't thought too much of it since the rush of emotion had not lasted too long and hadn't been that strong. He listened unhappily as Ajuga informed him what had happened after he felt the girl had calmed down enough to give him an informative answer.

"Starrk-ji?"

"Hmm?"

"Why didn't you protect 'take-ji? He is yours, isn't he?" she sniffled unhappily. "You are suppose to protect the pack right, you are the primary Alpha, so why were you gone?"

Why indeed? He groaned while trying to come up with an answer she would understand. Instead, he settled for something simple and the closest version of the truth that he thought the child could handle.

"Look, you can't protect everyone all the time. Sometimes, you have to trust them to protect themselves."

"Oh," There was silence for a minute and then she asked "Are you going to hurt Aizen then, for hurting 'take-ji?" she questioned hopefully.

That earned her a deeper sigh.

"Aizen-Kami is a lot stronger than I am," he pointed out. "I don't think I could hurt him. Or at least, not enough to count."

Ajuga ground her teeth in frustration, but when Starrk didn't say 'I was just kidding', only giving her a 'There's not much I can do about it' look, she knew it was true. In the world of Hollows, the strong did what they wanted to the weak. The Hollow part of her understood and even accepted that fact, while the human part of her screamed for any kind of justice. It left her poor little conflicted mind and emotions reeling about in confusion.

"We are almost there. If I set you down will you walk and promise not to try and run off again? It would make everyone unhappy if you got hurt or killed." he pointed out.

"I won't run. I want to make sure 'take-ji is okay!" she assured him.

Neither one of them needed directions to Jushiro's room, Ajuga following his scent while Starrk merely followed the Claim.

Jushiro seemed to be sleeping when they walked into the room. His wrists were loosely restrained to the bed railing so that he wouldn't accidentally disturb the clean white bandages wrapped around his head.

"Why is he tied up?" Ajuga asked worriedly, biting her lip and reaching out as if she wanted to untie them.

"Szayel said it's so he won't try and touch his eyes, since he will wake up not being able to see and might panic," Lilinette answered angrily. "It's an instinct."

"Oh," Ajuga crawled up onto the bed and took the side of Jushiro not already claimed by Hana.

Lilinette turned her attention away from the Shinigami and kids to share a look with Starrk. He wasn't surprised to see rage smouldering in her eyes. She had a poor way of showing it, but he knew she liked Jushiro a lot. This situation was clearly upsetting her. He wasn't too pleased about it himself, he had to admit. The two of them moved over to the other side of the door so they could speak in private without the girls overhearing them.

"This is wrong Starrk, and you know it!" she hissed, finally expressing a tiny portion of the anger inside of her to him.

"What do you want me to do about it?" he retorted, holding up both hands as if to fend her off. It did nothing to mollify her.

"Do something, anything! I don't care what you do. But. Do. Something! Aizen had _no_ right to do this to him. He is _ours_, not his!" she spat indignantly. "He might never be able to see again," she added in a depressed whisper, anger suddenly turning to anguish, enough to actually surprise Starrk. He knew she was attached to his pet, but still...

"I can't imagine what that would be like, going through life completely blind, not being able to see again," she sniffed. "Why did he do this? What could Shiro-chan have possibly done to warrant this kind of assault?" she demanded.

Her question was a more rhetorical one and she obviously didn't expect him to answer it. Starrk opened his mouth to offer some form of comfort, but his other, smaller half didn't give him a chance to speak.

"I mean sure, he's come home with whip marks before for speaking during meetings, but even Aizen admits there was reason behind 'Shiro's suggestions. He has _never_ gone this far before. This goes beyond snapping at an Omega to remind him of his place in the hierarchy of the pack. This is downright attacking one of our pups!" she seethed.

He couldn't argue with that logic. Aizen really had gone too far this time. This was not something that a few days or weeks would heal. This was something that was debilitating, not only to Jushiro but to his Division and the fight against the Swarm. At the same time, while Starrk completely agreed with her, the more practical and less optimistic side of him figured that his odds in any potential match between himself and Aizen weren't all that great. He might get a few lucky shots in before Aizen dispatched him with that mind-altering sword of his, or overwhelmed him with that never-ending font of reiatsu of his.

While he wasn't sure that his own death would necessarily mean that Lilinette would also die, it wasn't a theory he wanted to try to disprove any time soon, no matter how egregiously Aizen broke his own rules. Then again, Lilinette was part and parcel of most of his stronger attacks, so keeping her out of such a conflict was probably impossible.

"Again, what do you want me to do about it?" he asked her, rubbing the back of his neck in irritation at the whole mess. This time, even though it was more of a bother, he added a little force to his words. "We both know I don't stand much of a chance against Aizen," he pointed out.

She seemed to deflate completely, for they both knew he was right.

"I don't know. All I do know is that this is wrong," she said miserably as she looked back into the room where Hana and Ajuga were curled up on either side of Jushiro. Wetness gathered in the corner of her one eye and a lone tear trickled down her cheek before she wiped it away with the heel of her hand. "We finally have a pack, a real family. I don't want to lose that," she whispered brokenly. "We can't go back to being so alone…"

Starrk was not one for showing much in the way of affection, or any other emotion for that matter, but Lilinette was one of the few trusted recipients when he chose to do so. Wordlessly, he pulled her into a firm embrace and simply held her as her much smaller frame trembled against his and she sniffled for a while against the front of his uniform.

He gazed back into the room and upon the three figures now sleeping together, one of them still covered in her mother's blood.

"_In the name of good sport, can I ask the Victors for a favour?__"_

"_And what might that be?__"__ the wolves demanded._

_Shunsui ignored them and looked at the still silent Espada._

"_I don__'__t want my Fukutaichou hurt in the expected aftermath. Could you Claim her for me please?__"__ he asked. __"__You have achieved Victory, so it is you right. Please. I care about my Nanao-chan a great deal.__"_

_His voice was starting to fade and gurgle._

"_Like hell,__"__ Lilinette growled._

"_I will.__"_

"_Nani?!__"_

"_Nanao you said?__"__ he asked._

_Shunsui gave his head a small nod. __"__Ise Nanao,__"__ he confirmed. __"__I know I am being greedy, but can I have one last request please?__"__ At this point Shunsui__'__s voice was nothing more than a strained whisper._

_He had to lean in close to hear what the dying Shinigami Taichou had wanted._

"_If possible, Claim Jushiro-kun as well and keep him safe. Don__'__t let him foolishly follow me in death.__"_

It had been a strange request (he could understand wanting to protect mate and child, but another male?) but one he had honoured. Jushiro had had many chances to kill Lilinette during that battle, but he had done nothing more than embarrass her and even _encouraged_ her to do her best.

It had not been hard to agree and despite the fact Jushiro had been upset that he had lived while Shunsui had died, he had never resented either of them for what had happened that day. He had done his best to make them feel welcomed at his Estate even while he grieved for the loss of so many of his companions.

For the first time since joining forces with Aizen, Starrk felt that he was somehow on the wrong side of the whole deal. It was also the first time he'd really regretted his allegiance to Aizen. True, if he hadn't initially given the ex-Shinigami captain his loyalty, he and Lilinette wouldn't have what they did now. But after gaining the companionship and the pack that he and Lilinette so desperately craved for longer than he could remember, he had failed one of them. That didn't sit right, not at all.

He understood Ajuga-chan's feelings all too well.

"Why do you smell like Karin's blood?" Lilinette suddenly asked, her trembling having stopped.

She looked up at him and he loosened his embrace. Looking down at his uniform, he noticed it was speckled with small droplets of blood from Ajuga's struggles.

"Ajuga's claws cut Karin while Ajuga was trying to escape from her," he answered. "Kid decided to try to take revenge on Aizen. Luckily, Karin got to her before she could find him. Or, maybe not so lucky for Karin, but still…"

"Oh, is Karin alright? Grimmjow will be really upset if she is hurt," Lilinette asked worriedly. Starrk noticed she didn't say anything about Ajuga being wrong in her thwarted attempt at revenge against Aizen.

"She's fine. Nanao took her to the 4th to get the wounds cleaned," he assured her.

"Okay."

Lilinette pushed away from him and seemed to have regained her composure. She wiped her eye to make sure it was dry before returning to the room to curl up in the lone chair by the bed. With a sigh, Starrk retreated as well, deciding to hunt down Szayel in his living quarters. While he normally wouldn't bother intruding on another Hollow's territory, Szayel was the one with the information he really needed.

It didn't take too long to track Szayel down by asking his subordinates for directions.

"Good evening Starrk," Szayel greeted him, pushing away from the desk in the corner as Starrk casually walked into the scientist's living room. "I assume you're here for Jushiro?"

"How long?" Starrk asked bluntly, taking the other by surprise.

"How long for what? I need to know what it is you are asking for before answering. Someone as intelligent as you should know that."

The First Espada's mouth thinned a little, but he rephrased the question.

"How long will it be until he wakes up? When will we know if he retained any of his sight?"

"Oh, yes. It is difficult to calculate, but I would give him until morning to mid-afternoon to wake up and unfortunately at least a week, if not longer, to learn if I was able to salvage his eye. The longer we wait, barring any infection, the better. Kami-sama will not be pleased that I intervened…" Szayel tried to say it flippantly, but Starrk easily caught the tremor of terror in the Espada's voice.

"Than it is a good thing I twisted your arm to do so," Starrk said, with a deadpan expression.

Szayel shot a startled gaze his way, surprised by the offer of an excuse.

"A blind pet is of little use to me," he explained

That made perfect sense and Starrk watched as the other Arrancar grasped the convenient out he offered as if it were a lifeline.

"Of course," Szayel agreed with a weak laugh tinged heavily with relief. "If you will excuse me, I was just about to retire for the evening. It was a very long and intricate surgery and I require rest to recover my strength."

Starrk nodded at that, yawned, and left without another word. He walked right out of the building and stared up at the stars just starting to twinkle in the night sky. It almost reminded him of the vast black firmament of Hueco Mundo, but for the stars and a moon that actually changed its shape from night to night.

For a moment, he almost wished he was back there, where the rules were simpler and there were far fewer complications than there were here. Aizen was Kami; there was no doubting or challenging that fact, but this time… Lilinette was right. He could think of nothing Jushiro could have done to warrant this kind of punishment. This was a no-holds barred assault on something that was _his_, an outrage that no Hollow would ever stand for.

With a deep sigh, followed by a groan as he ran his fingers through his hair, he chose a direction and started walking. It was either going to be a very long night, or a very short one. Neither option made him very happy


	82. Blind

Blind

Jushiro woke slowly and carefully. He was clearly not at home, but nor did it seem like he was at the 4th. This didn't feel like his quarters at the office either. Where was he? He tried to open his eyes and was met with blackness.

Everything came rushing back to him quickly. The walk in the beautiful garden, a flash of light, blinding pain followed by darkness and the sound of Unohana-san and Gin speaking in alarmed voices. Was he still at the palace? Was Aizen not done with him?

He tried to move but found himself unable to. He felt panic well up as he struggled against the restraints holding him in place. He seemed to be blindfolded as well and sharp pain was radiating from his eyes and face.

" Szay, Szay, 'take-ji is awake," a voice suddenly cried from nearby.

He froze, recognizing both the voice and the faint traces of reiatsu he could catch from those close by if he paused long enough to actually concentrate.

"Hold still, 'take-ji. We will untie you when you calm down a bit. Szay said it was better this way so you wouldn't undo the bandages."

Hana's voice came calmly from somewhere beside him.

He took a few deep breaths and forced himself to calm down and give a soft nod of his head, letting the girls know he understood them.

"Okay, I am going to undo them now, but you have to leave the bandages alone," Hana informed him.

"Where am I?" he asked in a raspy voice as he felt her smaller hands undo the restraints around his wrists.

"The Research Building. You were brought in two days ago." Hana answered.

_Two whole days?_

"Gee, what in the seven hells did you do, Shiro-chan?" Lilinette demanded grouchily. "And it figures you would wake up when I step out to get some food."

"See, he's awake," Ajuga piped up.

Not being able to see anything was driving him insane and his fingers clutched the blankets at his sides in an attempt to prevent himself from trying to remove the bindings from around his eyes.

"Yes, Ajuga-chan, I can see that. How are you feeling, Ukitake-san?"

The sound of Szayel's voice was actually comforting, in an odd way.

"I have a terrible headache, I'm thirsty, and my reiatsu is still very low, but otherwise I am alright," he answered truthfully. "What happened?"

"Girls, why don't you go let Karin-sama and Nanao-san know he's awake," Szayel suggested helpfully.

"But…" two voices rose in protest.

"Do you want to upset your mothers by ignoring their orders?" Szayel cut in.

The girls groaned, but Jushiro heard them leave and the door shut.

"Here, drink this, it should help with your headache," Szayel ordered.

A smaller arm slipped behind his shoulders as Lilinette helped him sit up before the scientist grasped one of his hands and placed a mug of something warm in it.

"I should warn you it tastes bitter, but do drink the whole cup. You will be glad you did."

Jushiro did as ordered, bringing the cup slowly to his lips and drinking the very bitter stuff down as quickly as he could.

"What happened?" he asked again, trying not to gag at the residual taste in his mouth.

"Do you want me to sugar-coat it, or not?" Szayel asked.

Jushiro stiffened and forced himself not to tremble. If Szayel was asking then it must have been bad. He swallowed nervously before speaking.

"You might as well tell me the truth. Glossing things over won't change the facts," he replied softly.

He heard Szayel cluck his tongue, the 'tsk' sounding a little resigned.

"Very well…Truth it is. Your right eye is completely destroyed. You will never see from it again unless Aizen-Kami permits Orihime-chan to reject the damage done to it. I managed to reconstruct your left eye, but only time will tell if I was able to save it. That is why you are blindfolded. I doubt the slash will scar; such is the power of my healing creams…" Szayel finished with a bit of smugness in his voice.

Jushiro felt his hands tremble at the news and had to clench the blankets tightly to stop his body from trembling with them.

"And if it doesn't heal…"

"I'm afraid you will be permanently blind, unless of course Aizen-Kami wishes otherwise, but I have not known him to reverse any of his punishments. May I inquire as to what you could have possibly done to invite Kami-sama's wrath?"

Jushiro replayed the entire evening over in his mind. Aizen had noticed Byakuya's Kanji were less than perfect and he had used Aizen's interest to bring up another issue that had been tormenting him for many years.

"_I will give you less to see so that you may no longer be tormented with the sight of others suffering.__"_

Aizen had meant to blind him. He had been expecting a punishment for his outburst, but he had never thought Aizen would do something this devastating to him. Despair filled him, much like it had when he'd watched Shunsui die in front of him while all he could do was lay uselessly in a pool of his own blood with a hole punched through his chest.

If he remained sightless, he would be useless on the battlefield against the Swarm. Even Tousen, had he still been alive, would have had a hard time fighting them for their reiatsu was far too small to effectively track.

"See Mama, he's awake!"

Ajuga's cheerful voice sounded distant, though it did cut through the unhappy miasma that surrounded him.

"Yes, I see, Ajuga-chan," Karin agreed, her footfalls a solid sound he could track as they approached. "How are you feeling, Jushiro-san?"

He felt weight suddenly on his bed and jerked in surprise, having no idea what it was from.

"Ajuga," Karin scolded.

"What?" Ajuga asked, sounding confused.

So the weight was Ajuga climbing on the bed. He could barely tell she was there with his own senses still shot from his last tuberculosis attack and the strain of the treatment that would hopefully cure him of the ailment once and for all.

"Remember what we talked about earlier?" Karin scolded.

"Huh? Oh, right. Sorry 'take-ji. I am going to hug you now."

He felt the weight shift shortly before Ajuga glomped him, hugging him tightly. He returned it clumsily, patting her small shoulder.

"Me too," Hana declared.

In a moment he had both girls hugging him tightly. It helped a little to ease the pain he was feeling from his loss of sight.

"You still haven't answered my question, Jushiro-san," Karin pointed out.

"Sorry. I have a headache, but it's getting better. My left eye is getting really itchy," he responded.

"That's a good sign. Szayel did the surgery himself so I am confident you should retain sight in that eye so long as it's not stressed and you rest properly. Do you wish to stay here or return to the Estate?" she questioned.

"The Estate," he answered without hesitation. "At least there I can move about and not need to worry about getting lost. I could navigate my own home blindfolded. I always could, ever since I was a child." He smiled with a small amount of dry humour at the irony of that statement.

"And we will take care of you, right Hana-chan?" Ajuga declared firmly.

"Well, I still got to go to lessons," Hana pouted. "Unless we can convince Sensei to come over again," she suggested hopefully.

"I will see what can be done," Karin offered. "I want you to remain one more night here just to make sure there is no infection or chance of any sort of relapse. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine," he turned his head to where he could sense Lilinette had been hovering. "Strange to see you so far from Starrk-san," he pointed out with a smile of amusement.

"He's been in a bad mood," she huffed. "He went and had 'words' with Aizen- bloody-Kami about attacking you like this. He wasn't happy. Well, none of us were," she snarled. "You don't lay a hand on someone else's property!"

"Enough of this for now," Karin cut in sternly, interrupting the Arrancar before Lilinette could expound upon that potentially touchy subject. "We will talk about such things later. Ajuga-chan, Hana-chan, can I trust you two to take care of Jushiro-san while I regrettably return to work?" Karin asked.

"Hai," both girls affirmed simultaneously.

"Oh, now that you're awake, I got to make sure you get your medicine," Ajuga exclaimed and bounced off of the bed.

"It's almost noon. I have to record your vitals," Hana added.

Karin chuckled and took one of his hands in her own.

"I will leave you to their tender mercies. Really, you need to stop getting yourself beat up Jushiro-san. They are becoming far too proficient in caring for you."

"So it would seem," he offered her a sad smile.

"Oh enough! My work is always flawless. We will take the bandages off in a month and everything will be fine." Szayel protested. "Now if you will excuse me, I have more important things to do with my time."

"Of course you do," Karin said dryly. "Don't you have a few new test tubes to floss or something?"

"Indeed. Excuse me, Karin-_sama_…" He offered her a bow.

"Hai, hai," she said tiredly as the Arrancar took his leave. "I swear, he only calls me that because he knows it annoys me," she grumbled once Szayel had left the room.

He heard her retreat, Szayel's footsteps following hers, leaving him alone with the girls. Both Hana and Ajuga's weight had left his side, one to presumably go brew his medicine while the scratching of a pen on paper indicated the other must be recording his information on a chart.

A hand suddenly took his, taking him by surprise and causing him to jerk a bit. It was a little larger that the two girls' hands and as far as he knew the only other person still in the room had to be Lilinette.

"You are always getting into trouble, Shiro-chan," she complained softly.

"I try not to," he assured her.

"Well you fail miserably at self-preservation," she snorted. "I swear, you live to worry me."

"You were concerned about me, Lilinette-chan?" he asked with a hint of surprise.

"Of course I was worried! And that's Lilinette-_sama_ to the likes of_ you__"__,_ she reminded him haughtily. "And Starrk was worried too, but he won't show it. I mean, who would I pester if you aren't around? And who would try and bribe me with candy at every turn?" she pointed out. "Why don't you think about others? You're so very inconsiderate…"

"Lily-chan," Hana complained. "That's not…"

"We were _all_ worried," Lilinette retorted. "No one spoils us like you do, or lets us hide in their closet when the others are looking for us and then pretends we aren't there. No one else always has an ear ready to listen to us complain," she finished, voice finally wavering a little, betraying how she really felt about him. Jushiro would have tried to pull her into what sounded like a badly-needed hug, save that something she'd said earlier had worried him.

"Where _is_ Starrk-san?" he suddenly asked.

If he had 'words' with Aizen then Jushiro was rightfully fearful for the other. Aizen was not a person who liked to have 'words' about anything unless if he was the one given them.

"He's at the Estate being himself," Lilinette answered. "He's not hurt if that is what you are scared of. I honestly don't know what happened! He has been speaking to Grimmjow ever since he got back from his mission though…" Lilinette mused and then snorted derisively. "As usual, he never tells me anything I want to know."

That was definitely strange. Was it actually possible for Grimmjow and Starrk to have a drawn-out conversation in the first place? The two Espada seemed to share a respectful sort of relationship but they were far from friends or drinking buddies. Jushiro was certain the two had shared at most a dozen conversations since Grimmjow and Karin had moved onto his Estate. So why the sudden interaction now?

"Here, Jushiro-san," Ajuga piped up, gaining his attention.

One of her little hands found his free one and placed the warm mug in it. Lilinette freed the one she had captured and he used that one to cradle the heated mug before raising it to his lips to take a hesitant sip. The taste of his usual dose of the medicine to treat his tuberculosis hit his tongue. Compared to what Szayel had just made him drink, it seemed refreshingly mild.

"Thank you," he offered her a soft smile.

"All the vitals look good," Hana reported.

"Of course they do," Ajuga huffed confidently. "'take-ji is strong. A small scratch like this won't slow him down for long. Right?"

"Hopefully," he said, trying to reassure the little girl. _"__Kami, I am getting too old for this,__"_he grouched to himself.

He finished his medicine and the three girls insisted he lay back to rest. He wasn't in any condition to put up much of a protest against them.

" 'take-ji, Szay says we have to restrain you again just encase you try and get at your bandages while dreaming or if you wake up in a panic," Hana explained hesitantly.

"That's okay. I understand. Go ahead", he assured them with a smile.

Small hands grasped a hand each and the feel of the soft restraint going around his wrist hesitantly followed. Despite the fact the restraints were loose and he was well aware of how necessary they were, he still felt a stirring of fear blossom in his chest as he was once more retrained. Neither girl gave up their grasp on his hands once they were done and it was a comforting gesture.

"Even if you can't see us, we will be right here 'take-ji. Promise," Hana promised.

"Promise," Ajuga echoed.

"And I will be here to make sure you don't get your white-haired ass into any more trouble, Shiro-chan," Lilinette promised sternly.

"Thank you," he offered them a warm smile and let himself drift off.

He wasn't sure if it was just due to his exhaustion or if they had slipped him something in the tea or through the IV, but at least while he was dreaming he was capable of seeing again.

(POV)

The next time he woke up he did so because Hana and Ajuga were both shaking him sharply and frantically calling his name while he could hear Lilinette screaming for Szayel. His body was soaked in sweat and the last traces of his nightmare were playing before his blackened vision.

Blood, there had been so much blood everywhere. His entire world had been tinted red in it. Everything was bleeding around him, from the flowers to the bricks and wood that made up the well in Unohana's garden.

"'take-ji?" Both girls called worriedly.

"It's okay, I am awake," he gasped and forced himself to lie back despite the pounding of his heart.

His wrist were very sore, an indication that he had probably been fighting his restraints during his nightmare. Briefly, he wondered how long the girls had been trying to wake him.

"What's all the commotion about? Why did you interrupt my evening?"

Szayel sounded irritable, and Jushiro couldn't help but wonder what personal business his attack had interfered with.

"Shiro-chan was fighting his restraints and we couldn't wake him after ten whole minutes," Lilinette explained, sounding a little peevish herself.

"Ten minutes?" Szayel sounded far less annoyed now.

"Hai! It took exactly ten minutes and thirty-four seconds to wake him," Hana reported.

"I see."

He could hear the frown in Szayel's voice. A hand, presumably Szayel's judging by the size and smoothness of the skin, grasped his left wrist and traced the damage he'd inadvertently done by struggling. Jushiro winced in pain as a result and swore he could feel Szayel's fingers smearing blood on his unbroken skin. Blood, that he realized, that wasn't truly there. His wrists hurt, but they were only abraded, not bloody.

"Do you remember what you were dreaming?" Szayel questioned.

"No. Just that… there was a lot of blood…" he admitted hesitantly.

The scientist remained quiet, Jushiro assuming that he was considering his answer before he heard Szayel draw in his breath sharply. His next question took Jushiro off-guard.

"Did Aizen-Kami use his Zanpakuto on you during the attack?"

"I am not sure. I think it was his Zanpakuto that got me. It happened so fast…" he answered hesitantly, trying to recall if he had even seen Aizen draw his blade or if he had used a knife or other instrument to take out his eyes.

"Ajuga-chan, go get your mother," Szayel ordered, not waiting any longer. "Hana-chan, Lilinette, go with her just to be on the safe side."

"Alright."

The three girls presumably left the room.

"What are you thinking?" Jushiro asked him, dreading the answer. He only sent the younger girls away when the subject matter took a turn for the gruesome or the inappropriate. If he'd sent Lilinette away as well, it meant that whatever Szayel might say might be particularly bad.

"I am thinking that this is another facet of Aizen-Kami's punishment. It might not have been triggered initially because you were in a medically-induced coma, but this time you went to sleep on your own. I am going to remove the restraints before I try to bandage your wrists," Szayel explained.

Jushiro remained still while the other worked, occasionally hissing in pain as the alcohol touched his abraded skin. His entire body remained tense since he could not see when the next dab of pain was coming. He gave a small involuntary jerk each time the swab returned.

"I want Karin-sama to confirm something for me." Szayel said in a low voice, once he'd finished tying off Jushiro's latest set of bandages and what he said next injected a cold knot of fear into the pit of the wounded Shinigami's stomach.

"And that would be what?"

"That if you hadn't been completely blinded by Aizen's blow, you would finish the job yourself."

(POV)

Karin swore that she wore out as much of the tops of her footgear dragging her feet in fatigue as she did the bottoms by running around all day.

And it had been a very long day indeed. It hadn't been as long as the day they had brought Jushiro in with his injuries or the day that Aizen had tortured Szayel, but still it had been long. There had been a battle in the morning that had lasted until midafternoon. Two hours later Ajuga and Hana had arrived to inform her that Jushiro had woken up.

Nanao was, of course, at the meeting and Karin was still exhausted after her mate's usual after-battle demands. Not that they were that terrible to see to. He always made sure she was well satisfied.

Because it was so soon after a battle she was unable to stay for too long and had to return to the Division to finish up the never-ending sea of paperwork the battle created. There was also at least one unpleasant task that Nanao insisted on taking care of personally, and that was the letters.

Nanao never shirked writing out and sending the notification letters that went to the few family members the deceased might have had. It made Karin more upset that so few actually had people that worried enough about them that a letter was required than the actual writing of the letters themselves.

It wasn't that that it didn't hurt to lose her subordinates in battle, but after the massacre of her entire town she found the pain of individual loss to be dull instead of heart-wrenching. It was of course sad when someone died, but she didn't know them any better than she did the other students in her long-ago middle school classes that she never hung out with.

"Oi, Fukutaichou, you going to stay in here all night?"

"Hmm?" Karin looked up at the three Shinigami standing by the door, obviously expecting an answer.

"Taichou said to make sure you got some rest," another chimed in. "You should go home."

Karin opened her mouth to protest before she checked the time and gaped at the clock on the wall in surprise.

"I think you are actually right," she acquiesced, standing up and stretching. "Out of curiosity, dare I ask what Nanao-Taichou ordered you to do with me if I refused to leave?"

"It involved a lot of Kido and a reiatsu-surprising rope," one of them answered with a laugh. 'Or a large burlap sack and a heavy stick to hang it from. And a couple of the new recruits to carry the stick. They need toughening up," another added.

"Ouch! Alright, well you can put the rope and the sack and stick away and stop muttering those chants under your breaths", she laughed, ruefully. "I am going home to get some rest."

The other three smiled at her and bid her good night. Karin shook her head and started to clean up both desks before she closed the office and began the walk home. If all was going well, Jushiro should be soundly asleep and she wanted to make sure everything was ready for his return home tomorrow morning. Specifically, she wanted to make sure that there was nothing lying on the floor for him to trip over.

It was surprisingly pleasing to do something as domestic as housework, which she found funny. When she was younger, Yuzu could have done all of the housework, for all Karin cared; she hated it that much.

"_A __mother__'__s instinct, perhaps__…"_she froze at the thought and quickly looked at herself in the mirror by the door before sighing in relief. "Well, at least it isn't a sign of nesting," she laughed softly to herself.

She would kill Grimmjow if he managed to knock her up again. Now was the worst time to be pregnant, with constant battles going and a Division to lead. Fortunately, Unohana-san had been more than willing to give her Soul Society's version of a reliable birth control pill. She made sure to never skip a dose.

Thinking of children, Orihime had a son now, and Karin paused to think about that at the gate of the Estate. She wondered how the other woman was doing, and how long Ulquiorra would keep her in quarantine. All she knew was that Orihime had given birth to a boy and she couldn't wait to see how he had turned out.

Grimmjow had yet to return and Karin decided that she was too hungry to wait for him. She'd make something to snack on until he got back and they could sit down to a proper meal. Karin was about halfway through the sandwich she'd fixed when all three girls raced into the room, calling for her.

Something about ''take-ji and a nightmare and that Szayel had sent them to get her. They had her the moment they mentioned Jushiro's name. By the time they made it to the Research Building, Jushiro was sitting up in bed. Szayel, for his part, was busy replacing the cloth restraints on the bed with something that looked as if they were lined in soft sheepskin. She also noticed that Jushiro's wrists were both heavily bandaged.

"A word please, Karin-sama," Szayel requested as she approached them, the girls rushing past the two of them to take up their self-appointed spots next to their 'take-ji and Lilinette staking out the chair.

"Yes, what is it?" she asked, the girls were busy distracting Jushiro in earnest

"Karin-sama, I need you to 'look' at him."

She must have looked as puzzled as she felt, because he sighed and tried to explain it another way.

"Can you tell me if there are any traces of a reiatsu covering Jushiro, an energy other than his own and Starrk's?"

Karin frowned, but turned and studied her target carefully, gasping at what she 'saw' after a few moments of scrutiny. Szayel was right; there was a subtle, complicated knot of foreign reiatsu around his head. She reported as much and Szayel sighed, rubbing his forehead in dismay.

"What is it?" she questioned. "What's wrong?"

"Are you familiar with the ability of Aizen-Kami's Zanpakuto?"

"No," she admitted. "I know it's powerful, but I don't know the specifics."

"Kyouka Suigetsu. When Aizen-Kami releases his Zanpakuto's Shikai, he effectively casts an all-encompassing illusion, to his opponent's detriment. It makes everyone around him see, hear, feel, taste, and experience whatever he desires. It is my belief that as part of Jushiro's punishment Aizen-Kami used Kyouka Suigetsu's ability to force Ukitake-san to experience terrifying nightmares once he falls into REM sleep."

Karin scowled angrily and looked back at Jushiro, keying in on the reiatsu attached to his own.

"It seems as if it's slowly degrading," she said softly.

Szayel nodded, as if he'd suspected as much.

"No doubt the torment has a timer on it. How long would you give it until it disappears?"

The young woman frowned as she took another look at the swirls of the reiatsu Aizen had left behind and then ran her fingers through her hair in frustration.

"I'd give it a week, maybe, before it dissipates. Bloody hell…!" she cursed.

Szayel flinched a little at her angry outburst, but as he wasn't the target of her anger, held his ground and continued.

"I know you wished to take him home tomorrow, but I believe it would be best to leave him here and restrained until it wears off. I'm certain that this was a way to make sure that if Aizen failed to blind Ukitake himself, then there was a failsafe in place to make sure he would take his own eyes out. You have to admit, it was a well-planned attack." Szayel said, with grudging admiration.

Karin made a sound of disgust at the intrigue she could detect in Szayel's voice, but didn't bother arguing the plausibility of the Arrancar's suggestion. It was something that the bastard would plan out alright, down to the last awful detail.

"My apologies, Karin-sama," he offered her an elegant bow, sensing her anger. "But you must admit that it is a cleverly devised punishment."

She sighed and resisted the overwhelming urge to hit him, then walked back to the gathering.

"What did Szay say?" Ajuga asked.

"I am afraid Jushiro-san is going to have to stay for a bit longer, until the nightmares stop happening," she answered honestly. Then she looked down at her daughter and smiled, rubbing her midsection for emphasis. "Hey, now that I think about it, I only had a few bites before you stormed in. Can you rug rats go grab me something to eat?"

"Hai!" Ajuga and Hana said with a salute before darting off.

"Aizen's behind it somehow, isn't he?" Lilinette hissed, not moving from the chair, her expression stormy.

Karin hesitated, and then nodded, not entirely sure how the little Arrancar would react to the truth. It was hard to remember at times that the girl was actually _older_ than she was.

"There is a reiatsu cluster there that isn't his or Starrk's. It's something Aizen left, to make sure that he blinded himself while in the grip of a bad nightmare."

To her credit, Lilinette Gingerback didn't launch herself out of the room in a fit of rage at the news, with the intent to try to attack Aizen out of revenge. Instead, she took a couple of gulps of air and wrapped her thin arms around her shins, drawing her knees up against her chest. It was as if she were actually restraining herself from doing anything more, lest her anger get the better of her. Instead, the girl rested her chin on her knees, squeezed her eyes shut and simply muttered the word 'Bastard' over and over.

Karin didn't feel like chiding her for her language at that moment. Instead, she felt in total agreement with the First Espada's smaller half. Then she turned to look at the man sitting expectantly in the bed, digesting the information, his cheeks gone paler than normal at the thought of what might have happened if the girls hadn't been next to him while he slept.

"I am sorry, Jushiro-san, but there is nothing you can do but try to ride the nightmares out until the end of the week," she said sadly.

"Kyouka Suigetsu," he guessed wearily. "I should have guessed."

"We think so," she agreed. "We are going to have to keep you restrained and monitored as well, to make sure you don't hurt yourself if no one is here."

He nodded his head and leaned carefully back into his propped pillow. With a sigh, Karin returned his wrist to the new, padded restraints, mindful of the bandages.

"I am going to go find Starrk," Lilinette suddenly announced in a firmer voice than was really necessary before leaving.

She nearly bumped into Hana and Ajuga in the process. She did muss Ajuga's hair a little with one hand before turning her back and trotting down the hallway.

"We're back!" Hana announced, carrying a full teapot in both hands.

"Here you go Mama," Ajuga added, handing over the tray she held carefully in her own.

"Oh good… I am starving!"

The combined fragrance of cooked chicken, rice and miso soup wafted from under the covers of the dishes on the tray and Karin's stomach gurgled loudly in response.

"_I must be hungry, if this is my response to hospital food__…"_ she thought as she dug into the first bowl.

"Is 'take-ji going to be okay?" Ajuga asked worriedly.

"He should be in about a week or so," Karin assured them. "But until then there is nothing we can do about the nightmares," she informed them.

"Oh."

They both looked crestfallen.

"Well don't worry! We will be here 'take-ji. Even if you can't see us," Hana said.

"Or hear us," Ajuga added.

"We won't leave your side, not even for lessons!"

"Or food!"

Jushiro couldn't help but laugh and thanked the two girls. They grinned back at him happily, but Karin noticed his hands were clenched tightly. There really was nothing they could do about it but to get through the week and hope that everything turned out in their favour.


	83. Even Kami Fear Mutiny

Even Kami Fears Mutiny

It wasn't often that he admitted to making mistakes, but this time Aizen believed he may have actually made one. He had never, ever taken the possibility that one of his Arrancar would ever rise to the defence of their pets into his calculations, with the possible exception of Grimmjow and Karin. While Grimmjow was well-known for snapping at the bit, he'd assumed that the others knew their proper roles and places and wouldn't challenge him too much or too often if he needed to mete out any discipline he deemed necessary.

So when _Starrk_ of all people marched into his Palace with a serious expression on his face, Aizen was truly surprised. The First Espada was someone he considered very laid-back and, Lilinette's temperament notwithstanding, non-confrontational. Aizen could count on one hand the number of times he had seen Starrk looking both awake _and_ serious, with more than a few fingers left over.

Starrk had been blunt and to the point with his concerns, thankfully keeping things brief. While he listened, Aizen had silently considered the First's arguments regarding the severity of Jushiro's punishments from a more rational perspective. To his chagrin, he found that Starrk made a few very good points. Completely blinding one of the more powerful fighters available to him, even if he was still recovering from the effects of an illness, really had been a poor tactical move when taking into account the bigger picture.

Aizen would never admit out loud to anyone he had made a mistake, but Starrk was a very intelligent being and easily read the unspoken apology he had made in the course of their subsequently pleasant conversation.

So now he sat, pondering the situation while drinking a cup of tea on his porch and looking out over his private garden. Starrk had informed him that he had ordered Szayel to do what he could to save Jushiro's sight. While Starrk's actions could be considered blatant defiance, Aizen had agreed to it this time and had no plans on punishing the scientist for interfering in one of his punishments. Nor did he intend to punish Starrk. He'd been correct; a blind pet was a useless pet and the last thing he needed right now was to spread his fighting force too thinly by rendering one of them unfit for combat.

By the time the sun finished rising, Aizen had already decided on what he was going to do. Eventually, Starrk would no doubt do something that would garner his favour. Should Szayel fail to restore the sight in Jushiro's one eye, he had but to wait until he found a good reason to give a reward to Starrk and permit Orihime to partially restore Jushiro's sight. It would be a reminder to both of them of who was truly in charge here. There was still a lesson to be learned after all.

Surprisingly, Starrk had also mentioned Yammy's treatment of his pet, as well as a few other Arrancar who had continued to treat their possessions roughly. Whereas Jushiro had made a heartfelt speech regarding the torture, Starrk had pointed out how tactically stupid it was to beat up one's own soldiers.

Aizen could not disagree with that either. However, he had already decided to have a 'chat' with Yammy over the continuously rough treatment he gave Byakuya. Picking up one of the reports Jushiro had delivered Aizen frowned at the less-than-perfect kanji he had been informed had been rendered by the former Taichou.

Byakuya had been a prodigy at many things, calligraphy being one of them. Excellence in the written arts was expected of a Noble but still, the writing of the head of the Kuchiki clan had been simply amazing. Being forced to abandon the little calligraphy club he had been a part of had actually been one of the very, very few things Aizen regretted about leaving when they had betrayed Soul Society. His Arrancar were powerful, but hardly stimulating conversationalists and they had no appreciation for the arts.

Aizen sighed and watched the sun crawl slightly higher in the crisp morning sky. While he was all-powerful, even he wondered what would happen if his top Espada turned against him. Even he had no idea of the extent of Starrk's true strength and he had noticed that even Ulquiorra had begun to waver ever so slightly in his loyalty.

Pouring himself another cup of tea, he tried to determine which specific incident might be the one that could have started all of this rebellious behaviour in his minions. Grimmjow had always been displeased about following him, and had only grown more so since mating and producing a child. The others had really only begun fidgeting lately. Aizen considered more recent events, trying to hone in on 'when' and 'what' could have possibly caused his most loyal followers to start doubting him.

He didn't think it was the Swarm. As frustrating as the damn Locusts were, they were a source of amusement and entertainment for his Arrancar. Their sheer numbers made up for their pathetic strength. Truthfully, the Swarm was a bit of a blessing as it gave the instinctually-driven Arrancar something to demolish and that they could use to curb their violent natures without resorting to ripping up his beautiful city.

No, there had to be another trigger, an occurrence that caused even Ulquiorra to start doubting the legitimacy of his reign. Something must have happened… something only a Hollow would care strongly about.

Taking another sip of tea, he pursued that tangent. There were very few taboos amongst the Hollow race. Interestingly, they were similar to human convicts in that respect. The rape of a child was one thing that all Hollows despised to the point of tearing the offender to pieces without even giving them the satisfaction of being consumed to be carried on as a part of the one doing the eating.

"Ah," he noted, following that thought on to another event, one that involved a taboo that was only slightly less heinous to them.

The taking of another, unwillingly, from a mate's position. He recalled with much satisfaction his little punishment session with Szayel. The Espada still couldn't look him in the eye and would tremble every time Aizen was in his presence. It had been his most successful psychological breaking to date, having imparted the deepest sort of fear within the scientist while leaving his mind relatively undamaged.

He also recalled how Grimmjow had stormed in on them, only to go from being irritated to being stunned and horrified by what was going on. Grimmjow, who cared nothing for the fates of others and had no qualms about slaughtering his opponents with relish, had actually balked at what he had seen and had looked ready to bolt himself.

Yes, if word of _that_ had spread, then that would possibly explain the dissatisfaction amongst his Espada. Szayel had been in rough shape when he had finished with him and perhaps, he grudgingly admitted, he had taken that punishment a little too far as well.

He was starting to let his frustrations get to him. The upset of his intended timetable for taking the Kings throne for his own had left him irritable and had cast a pall upon his better judgment. He'd made an error and now needed to correct it. An Arrancar rebellion was one annoyance he did not want to have to deal with. Civil War was such a messy thing and a waste of his precious energy.

"You are up early, Aizen-Kami," Gin noted as he appeared on the porch with a fresh pot of tea.

"I find morning to be a peaceful time to reflect," he answered, holding out his empty tea cup while Gin refilled it from the fresh pot.

"Oh?"

"I trust the blood has been cleaned up from my wife's garden by now?"

"Hai. I did it as soon as I returned."

"Good. Sometimes I forget how much face wounds like to gush. Is my wife awake yet?"

"I believe she has already dressed and left for work," Gin answered.

"No doubt to check on Jushiro. A pity that. I had thought he was too smart to incur my wrath. I find it disappointing that I needed to punish him at all. Perhaps he will be a quicker learner than others. I would be displeased to need to make the same point twice," he mused aloud, knowing how Gin would interpret his words.

Silence settled between them as the sun slowly rose in the morning sky.

"Did ya truly mean to blind him?" Gin asked hesitantly.

"I merely meant to teach him a lesson about poking his nose into the affairs of others. Whether or not he ends up blind is of little interest to me," he lied smoothly.

Well, he _had_ been interested in permanently blinding Jushiro at the time, but after his discussion with Starrk he realized, with some annoyance, how foolish that had been. A battle with his Espada would be devastating, not because he felt he would lose, but because so many innocents would be massacred in the process.

He found it ironic that he'd managed to tie his own hands and take over a million hostages against himself. Not that he personally cared about the people living in his shadow, but to destroy that many souls, collateral damage in a battle between himself and his own Espada would severely unbalance the realms. He was not so foolish as to believe he would live through the destruction caused by the destruction of the realms tearing themselves asunder. They were already off-balance as it was since no one currently resided in the King's Castle. That led his thoughts down another frustrating avenue.

Of the four Noble houses with Royal blood running through their family trees, there were very few potential mates to choose from. The records he'd perused had failed to turn up any new prospects either, turning into yet another dead end. In some cases, 'dead' hadn't been a metaphorical term.

The few remaining Kuchiki clan's females were either too old or too weak to survive intercourse with him to produce him an heir. Kuchiki Rukia was the lone exception, but as she'd been adopted by the clan rather than born into it, she lacked the proper breeding. Pursuing her was pointless.

In contrast, the Shihoin family had corrupted their line too much by breeding with those 'beastly barbarians' in order to produce their well-known shape-shifters. That meant Shihoin Yoruichi was also unsuitable for his purposes should he ever actually manage to capture and cage her.

The women of the late Yamamoto's family, from the oldest to the youngest, had gallantly committed suicide to the last woman when it became clear Aizen was going to win the war.

That left the Kyoraku family. Unohana Retsu, his wife, came from one of its minor branches. That house was in the same boat as the Kuchiki clan with regards to its dearth of eligible female descendants.

Or was it?

He had dismissed the little girl at the time but he did recall that Nanao had graced Shunsui with a daughter before his demise. Well, technically, 'after' his demise, for the girl had been born nine months after the end of the war. How powerful was she now? She was still far too young to use for his purposes but he made a note to pay more attention to her development in the future.

Giving it more thought, he decided that perhaps he ought to check her progress now. She was getting to the age where her reiatsu would start expanding and growing. It was worth knowing whether or not she had any potential as a fighter. As for his other interests, he could check her for suitability at the same time.

"Gin."

"Yes, Aizen-Kami?"

"I would like you to bring Nanao's daughter, Hana, to me."

"Right now?"

"Yes. If she is eating, let her finish, but I wish to see her as soon as possible."

"If that is Kami-sama's wish," Gin bowed his way out, leaving the pot of still-hot tea on the side table.

Aizen reached out and poured himself another cup, taking a sip as he contemplated the beginning of another promising, beautiful day.

(POV)

There were many things Gin had done in his life that he regretted. Hurting Rukia, almost killing Byakuya, failing to save Rangiku, Kira's death in battle. He could make a list of his regrets long enough to wrap around the entire city. Twice.

This was just one more of those things. He truly did not want to drag a terrified little girl before Kami-sama without anyone to support her. It was not a pleasant thought, because Gin was not an idiot; he knew exactly what kind of interest Aizen had in the girl and it made his skin crawl.

To his surprise, no one was at the Estate, even though it was still early in the morning. That definitely made things more difficult. He leaned against the wall and debated on heading to the Fifth Division to ask Nanao about her daughter's whereabouts, rather than looking for the child himself. Of course an order was an order and whether Nanao liked it or not, her daughter had been summoned. It wasn't like Nanao wasn't going to learn about it in the end anyway.

With a sigh he pushed off from the wall and made his way towards the Fifth Division. Halfway there he froze as his eyes fell upon a fruit stand tucked away along the street-side market. There, hanging ever so innocently, was a rope of dried persimmons, the orange-red flesh shining like strung jewels in the sunlight. He felt his mouth actually water at the sight of them. He hadn't tasted one of the sweet-tart fruits in years, since before his defection from the Gotei 13. When he'd been young and hungry, living hand to mouth with Rangiku, they'd been one of his favourite things to steal.

Regrettably, he didn't have any funds to purchase such a thing. His food was provided for him in a plain bowl, minus any form of utensils. Servants set it down twice a day by his 'bed.' Rice and fish. It was the same thing, every day.

Oh, but to take one of those for himself and bite into it now! He wondered, wistfully, if Toshiro was taking care of the persimmon trees he had planted and tended in his old Division's gardens or if the white-haired Taichou had chopped the lot of them down out of spite. He hoped not. It had taken years to raise each one.

"Gin-san?"

He jumped and tore his eyes from the untouchable treats to stare down at Ajuga in surprise. She was looking up at him curiously and appeared to be alone. She had apparently materialized out of nowhere; he hadn't even felt her presence until she'd spoken to him.

"Ajuga-chan," he greeted her with a smile, unable to keep the surprise out of his voice. "Are ya out an' about by yourself?"

"Uh-huh," she agreed. "I had to go get more of 'take-ji's medicine from the Estate since he will be staying with Szay for longer," she answered, sounding a little sad about that fact.

"How is he feeling?" he asked, honestly concerned.

"He woke up, but is having nightmares. Szay said 'take-ji might get sight back in one eye, but he doesn't know yet. Do you want to come see him?" Ajuga asked curiously.

"I would love to, but I gotta find Hana-chan."

"Oh, she's watching him now," Ajuga supplied helpfully. "I was just on my way back."

"That would be convenient."

"Okay. What were you looking at anyway?" Ajuga asked.

"Nothin' interesting," he lied.

She gave him a 'ya right' look.

"Just checking out the fruit," he admitted.

"Oh? What kind?"

She walked up to the stall he had been scoping out, giving each of the varieties a dubious look. Gin got the impression that fruit wasn't exactly something a half-Hollow, half-human child would crave. He pointed to the rope of dried persimmons.

"Those are the ones. Do you know what they are?" he asked curiously.

"Nope," she answered truthfully.

"Those are dried persimmons. They are the best ever, but I haven't had one in years. Rangiku-chan used to love 'em too," he explained.

"Really?" Ajuga asked curiously.

"Yep," he assured her with a smile.

"Well, if Ran-neechan likes 'em too…"

She made her way to the stall and waved the vendor over before he realized what she intended to do.

"Ajuga-chan?"

"Can I get a dozen?" she asked the vendor, pointing towards the rope of dried fruit.

"A dozen?" The vendor looked down at her, amused.

"Uh-huh. Here, Papa gave me this!" she explained, and held out a strange card.

"Oh! Of course!" The vendor's smile vanished at the sight of the card.

He quickly gathered what she had requested into a small parcel, and then fetched some paper and an inkwell from beneath the counter. The man carefully copied the number embossed on the front of the card down on a slip of paper. He then handed the slip to Ajuga, along with a brush the inkwell.

Ajuga wrote her name down on the receipt in absolutely perfect kanji before tucking the card back from wherever she'd kept it hidden and sliding the slip of paper back to the fruit vendor. Then she took the bag from the obviously nervous merchant and quickly offered Gin a persimmon. He stared at it in shock before hesitantly accepting the dried fruit.

"Come on. I need to make 'take-ji his medicine," she said, turning on her heel and heading in the direction of the Research Building.

Gin followed after her, staring at the unbelievable and unexpected treasure in his hand before slowly raising the fruit to his lips and taking a small bite. He closed his eyes in pure bliss as he was finally permitted to eat something other than rice and fish. One bite led to another and all too quickly, regardless of how much he tried to savour each one, it was gone. He finished by licking his fingers, humming to himself.

"You seem to like 'em," Ajuga noted.

He noticed the girl had taken two bites out of hers and didn't seem thrilled with the taste. In fact, her small face was scrunched up, as if she'd just bitten into something that disagreed with her on some fundamental level.

"They are my favourite," he agreed and tried not to look longingly at the fruit in her hand. He must have failed miserably, because he found the persimmon she'd bitten into thrust beneath his nose.

"Here, you can finish mine. I don't like 'em."

She handed hers over, frowning at the thing.

He stared at her in surprise before gratefully accepting the barely-touched treat. He must have done _something_ right recently to warrant this small slice of heaven, and what he was about to do suddenly seemed that much darker and depressing.

The second fruit didn't seem to taste nearly as good as the first. In fact, he didn't really taste it at all. He briefly toyed with the idea of returning to Aizen and claiming he couldn't find the girl, but that would change nothing other than the fact he would be tortured before someone that might be less considerate of the child's well-being was sent to fetch her in his place.

He soon found himself at the Research Building, before he remembered that Ajuga had mentioned Szayel. Jushiro was awake as they entered the room along with the dark-haired, serious-looking child he guessed was Hana. She looked up as they entered.

"I got the medicine. I'll go brew it now, 'take-ji," Ajuga promised. "Oh, Hana-chan, Gin-san here was looking for you."

"What does Aizen want with Hana-chan?" Jushiro asked firmly and there was more than enough apprehension in the blind man's voice for the both of them, even though he was trying to hide it.

"It's not my place to question him," Gin answered regretfully. "I am just supposed to bring 'er to him."

"I don't want to see Kami-sama," Hana said firmly, looking back down at her paper.

Gin sighed. The kid had Nanao's smarts after all, or at least, enough good judgment to want to avoid a deadly predator on principle.

"I do not blame ya, but I got to bring ya to him."

"What if I don't go?" she asked stubbornly.

"I would sooner not tell ya, because it will not be pleasant," he admitted softly and this time didn't try to pretend he wasn't warning her not to make him take her there by force.

"It's okay, Hana-chan, you can go. I'll take care of 'take-ji while you are gone." Ajuga smiled at her, as if trying to reassure her playmate.

"You should get your mother first," Jushiro insisted.

Now that was an idea, Gin thought. There was no stopping what Aizen wanted, but having Nanao there would definitely help mitigate any damage. It was pure genius and Gin silently thanked Ukitake.

"Alright. Let's go…" Hana sighed in defeat.

There was something in her eyes though that spoke of a greater worry. Gin wondered if the girl hadn't figured out what Aizen wanted. She was already eleven or so and there was a look in her eyes that reminded Gin of his much-younger self. It was the look of one who knew far too much for their age.

She followed him to the 5th without speaking. Unfortunately, neither Karin nor Nanao were there, and Gin suspected a certain rat had a hand in their absence. Karin was apparently back helping out at the 2nd with Byakuya since Jushiro was injured and Nanao had been pulled away for some kind of emergency meeting.

Yes, there was definitely a rat involved. Unfortunately, this was one rat that he couldn't do anything about. With a heavy heart, he turned them towards the Palace. Hana didn't protest as she fell in behind him, but he did notice that she moved closer to him. It was flattering that she thought he might be able to protect her, even if that was the furthest thing from the truth at present.

The little girl gave out a gasp of awe as the Palace came into sight. He didn't blame her. Even living here, he found it impressive every time he was actually permitted to walk through the front gates to see it in its entirety. Hana's astonishment at the grandeur of the place did not mean that she didn't shadow him as closely as possible as they made their way towards the throne room. He pushed the doors open to find Aizen sitting up on the throne, looking expectantly at them.

"I was beginning to think you had gotten lost Gin. Surly you haven't forgotten your way around the city already?"

"Nah, Aizen-Kami. I just had a hard time finding lil' Hana-chan here. She was hiding out with Szayel," he explained.

"I see. You are dismissed." Aizen waved him away.

"_Sorry lil__'__ one. Good luck.__"_He silently wished the best for her as he bowed and exited the room, leaving Hana alone with Aizen.

(POV)

"You wanted to see me, Kami-sama?" Hana bowed deeply.

She felt a lot less safe without Ajuga-chan's friend here to back her up, but she was tough. She hadn't done anything wrong, but she had a strong suspicion she knew exactly what Aizen wanted with her.

Hana had been more than able to put two and two together, and while she couldn't make it equal five yet like Szayel-san could, she could come damn close. She knew exactly what Aizen was interested in, for her Mother had never hidden her heritage from her.

Karin also didn't know that on that fateful day that Ajuga had gone for a stroll in the woods and the Swarm General's had shown up that Hana had heard the entire conversation, hiding safely and unnoticed in the bushes. Ajuga wasn't the only one that could conceal herself, she thought, a little smugly.

She understood all too well what Aizen wanted with her. The hard part was going to be convincing him she couldn't give him what he wanted while not letting on she knew anything in the first place.

"Please, stand up child," he offered her warm, fatherly smile. "Come sit over here. Would you like a cup of tea?"

"Yes please," she answered as she took the cushion beside his desk, rather than the one opposite from him.

Someone came in and poured her a cup before leaving. She thanked the unknown Arrancar anyway. Her mother had carefully instilled manners in her, after all. In all honesty, she was too afraid to do anything but show complete respect and subservience in front of Aizen. Her actions seemed to please him at least, which was a good sign.

Hana took a sip of her tea and waited silently for him to address her. He surprised her by unexpectedly grasping her chin and turning her face from side to side, inspecting her features. She barely managed to keep from flinching and dropping her teacup as his brown eyes took her in, from her head to her feet. She was glad she was sitting, for if he'd grabbed her while standing, her knees might have betrayed her fear.

"You certainly inherited quite a number of your father's features," he commented, running a hand through her hair.

"Thank you," she whispered, trying to keep from shrinking away from his touch.

"Tell me, Hana-chan, everything you know about your father?"

She blinked a little at that, realizing that he'd given an order rather than made a request.

"Just what 'take-ji and Okaasan have told me about him," she answered, hedging a little.

"Enlighten me,"

Hana did as commanded, reiterating most of what she knew of her father, from his Noble Heritage to his rather lazy ways. The only thing she didn't mention was the possibility of Royal Lineage. It wasn't exactly a lie if she simply didn't tell him everything.

"And how does the rest of your family feel about you?" he inquired.

"Kami-sama?" she asked, confused.

"I refer to the rest of the Kyoraku family. Losing Shunsui was a heavy blow to them. In addition, a good number of his other relatives failed to survive the invasion. Some Nobles seem not to know when to keep their arrogant mouths shut when faced with an enemy with no patience for it. If memory serves me, I recall Barragen took over that property…" he mused, then looked back at the child.

The name meant nothing to her, as she'd never actually met the Second Espada, so she said the only thing that came to mind.

"I do not know if they are aware of me," she admitted hesitantly.

That was the truth, but she understood all too well why her presence hadn't been announced to them. Her mother rightly feared that her daughter would be taken away from her. Born out of wedlock or not, as far as the Nobles were concerned, Hana would belong to them if word reached them of her existence. Aizen regarded her thoughtfully for a moment and then tried a different angle, one that abandoned all pretence of subtlety.

"Did you know that many of the Noble Houses bear Royal Blood?" he questioned.

Oh how was she supposed to answer that without giving too much away? She couldn't lie to him; he would see through it and that would be that. Instead, Hana took a gamble and she settled on a half-truth.

"I think I heard something about that from 'take-ji."

Aizen favoured her with another one of those smiles that made her stomach clench. Hana had seen Starrk and 'take-ji playing shoji from time to time, each considering potential tactical moves before they placed pieces on the board or tried to enact a strategy that would force the other to make a particular play or make a mistake. She felt that way now; it was as if she and Aizen were playing a shoji game of sorts and that she had to counter every question Aizen asked with an answer that wouldn't give her secret away. Somehow, she felt as if she might have actually lost the game the moment she'd agreed to follow Gin-san here.

"It's strange really. It seems the Royal Gene is repressed in male descendants, but seems to run strongly in females. It took a large amount of research on my part to discover this."

"My mother is common born," she pointed out.

He nodded at that, but pressed on.

"Indeed. Still, wouldn't it be interesting to find out?" he smiled at her.

She knew the question wasn't one that he expected her to disagree with.

"_But I already know,__"_she thought silently.

There was so little of it in her compared to Karin and Ajuga, but it was still there, enough that it might be deemed worthy of his _personal_ attention.

"Come along child. Don't you want to know if Royal Blood flows through your veins?"

Aizen stood up and Hana reluctantly rose as well.

"I am not really interested," she said softly and hesitantly. "'take-ji said blood doesn't matter. Family can be made up from anyone."

Aizen chuckled softly, but continued to walk, clearly expecting her to follow him. Hana wisely fell in behind him, hesitantly trailing him out of the palace. It was with a growing sense of relief she realized he was leading her to the Research Building and therefore, to Szayel.

Just entering the building made her feel safer. Thankfully, Szayel was quick to greet them.

"Kami-sama, to what do we owe the honour of a personal visit?"

Szayel bowed deeply and suddenly, Hana was unsure of how much help Szayel could actually provide her. He hid it well but she could tell the Espada was terrified of the man standing between them.

"I'd like you to conduct a simple experiment. I wish to test our dear Hana-chan's blood. Run a full diagnostic and a DNA analysis on the sample."

Szayel looked up and Hana could see him relax a little. She wondered why he'd been so tense. For a second, it seemed as if his golden eyes caught hers and then looked away so quickly she thought she must have imagined it, before he spoke.

"Oh? Well, if that's the case I can save you some time, Kami-sama. I have already done so."

"Oh?" Aizen's voice rose in surprise at that, and Hana could detect a dangerous undercurrent in his voice, as if Szayel had said something unexpected and unwelcome. Szayel, however, didn't seem worried as he delivered his explanation.

"It was just after Ajuga-chan was born. I was testing the newborn's blood, naturally, and at the time little Hana-chan here wanted to donate her blood as well. You know how children are, I suppose she just didn't want to be left out of all of the fun," he answered with an amused smile.

Hana thought hard, trying to remember back to the time after Ajuga had been born while Szayel gave her what seemed to be a cursory look and continued.

"I had Nemu draw her blood and run an analysis on it along with Karin-sama's blood, so she could see it on the display. I'll also admit I took the sample to assuage my own curiosity. I didn't have much data on Shinigami children, to be honest, and I wanted a possible reference if I needed one in the future." Szayel answered the question flawlessly and Aizen's eyes narrowed a little, but he did nothing that would indicate he believed the scientist was telling anything other than the truth.

"And the results?"

Szayel shrugged and adjusted his glasses.

"The results were almost identical to what we found with regards to Karin-sama's blood panel," Szayel answered without a moment of hesitation. "There were the usual tiny variations in the DNA sequencing because they are from different families, things related to eye color, hair color and so forth, but such superficial differences in samples are to be expected."

The silence stretched out for what seemed to Hana to be a long, tense, eternity before Aizen turned away, looking at one of the monitors as the numbers on it scrolled down to the bottom of the screen in an endless stream of data. It wasn't until he spoke again that she found that she'd been holding her breath and let it out as quietly as she could, hoping no one would notice.

"I see…" he said, actually sounding disappointed. "It would seem we are done here then."

It was as if someone had reached over her shoulder and placed the winning shoji tile in front of her. What had just happened? She looked from Szayel, who appeared confident in his answer to Aizen's question and back to Aizen, who was still staring at the monitor.

"Am…am I dismissed then, Aizen-Kami?" she asked cautiously, biting her lip as he turned back to look down at her.

His gaze had gone from an intense, overwhelming scrutiny to one of distant, cool regard, as if he'd just discovered that the rare butterfly he had thought he'd caught had turned out to be a common, drab moth.

"You are free to go, child."

"Thank you, Kami-sama."

Hana bowed deeply to him before she straightened and turned to Szayel. "Are 'take-ji and Ajuga-chan still in his room?" she asked him, trying to keep her voice steady and cheerful and not let any of the anxiety she felt show.

"They haven't moved," he assured her, and she allowed a real smile to spread across her face at that welcome news.

"Thank you!" She bowed to the Arrancar and took the opportunity to bolt in her eagerness to escape Aizen's suddenly-suffocating presence. She still caught part of their conversation as she fled the room, trying not to look too eager to get away.

"I trust you were not lying to me Szayel." Aizen rounded on him, speaking to him coldly while she was still within earshot.

She almost turned around out of fear that he might do something bad to Szayel, given his tone. Her less altruistic side, the one motivated by fear, was simply glad to retreat to the relative safety of Ukitake and Ajuga's company. Still, she couldn't help but hear the remainder of the conversation, before Aizen strode out of the laboratory.

"I assure you, Kami-sama, that every word I spoke was the truth. I do not wish to incur your displeasure…" Szayel stated emphatically, his upper body practically horizontal as he deepened the bow.

"See to it that you do not.


	84. Growing Quickly

Growing Quickly

Diaemus, his mother decided, was growing at an amazing rate. He was barely two months old and he was already crawling and flapping his wings. Her son was also a clingy little guy. His hands could grasp onto almost anything with a near death grip.

Orihime quickly discovered that she didn't need to worry too much about him letting her know he was hungry; he would simply crawl over and use her clothing as a ladder to get to his milk. The amount of blood he drew didn't grow too much either as he fed more frequently. Surprisingly, he wasn't shy about feeding from his father either.

It was the most bizarre thing Orihime had ever seen and she had made a mental note to get a book on vampire bats to study. There was very little information on them, but what was there did explain that vampire bats were very family-oriented, social creatures and that any member of the wing could request food from another. Apparently, the sharing of blood amongst kin was common in a bat colony.

Orihime sighed and picked Diaemus up as he tried to crawl past her. So far none of her friends had come by to visit yet. She wasn't too surprised. They were probably waiting for Ulquiorra to give them the go-ahead before intruding and Ulquiorra was the sort of person who would 'neglect' to do so until they asked him.

Well, that was enough of that. She couldn't wait to show her son off to her friends, even if he was already able to crawl. When Ulquiorra walked through that door she was going to make him turn around and march right back out to let everyone know she wanted visitors.

Diaemus settled on her lap and flapped his wings. Ulquiorra had told her he did this to exercise and strengthen them, just like any winged creature would instinctively do.

"That's my boy, work those muscles. Soon you will be able to fly just like your father!" she encouraged him.

Of course, the thought of him flying did make her worry. She hoped he wouldn't climb too many bookshelves to jump off of in his quest for flight. The mental image alone nearly gave her a heart attack.

Encouraged by her words, he flapped his wings harder and his tail shifted about, widening and narrowing as he flexed the leathery appendage. His green eyes narrowed and he crouched down in her lap, still flapping his wings until a small breeze formed.

"Excellent," Ulquiorra's voice came from the entrance to the living room.

Orihime yelped in surprise and lost her grip on her son. Diaemus took the distraction to leap from her lap before she could catch him. The floor really wasn't that far away and he glided poorly to the ground and landed just as badly.

"Diaemus," she called alarmed.

Her son turned about and stubbornly crawled his way back to her and up the couch to settle in her lap once more. She checked him over for any sign of injury while he did his best to fend off her searching hands and set about flapping his wings again.

"Birds call it branching. It is to be expected from one his age," Ulquiorra noted as he entered the room to join them.

"He could have been hurt," she complained.

Diaemus was still trying to set himself up for what she suspected was going to be another leap from her lap.

"Such an insignificant fall could not harm him," Ulquiorra pointed out.

Orihime sighed and forced herself to stop fussing over their son. Ulquiorra was right. Diaemus could throw himself off of the couch all day and probably not even get a bruise. He had definitely inherited his father Heirro.

"It's a mother's instinct to worry," Orihime defended herself.

"Apparently so," he agreed.

Diaemus turned his attention to his father as Ulquiorra stepped in front of them. After a moment of silent communication that left Orihime completely baffled, Diaemus grasped onto his father's clothing and climbed up to perch on his shoulder.

He remained there with ease as Ulquiorra walked across the living room before turning to face her.

"Failure is not an option," he said, giving his son a sidelong look that said he expected the command to be obeyed.

Diaemus nodded his little head and started flapping his wings and adjusting his tail.

"Wait!" Orihime protested, starting to rise to fetch the child back. "Ulquiorra, he's way too young to be doing something so dangerous."

"Remain where you are," he ordered her.

Shocked, she settled back onto her place at the couch while Diaemus continued to eye the distance between his parents, working his wings and his tail. Orihime felt herself trembling with apprehension while Ulquiorra hardly seemed phased by either the potential for injury or the fact his son seemed to be taking his time to make the leap.

Finally Diaemus must have felt he was ready for he launched himself from his father's shoulder and glided unsteadily towards her. Orihime caught her son as he landed haphazardly in her lap before turning his attention to his father.

"Well done," Ulquiorra congratulated his son.

Diaemus nodded and puffed out his wings in pride at the compliment from his father while trying to get his mother to stop smothering him.

"It is past bedtime," Ulquiorra noted.

Diaemus seemed to sulk at that, but didn't protest as he was picked up and brought to their shared room. Orihime put her son to bed and watched as he curled contently up in the nest of bedding before tucking his wings around him in the manner of a blanket.

"You did well today, Diaemus-kun, even if you gave me a heart attack," Orihime smiled at her son and kissed the crown of his head.

He yawned sleepily and settled more comfortably between his wings while she pulled the sheet up to cover him.

Ulquiorra had claimed the couch and seemed to be dozing lightly. She had heard the alarms this morning so she knew he had been fighting today. She curled up next to him and sighed as he pulled her into his embrace.

"He is growing up so fast, even faster than Ajuga-chan," she complained softly.

"It only feels that way because he spent more time in the womb," he responded. "And you are comparing him to a human child again," he added displeased.

"Well I am human, so it's only natural," she snapped back irritably.

Silence settled in the room for at least a minute.

"I want to see my friends," she declared firmly.

"I am not stopping you," he pointed out.

"Until they hear from you, we both know they won't stop by and risk intruding. I want to share Diaemus-kun with them before he grows up too much."

"I will let them know," he sighed softly in annoyance.

"Thank you," she turned about in his grasp and kissed him softly.

He gave her a squeeze but didn't demand anything more. She guessed it was Diaemus's presence that held his instinct to breed again with her at bay. They already had one child to care for; until Diaemus was a bit older and could 'fend for himself', that instinct to breed would remain curbed.

"I am tired," he commented, startling her momentarily.

"Mmm, so am I," she agreed, nestling closer to his warmth.

"We should retreat to bed," he added.

"A good idea," she agreed, and felt her eyelids droop a little.

He held back a frustrated sigh, but she still caught it.

"It is difficult to do with you on top of me," he stated flatly.

"Somehow I doubt the Great and Powerful Ulquiorra-sama is being pinned down by a Meek and Weak human girl," she teased.

She felt more than heard him growl in annoyance, then let out a squeal as he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder with ease.

"Very well, Onna, if you wish to be that way," he commented.

"Ulquiorra, put me down," she complained as the blood rushed to her head.

"You wanted to be difficult, now you shall suffer the consequences," he deadpanned as he carried her to their room.

"Ulquiorra…" she warned.

He continued to ignore her until he dropped his shoulder and she landed on the bed with a thump.

She righted herself and glared at him. Diaemus hardly even shifted at their presence and continued to sleep with nary a murmur of discontent at the bed being bounced.

"It is time to sleep."

"I am not tired," she huffed, crossing her arms like a stubborn child.

"If you were interested in other bed-related activities, so be it," he noted, stripping off his uniform.

She growled at him as she removed her own clothing and shifted on the bed to make space for him.

"Not with Diaemus-kun around," she said firmly.

"Then I suggest you sleep," he replied, crawling into the bed to join them.

"There is no winning with you, is there?" she groused.

"It took you this long to discover that?" he asked, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Oh, just go to sleep," she muttered irritably, finding Diaemus and bending her body around him.

Her son was quick to adjust to her body heat, moving closer to curl up next to her but still remained cocooned under his wings.

"_At least he doesn__'__t try to hang from the ceiling,__"_she thought gratefully, amused at the mental image that quickly came to mind before she too nodded off.

(POV)

Tatsuki was the first to stop by after Ulquiorra assured her that he had informed her friends they were permitted to visit. The news her friend bore was heartbreaking and Orihime almost had to ask Tatsuki to physically restrain her from going to Jushiro to help him.

"When did that happen?" she asked in horror.

"Two weeks ago." Tatsuki answered grimly. "Karin-chan has taken over running his Division again, leaving Nanao-san to run their Division alone. I have been helping Nanao-san the best I can by keeping an eye on Hana-chan and Ajuga-chan, but both of them are practically glued to Jushiro-san's side and won't leave."

The dark-haired woman shook her head, mouth pressed into a thin angry line before she continued.

"At least his nightmares seem to have ended, but it will be another week or so before they dare to take the bindings off and see if he will retain any sight at all. I even heard that Starrk-san had a talk with Aizen about it, although the whole thing is being kept hush-hush. The only reason I know anything about it is because Lilinette-chan was bitching about it to Jushiro-san when I walked in."

"So no one will be able to visit for a while," Orihime sighed dejectedly.

She was getting tired of being locked up in the house and wanted to get out. She knew Ulquiorra suffered far fewer of the 'protective instincts' that Grimmjow had been subject to, but she was still hesitant about taking Diaemus out of the house just yet.

"I could bring Hana-chan and Ajuga-chan over. I am sure I could peel them away from Jushiro-san's side long enough for a visit," Tatsuki offered.

"That's alright. If I was blind I wouldn't want to be left alone." She sighed again. "I will ask Ulquiorra when he gets home tonight if I can visit them,"

"That would work better," Tatsuki agreed as they watched Diaemus climb back up onto the chair and once more flap his wings in preparation of another short glide to the floor.

He had learned quickly that anything higher had his mother in a dither, so the chair and a pile of pillows a few feet away made up his practice field.

"He sure is growing quickly," Tatsuki noted.

"Apparently it is a Hollow thing, since Hueco Mundo is not the most child-friendly environment. Most Adjuchas don't live longer than ten years," she noted sadly. "It's a desolate place, full of sand and rock and little else, trust me. I'm surprised _anything_ lives there."

"That would definitely make the ability to grow up quickly important," Tatsuki sighed.

"So, how are you and Tesra-san doing?" Orihime asked, changing the subject. "Are there any children in _your_ future?"

Tatsuki rolled her eyes in reply to the obvious enthusiasm in her friend's voice.

"We are doing fine and no, I do not see children any time soon, regardless of what that quack Szayel may want. I still find it hard to believe that an Arrancar turned out to be the perfect match for me. A chance meeting. So gay…" she muttered.

"I think it's romantic," Orihime sighed wistfully. "You're trapped in a dangerous ring of enemies and out of the shadows steps a white figure who loudly proclaims 'Release her!' Once the enemies have been vanquished, he escorts the victim home where he leaves her honour intact, and before long they fall helplessly in love."

She giggled at the fairytale image that her mind had conjured. Tatsuki, in contrast, had a look of disgust plastered on her face.

"That's _not_ how we met."

"Close enough," Orihime said in defence of her version of things. "And that is exactly what I am going to tell your children when they ask me how you two met one another."

"Right," Tatsuki rolled her eyes at the supposed threat. "I think I might just have to kill you now…"

Diaemus, once he'd determined that his mother was thoroughly distracted, took advantage of the opportunity to sneak up the bookshelf. He'd decided that the chair was just too low to the ground to get any real gliding practice in.

He froze when he noticed his mother's friend's eyes had drifted his way and she raised one dark eyebrow at his daring, but surprisingly, she didn't point out his position to his mother.

Confident now that the newcomer was an ally who understood his needs, Diaemus finished his journey to the top of the large bookshelf and perched there carefully. This would be his highest leap to date and he wanted to plan his descent with equal consideration.

Once he'd finally settled on a trajectory, he leaped and snapped his wings open. Only now did his mother notice his endeavour and tried to rise from her place on the couch to catch him, but her friend snagged a shoulder and held her in place.

Diaemus continued his glide, out of the living room, ending his flight with a tumble onto the kitchen floor. Landing was something he still needed to practice. As luck would have it, he ended up at his father's feet. He had known his sire was coming and had hoped to land far more elegantly to try to earn a little praise from the Arrancar.

"Your landing needs work," his father noted, but there was also a bit of amusement in the green eyes that looked down on him.

"Diaemus!" His mother scowled and scooped him up. Diaemus braced himself for the scolding.

"What have I told you about climbing higher than the couch?" she demanded, her voice containing an edge of hysteria.

"Calm down, Orihime-chan, he's fine." Tatsuki came up behind her and put the same hand on her shoulder that she'd initially used to keep Orihime from intercepting her son in mid-flight. "Ulquiorra-san," she greeted the Espada, inclining her head in his direction.

"He could have hurt himself, or crashed into a wall or… something," Orihime argued stubbornly, squeezing the boy a little more tightly than Diaemus thought necessary. He began to squirm a little in protest at being held so closely.

"He is going to have to learn how to fly sooner or later," Tatsuki pointed out.

"Later is fine by me!"

"Orihime," Ulquiorra stated firmly, in an attempt to settle things.

She snapped her mouth shut, cutting off whatever else she had been about to say, and turned her grey eyes to his. Pain radiated from them with a large amount of fear. Not of him, but for their son. Finally, Ulquiorra closed his eyes, shook his head and when he opened them, seemed to have come to some kind of decision.

"Diaemus," he turned his green eyes to their son.

Diaemus looked up at his father expectantly.

"Do not attempt higher flights in the house."

His son nodded his head in understanding.

"We will build a place outside, someplace more appropriate for him to practice."

Orihime sighed in relief at the suggestion and actually looked thoughtful as she considered the benefits of it.

"Well, I might as well head out, don't want to intrude too much," Tatsuki excused herself.

"Thanks for stopping by Tatsuki-chan," Orihime called out.

"Any time," Tatsuki waved as she left, closing the door behind her.

"Can I take Diaemus out?" Orihime asked.

"Now?"

"No, tomorrow. I want to see how Jushiro-san is doing," she admitted.

"You may take him," he agreed. "But you will in no way attempt to heal the punishment dealt to him by Aizen-Kami," he ordered firmly.

Orihime nodded her head sadly in agreement as she felt the slight jerk on the Claim that assured she would do as told. Her sadness only increased as he did it and she handed him their son before walking away without another word.

Ulquiorra looked after in in confusion, for he could tell that she was suddenly very upset with him; the sting of how hurt she felt came through clearly to him through the Claim. He let out a frustrated sigh, wondering what he could have possibly done this time to make his human mate upset.

If it was one thing he had learned it was that leaving her alone often fixed the problem or at least, didn't make it worse, so that is what he decided to do. He took Diaemus outside to their yard and stood a short distance away from the fence.

Diaemus didn't need a second invitation to settle on his father's shoulder and flap his wings. Without any trace of fear he launched himself and glided across the lawn to touch down on the grass, going headfirst into a somersault and landing upside-down in the grass. Once he'd recovered, he wasted no time climbing the fence and returning to crash near his father, wings askew. He shook the rough landing off and once more climbed up to his father's shoulder and looked at him expectantly.

"You need to tip your wings to gather more air for an upright break."

Diaemus nodded and once more launched himself. His landing was still rough, but he thought he understood now and scrambled up the fence quickly before making the return trip, this time remaining upright as he landed.

"Better. You are beginning to understand, as expected of my child."

He preened, basking in the glow of his father's compliment and quickly scaled the fence for another flight.

It was much easier out here where there was more space and no walls or other pesky obstacles to crash into. There was an actual air current to ride out here as well, which helped as much as it hindered, but at this lower level the currents were far more manageable than they would be higher up.

Actual flight wasn't something Diaemus had practiced much as of yet. First he wanted to make sure he was actually going to be able to land without breaking his neck. He continued his trips back and forth until his hunger became too insistent to ignore even as his landings grew much smoother.

He looked at his father expectantly and without a word Ulquiorra used a fingernail to slice a nick in his wrist. Diaemus was quick to latch on, the enzymes in his saliva making sure the cut remained open long enough to get enough nutrients to sustain him for now. His mother would feed him again in about an hour when he could gather the rest of the nutrients he required to survive.

Until then there was no excuse for laziness. His father expected the best from him and Diaemus was determined to give him exactly that


	85. Steps in a Darkened World

Steps in a Darkened World

He had been bedridden for weeks, and now they were finally dragging him out of it. While the thought of fresh air was somewhat appealing, the thought of stumbling around blind had Jushiro terrified.

However, the silver-haired Taichou put on a brave face for the two girls, holding a hand each as they led him out of the building and out under the mid-morning sun. The heat felt like a warm, welcoming blanket wrapping around his shoulders and the bright light did seem to register through his blindfold, at least in one eye.

It was too soon yet to remove it, but that ray of red in the sea of black he had been living in was enough to bolster his courage and renew his hope so much that his next step was confident as the two girls led him.

He knew where they were due to their reiatsu and he could feel Lilinette as well as she took the lead. He honestly didn't know where they were taking him, only that they promised to bring him out to stretch his cramped legs and to get some fresh air before taking him home.

Home. He hadn't been there is some time and he missed the familiar comfort of his belongings. Szayel and Karin both felt confident that he could return to his Estate for the rest of his recovery, and he felt a wave of relief that he would at least be back around familiar surroundings and that the nightmares were finally over. His wrists were still bandaged from fighting against the restraints they had been forced to keep him in.

The girls led him around until he notice that the paved street beneath his feet had given way to the 'crunch' of gravel, and then the softer, plusher feel of freshly-mown grass. He was pretty sure they were not at the Estate and considered the possibility that they were at one of the parks not too far from where he lived.

"Over here, girls!" he heard someone call.

He was pretty sure it was Tatsuki and his guess was confirmed when Lilinette called back to the woman. He was lead across the grass and helped down onto a blanket that had apparently already been laid out.

"Okay, we're here, 'take-ji!" Hana announced.

"Where is here?" he asked, feeling around a bit.

"One of the parks Lily-chan picked out," Ajuga answered. "Here," she grasped his hand and pressed a warm mug to his fingers. "You have to drink this because Mama said you have to when we got here," Ajuga ordered.

"I think it is medicine for your lungs. Something about exertion and stuff…" Lilinette piped up.

A sniff told him that it smelled like the usual concoction and the small sip he took of it confirmed it. None of the girls let him set the cup down until he was finished it and he couldn't help but to smile in amusement at their insistence. It was good to know he had such good friends in the absence of the ones he had lost to the war.

"Where are Hime-chan and the baby?" Hana asked, sounding a little impatient.

"She is coming," Tatsuki assured them. "I brought some snacks. Are you two girls hungry?"

"Nah, we are alright right now. Szay made us eat before we came here," Ajuga said.

Jushiro listened to the girls make small talk and let out a soft sigh of contentment. The sun felt like a warm blanket against his skin and the fresh air was definitely welcomed. Drowsiness quickly assaulted him and he found himself lying down on the blanket, enjoying the feeling of the grass beneath the blanket and the sound of playful banter backed by bird song.

(POV)

Ajuga, Hana and Lilinette were currently scattered throughout the park, each one determined to be the one to spot Orihime and her new baby first. The winner got the first pick out of the lunch 'tsuki-neechan had made.

At first the girls had been reluctant to let 'take-ji out of their sight, but 'tsuki-neechan has assured them she would keep an eye on the napping man. Szay had told them he expected 'take-ji to sleep a lot while he recovered and to let him drift off if he wanted to.

Assured by the adults that all would be well, Ajuga had quickly launched herself into hunter mode. She stalked through the bushes for any prey. It had been a long time since they'd had fresh rabbit, as she had been too distracted caring for 'take-ji to find the time to hunt, and she could smell the large rodents all about her.

Fresh rabbit would be the perfect dinner to celebrate 'take-ji coming home. Easily picking up a trail of one of the creatures, she wasted no time dropping to all fours and stalking her prey, at least until a new scent hit her nose, one that smelt like food at yet one she didn't recognize.

The thought of new prey sent a thrill coursing through her and she abandoned the hunt for the rabbit to go after this new scent. When she finally caught up to it, she had to try a number of different positions before the creature came into view. It was gliding low to the ground before landing, bounding a few feet on all fours, and leaping up to glide again. It appeared to be completely oblivious to the fact it was being stalked.

It smelled _delicious_. Ajuga could feel her saliva start to flow as she moved further up the path and prepared her ambush. She could smell 'hime-neechan as well so she had to make this quick before her hunting time ran out.

Her target flew by and without any warning she launched herself at it, landing on its back and digging her claws in for purchase. Her target cried out in a shockingly human-like way, taking her by surprise, and they both fell heavily to the ground.

A horrified scream assaulted her ears and she instantly forgot her prey to turn her attention to 'hime-chan, who was staring at her with wide, horrified eyes. Vaguely Ajuga became aware that her 'prey' was still struggling and sounded like it was trying to hold back sobs.

"_Uh-oh__…"_

If it was one thing she knew, it was that prey shouldn't cry. She turned her attention back to her victim and straight into green eyes that stared right back at her, their colour familiar. Now she knew why it smelled like prey. It was because the creature in her claws it was 'cora-san's baby and 'cora-san smelled like food.

"Diaemus-kun!" Orihime cried as she reached them.

Chagrined at her mistake, Ajuga untangled herself from her victim, wincing at the blood she could smell. Fortunately, she hasn't done much damage. Her fangs had missed the back of his neck in the tumble, but the puncture marks on his body from her claws were deep.

Diaemus ignored his frantic mother and kept his green gaze on her, a healthy amount of respect with just a little bit of fear reflected in them. Ajuga had to give it to the kid; he wasn't bawling his eyes out or crying for 'cora-san to save him.

"Ajuga-chan, why?" Hime-neechan screeched angrily as she reached her child and her shield surrounded him. If anything, he looked a little miffed at it as it covered him.

"I am sorry," she apologized sheepishly, embarrassed now by what had turned out to be huge mistake, and certainly, a bad hunting call. "I didn't know he was yours, I thought he was prey."

"Orihime-chan!" Tatsuki's voice reached their ears as the woman ran up to them.

The commotion had gained the attention of the others and had also apparently awoken 'take-ji. Eventually, the situation slowly sorted itself out after Tatsuki determined Ajuga hadn't hurt Diaemus too much. Orihime fixed her son's wounds with a flash of golden light and by the end of it most of the group's good humour had been restored. Tatsuki actually couldn't stop snickering.

"It's not funny," Orihime grouched.

"It's damn funny," Lilinette laughed, clutching her sides. "Oh I can't wait to tell Ulquiorra about this," she laughed.

Diaemus looked less than thrilled with the thought of his father learning about his failure and Ajuga didn't blame him. She would be horrified if her father learned someone had gotten the jump on her. But still, Diaemus had just learned an important lesson; it was wise to be aware of one's surroundings, for you never knew where danger lurked.

Now that everything was completely calmed down and everyone was settled on the blankets, there was a large chorus of 'oohing and' ahhing as Orihime formally introduced her son to her friends. He took it all in stride and didn't protest the attention too much until someone actually attempted to touch him.

Nanao and Karin both arrived shortly after Orihime had finished fixing the cuts that Ajuga had inflicted. They wouldn't be able to stay for long but at least they had the time to say hello and meet the newest addition to their growing band.

Most of Diaemus' attention was on the other little Hollow child as she sat on her haunches and stared right back. Blue and green eyes bore into each other, both refusing to back down and trying to get a read on each other.

"He has grown so much already," Nanao exclaimed, her voice full of wonder.

"Yeah, I thought so to but Ulquiorra pointed out from conception date to now, Ajuga-chan was already also at this level. It just seems faster because Diaemus-kun spent more time in the womb," Orihime explained, ruffling her son's hair. "Apparently Hollow children grow up quickly because Hueco Mundo is so dangerous and very few make it to adulthood. Ulquiorra said he would be an adult in only ten years!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, Szayel said something about that. It's why Ajuga-chan seems to be growing so quickly. It's kind of a shame and a blessing all at the same time. Does he feed on your reiatsu as well?" Karin asked curiously.

"No, he does feed on my blood though. He was born with two little fangs and excretes an anti-coagulant to prevent the small incisions from closing too quickly. He seems content to feed from his father as well. Szayel suggested we give him a glass of milk with some pig or cow blood mixed in as he gets older."

"At least you have a viable option. Until Ajuga-chan was capable of eating solids, the only way for her to get the reiatsu she required was from breast feeding."

"Oh, how silly of me! We have been so distracted with the kids I haven't even asked," Orihime suddenly blushed. "How are you feeling, Jushiro-san?"

"Better, thank you," he smiled at her. "It will be good to finally go home and sleep in my own bed and know where everything is."

"I am relieved," she sighed in relief.

"Has he started talking yet?" Jushiro asked.

"Not yet," Orihime answered. "He does like to throw himself off of high places though. I worry about what I am going to do when he actually manages to start flying. I won't be able to keep up," she complained worriedly.

"Tie a ball and chain to his ankle," Lilinette suggested, taking a bite of a sandwich.

"I couldn't do that!" Orihime gasped.

"Sure you could," Tatsuki spoke up, teasing her friend. "You'll keep him tied by a string to your belt while he flies circles above you…"

Diaemus did not seem amused by the conversation and broke off his staring contest with Ajuga to look at the girls in a very displeased manner. The girls caught the look and chuckled, causing him to pout before turning his attention back to Ajuga.

"Can we go play?" Ajuga asked in the break.

"Yes, but just stay in sight," Karin ordered.

"We will," Ajuga promised. "Come on," she ordered.

Hana was quick to join her and after a moment Diaemus turned his gaze back to his mother, silently asking permission.

"Stay close, and be careful," Orihime ordered.

He nodded his head and stumbled after the two girls. He had a score to settle with the other Hollow child, after all.

The adults watched them worriedly before determining that the three of them were playing safe enough and staying close by. Their innate Heirro did much to mitigate any damage that their horseplay might have caused and Ajuga had pulled on her training gloves so her claws wouldn't accidentally hurt anyone.

"I wonder how long Tatsuki-chan will be pregnant for," Orihime was the first to break the silence.

"Well, we will have to wait several more years to find out," Tatsuki huffed. "Because I am not even thinking about having kids until this Swarm thing is dealt with."

The others laughed at her in amusement, even Jushiro. He was definitely doing better. The fresh air, warm sun and wonderful company seemed to return a bit of his vitality to him, despite the fact he was still blind.

"That could take years though!" Orihime protested.

"And?" Tatsuki snorted irritably. "There is still plenty of time to think about having kids. I want to make sure I am going to have the time to take care of any potential offspring, and this war is not helping with creating that time."

"I can understand that perfectly. I wish I had more time to spend with Hana-chan." Nanao said this regretfully and sighed. "I feel as if I'm missing her childhood by being away all of the time."

"Yeah," Karin agreed. "Well, as much as we would like to hang out longer, Nanao-san and I do need to return to work." She groaned as she stood up and stretched, feeling several vertebrae pop back into place.

"Is everything at the Division fine?" Jushiro asked worriedly. Karin laughed.

"Byakuya-san has been doing a marvellous job of keeping me in line," she reassured him and offered him a smile, even though he couldn't see it.

"How has he been doing?" Jushiro couldn't help but to ask softly.

"Better, much better," Karin answered. "Ajuga-chan, Hana-chan, we have to go back to work. Come, give me a hug!"

Hana and Ajuga rushed over to give their respective mothers a quick embrace and a 'love you mom, bye' before rushing back out to play with Diaemus. Karin chuckled and Nanao just shook her head before exchanging farewells and a mutual promise to be home for dinner at a reasonable hour.

(POV)

It was comforting to be lying in his bed again. Jushiro let out a pleased sigh as he nestled under his blankets and mentally went over the layout of his Estate. The walls of his suite were infused with his reiatsu and as such gave him a sort of mental image.

He reached out further and was pleased to note that everyone was home again. Home. His actual family was no longer here, which saddened him for he missed his mother and siblings, but a new family had moved in to fulfill the role that the others had left behind.

A knock on the door took him by surprise and he rose from his bed to answer it. His Zanpakuto made for a surprisingly reliable cane and the twin's voices were more than willing to warn him if he was about to walk into something.

He made it to the door with ease and felt around for a minute to find the handle before sliding it open.

"Yes?" he questioned.

"May I come in?" Starrk asked.

"Of course you can. Technically I couldn't stop you, even if I wanted to," Jushiro pointed out.

"Perhaps, but it is not an excuse to forget one's manners," Starrk replied as he entered the suite.

"True," Jushiro agreed with a soft smile. "Can I get you something, some tea perhaps?" he offered.

"Lilinette would be displeased with me if you burnt yourself attempting to fix such a thing while you are still visually impaired," Starrk pointed out. "Sit," he ordered, "I will prepare it."

Jushiro wanted to protest, but conceded the other was right. Playing around with hot elements and open flames was not something someone who was blind ought to do. Instead he made his way gingerly to the dining table and sat down on one of the cushions.

"So what is it you wish to talk about?" Jushiro questioned.

"What makes you think I am here to talk about anything specific?"

The other shook his head, feeling the strands of pale hair brush his cheeks.

"Because in all the time I have known you, not once have you ever come to me seeking companionship in the evening past bed time when you could be sleeping," Jushiro answered with a soft smile.

There was silence for a moment, as if the Arrancar in his room had stopped what he was doing. Then it was broken by the delicate 'clink' of a pair of teacups being set on a tray. The sound of rushing water followed, filling the kettle he kept on the back burner of the stovetop.

"Fair enough."

Jushiro could hear his guest moving about his small kitchen before the First returned with a tray of hot tea. One long-fingered, calloused hand took his and placed a cup in his hands. He heard the sound of a body settling itself on the cushion on the opposite side of the table and liquid being poured. They sat in silence for several minutes and simply drank their tea, the fragrance of it curling through the air between them.

"Your reiatsu is still rather low," Starrk was the first to break the quiet between them.

"It is, but it has been growing stronger, albeit slowly," he agreed.

He could hear Starrk let out a frustrated sigh and could imagine the Espada running his hand through his hair like he always did when something was bothering him.

"Something has you worried. What is it?" Jushiro asked him outright.

If the normally nonchalant Starrk, the master of detachment, was this concerned about something, dancing around the subject wouldn't solve the problem.

"I have been holding back because you have been weakened, but I fear it cannot wait any longer. When you were injured I caught only the vaguest hint you were in trouble, but it was so weak I didn't think anything of it at the time."

Jushiro jerked in surprise as he realized where this conversation was going. His Claim was wearing off, if it hadn't already.

"With your reiatsu so weakened I am not certain you would survive a recasting. However, not to recast the Claim will definitely lead to your death."

He swallowed nervously. It was certainly one hell of a conundrum. In his weakened state he didn't think he would make it even halfway through the Claiming process, not with all of Starrk's power to contend with.

"What should we do?" he asked in a whisper.

"I spoke to Grimmjow about it," Starrk admitted.

The thought of being Claimed by the blue-haired Espada felt wrong on just too many levels and Jushiro shivered despite himself.

"…and he agreed…"

"_Kami no,__"_ Jushiro thought in horror, his hands tightening around the cup he held.

"…that as long as you remained on the Estate, he would say nothing about your Claim running out until you are strong enough to survive the recasting of it," Starrk finished, giving no sign that he had noticed Jushiro's racing emotions.

It took a moment for the sentence to register, and when it did Jushiro couldn't help but to let out a long breath, deflating a little as relief washed through him.

"_At least one thing in my life seems to be going right,__"_ he thought grudgingly. "What about Ajuga-chan?" he asked.

He heard Starrk take a long sip of his tea and then shift on the cushion. Despite his concern, Jushiro smiled slightly. Trust Starrk to try to find the most comfortable position on a pillow.

"She is old enough to understand how Claiming works and I doubt she has anyone to talk to about it. Lilinette, of course, will also remain discrete. I spoke to Karin about it as well, but she is already stressed keeping Szayel's Claim up. She offered to cast a temporary claim if an emergency were to arise, as she could always take it down once any situation is resolved."

"I see." Jushiro sighed softly, taking a sip of his tea.

That Starrk had thought things through to this extent and that he'd considered a number of different options to spare Jushiro's life, to try to work around the laws Aizen had laid down regarding the Claim, stunned him.

It was something to ponder for the future. The peaceful silence descended on them again and when Starrk had finished his tea and Jushiro had politely refused a second cup, the Espada gathered the cups, teapot and tray and set them on the sink, to be dealt with in the morning. He found Starrk at his elbow, guiding him back to his bed.

"I am going to turn in. You should rest as well." Starrk said this gruffly, and excused himself.

"I will," Jushiro promised, as the sound of the door clicking closed reached him.

(POV)

At the end of the month, on a dark, overcast day that threatened rain, Szayel showed up at the Estate with Nemu in tow, an excited smile on his face and a bag of unknown items. They sat Jushiro down on his porch and everyone gathered waited with baited breath as the pink-haired Espada slowly removed the bindings around Jushiro's face.

The scar was gone and ever-so-slowly Jushiro opened his eyes. His right was a pale white and clearly blind, but his left was still a soft brown and the breath of utter relief he let out indicated that sight still remained, although how much of it was still to be determined.

Szayel ran him through some tests, from flash cards to making him follow his finger, before the bindings across his eyes were replaced so as not to stress either the eye or the brain with too much activity too quickly. The treatment of his tuberculosis was also going well and his reiatsu was once again beginning to climb, slowly but steadily.

"So far, it would seem that you have retained full sight in that eye," Szayel announced happily as he finished tying off the binding.

The girls cheered and jumped about merrily at the news while the adults smiled and Lilinette clapped him hard on the back.

"Your reiatsu is also rising, at a steady rate I might add. That's a good sign. I would give your recovery another two weeks before you should be able to return to work," Szayel added.

"Thank the lord for that," Karin commented. "Not that I don't mind helping out, but running a Division is a pain in the ass."

"I do appreciate your sacrifice, Karin-chan," Jushiro smiled at her.

"You can show it by getting better and returning to work so I can go back to my own Division. Curse the Heavens, the 2nd and 5th Divisions have almost been at each other's throats over who has the right to me as a coach for their respective soccer teams." She shook her head in disbelief. "You'd think I was some kind of good-luck charm or something!"

"Those are still going on?" he asked, amused.

"You have no idea," Nanao laughed softly. "There is an entire newsletter about it now."

"I want you to put this in your good eye twice a day. It should help to alleviate the strain you are going to suffer while your brain adjusts to seeing with only one eye. If you find your vision getting blurry or find you are getting headaches, I want you to stop using your eye at once and rebind them," Szayel instructed, ignoring the Division talk going on around him.

"Thank you, Szayel," Jushiro offered him a small smile. "Karin-chan was right, you are a remarkable scientist," he complimented.

"Yes well, I do have a reputation of perfection to maintain," he commented with far too much pride in his voice and a puffing out of his chest. "Do you want a patch for your damaged eye or would you like me to replace it with glass?" Szayel asked.

"A patch will be fine for now," Jushiro answered.

"A patch it is. Any preference in color?"

"Black will do."

"Chain or cloth straps?"

"Cloth. A chain would just tangle up in my hair." he pointed out, earning him a round of laughter from the rest.

"True enough," Szayel agreed.

The scientist took his hand and pressed a piece of cloth into it, presumably the eye patch in question. He tucked it into one of his robe's pockets and felt the Espada move away. He braced himself not a moment too soon as Hana and Ajuga all but ploughed into him, hugging him excitedly and expressing their joy.

"I can't wait to show you the newest Kanji Bya-san taught me and Lily-chan," Ajuga announced happily.

"And you should see the math equations Szay is getting me to solve!" Hana added.

For some reason he felt moisture at the corners of his eyes. In response he hugged the girls to him tightly. Ajuga was almost as big as Hana was now and growing rapidly. In two years she had gone from bouncing about on all fours and barely able to talk to running gracefully on two legs and speaking in full sentences. It wouldn't be too long until Ajuga out-aged Hana, although Hana was rather mature for her age, a gift inherited from her mother no doubt.

He recalled Nanao at that age, a strict-faced little bookworm if there ever was one. Hana definitely reflected her mother in most ways, with perhaps a little bit of mischief thrown in from her father to alleviate the discipline


	86. Public Humiliations

Public Humiliation

Szayel hummed happily as he finished typing the latest round of commands onto his screen. He nearly squealed in delight as he watched the silver rods rise up from the ground, completely surrounding the city.

"Stand by to test the grid," he ordered, speaking into the microphone.

He waited impatiently until he received confirmations from all of the other units before eagerly flipping the switch and staring at the screen in anticipation. A glowing, blue net flashed briefly between the poles, but to his dismay, the net did not remain up. Only a few poles kept the connections between them. The rest either fizzled or didn't do anything at all.

"Damn it," he cursed. "Either there is not enough power or there's a short somewhere in the system…" Then his eyes narrowed as he took a closer look at the screen. "…Or those fools didn't place the pillars at the proper coordinates!" He growled in frustration, calling out "Nemu!"

"Hai, Szayel-sama." Nemu, ever reliable, appeared by his side.

"Go out there and get those fools under control! I don't care how you do it either!"

Nemu followed his finger as he stabbed it at the screen, indicating the 'fools' and their coordinates.

"I swear! How hard can it be to follow a simple set of directions?!" he asked rhetorically, voice dripping with scorn for those not directly under his command. How stupid, he wondered, could a horde of Shinigami be? Unfortunately, as he glared at the display, he thought he had his answer.

The squads had been at this project for over two weeks and while the pillars set up by his own Division worked properly, the other Divisions were not just dropping the proverbial ball, but throwing it and seeing how far it could go. He would be pulling his beautiful, pink hair out in frustration if he didn't consider it an inelegant gesture.

It was slowly growing out again after Aizen had hacked half of it off. It once more touched his shoulders and he hoped it would reach mid-back by the end of the year, if nothing else interfered with that process. Nemu liked to play with the strands and he, quite frankly, enjoyed it when she did.

"Is it wise for me to go, Szayel-sama? I have been feeling… strange lately. Another purge could come at any time and I find that I can't predict when one will occur."

Nemu, for a change, actually sounded hesitant to leave. It was true; she'd been vomiting at odd times and for no apparent reason. It wasn't like her to be ill. She usually had firm control of her physical health. When any kind of trouble came up, she was more than competent enough to fix the issue before it became a bigger problem. Unfortunately, he needed her at top form at the moment and he had to have her out there to set the other Divisions straight as far as the pillar installation. He cast an irritated glance her way and was surprised to find that she actually did look a little peaked this morning. Irritation turned to resignation.

"Take Renji with you then. If nothing else, he makes a good packhorse and can act as cannon fodder if need be." Szayel sighed. When she nodded, eyes still downcast, he walked towards her and cupped her chin in one hand, raising her head until she met his gaze. When he spoke, he found he actually sounded a little conciliatory. "When you return, we will test your body for imperfections and deal with any issues we find," he promised.

"Hai, Szayel-sama," she bowed, seemingly reassured at that and departed.

He turned his attention back to the monitor and his headset. If this grid wasn't functioning perfectly soon, Aizen would lose his patience and Szayel did not want to be anywhere near Kami when he was displeased. His last punishment at the man's hands still gave him nightmares and brought a rush of chills to his body.

His luck, unfortunately, seemed to be going from bad to worse.

"Szayel-sama, Kami-sama is here to see you," one of his attendants announced.

Szayel froze and then felt nervous sweat begin to quickly run down his back.

"_Why? Why now of all times? What could he possibly want, unless__…"_

He swallowed nervously, fingers moving again on the keyboard and tried to regain his composure before turning around. He was about to order the attendant to let Aizen in, but the man in question walked confidently into the room before he could do so.

"Szayel," Aizen smiled warmly at him, "I trust the grid is almost complete."

He felt his fingers begin to shake and in an attempt to stop them from trembling, clasped his hands behind his back.

"I am sorry, Kami-sama, but there have been some complications with getting all of the pillars in their proper place. It would seem that the other Divisions are incapable of following instructions and have had trouble installing the pillars at the correct GPS coordinates. As a result, many of the pillars are not aligned correctly."

He tried to shift the blame to the responsible parties as the best he could.

"I was unaware _my_ Division was so incompetent," Aizen noted, his voice sounding rather dangerous.

Szayel gulped nervously. To imply that any fault lay with the First Division was to imply that the fault lay with Aizen himself. There was no way that he could win this time, even if Aizen's subordinates couldn't tell a set of instructions from a hole in the ground. It was as if Aizen had deliberately chosen this particular moment, hoping for an excuse to inflict another 'punishment' on him, regardless of whether or not he was the one responsible.

"You assured me this grid would be up yesterday, and now you tell me it will take longer still. I find that unacceptable."

"There have been many unforeseen complications," he replied, trying to defend himself.

"When a system fails, it is more often due to the incompetence of the leader than the incompetence of the crew implementing it. Clearly, you either lack the leadership abilities necessary to complete this project or you are simply not motivated enough."

Now his body was trembling and he stared at Aizen in pure terror.

"I assure you Kami-sama…"

Aizen raised a hand and silence him with a lash of reiatsu.

"Yes, motivation is what I believe you need," Aizen pondered.

"I…" he stammered. "Please, Kami-sama, the project will be completed soon. I have already sent Nemu out to try and….."

"Why did you not send her out sooner when you knew we would fall behind schedule?" Aizen interrupted him again.

"She has been feeling unwell…" Szayel didn't even bother to finish that statement, realizing as he said it that it was no more an excuse to Aizen than it would have been for him.

He found himself gulping nervously and, no matter how tightly he dug his hands into each other, nothing could stop the trembling from taking over his entire body. He gave off a cry of pain as Aizen's reiatsu crashed into him, sending him flying to the ground and panting desperately for breath. The room had fallen silent, save for the sound of his laboured breathing.

He was dimly aware of Aizen moving about the room and speaking to someone. He couldn't make out the words over the rapid beating of his heart or the desperate gasping for whatever air he could force into his lungs. His vision was going blurry, tunnelling and he held onto consciousness by a mere thread.

As quickly as the reiatsu had bit into him, it suddenly let up. Szayel pulled in a huge lungful of air, desperately trying to regain some semblance of composure.

"Come. I have decided on a method of motivation that should work on the likes of you" Aizen pronounced, and smiled pleasantly down at him.

"I…. but…" he protested weakly from his place on the tiles.

"But what?" Aizen asked, the pleasant tone gone now, as was the smile.

"Y… you assured me that Karin-sama was now my Master, and she would be the one to deliver any punishments," he pointed out weakly and more than a little desperately.

"And indeed she shall. Get up. It is unbecoming of one of my Espada to lie on the floor like a rug. Or do you feel like you are no longer worthy of the position?"

Szayel dragged himself to his feet as quickly as he could. He tried to stand up straight and shake off the effects of the pummelling he had just taken, lest Aizen decide to relieve him of his position as an Espada right then and there. With only a slight whimper in protest, he followed Aizen out of the building and on the long walk to the meeting hall.

The other Espada were already there, displaying various levels of confusion, annoyance, and disinterest in whatever they had been summoned here for. Szayel felt the blood drain from his body when he realized that whatever 'motivation' Aizen had in mind for him, it was going to be semi-public.

"Ah, thank you all for gathering so quickly," Aizen smiled at them.

"This had better be important, I got better things to do," Grimmjow growled lowly in displeasure.

"Things or people?" Nnoitra jabbed at him with a lewd sneer.

"Both," Grimmjow smirked back. "Unlike yourself…"

"Enough of this nonsense! Why have we been summoned?" Barragan demanded displeased about being called out, causing Nnoitra and Grimmjow to temporarily shelve their bickering in favour of glaring back at the Second.

"I will explain when everyone else has arrived, so until then, please be patient. Szayel, do sit down," Aizen smiled at him.

He did as ordered, his body numb, but sitting down did little to prevent it from quaking like a leaf in the wind. A few of the others looked at him curiously, but said nothing. After several minutes of uncomfortable silence, there was a knock on the door.

"Enter," Aizen ordered.

Unohana was the first to enter the room, and after a short bow she took a seat beside her husband. Nanao came in next with Toshiro, both of them arriving at the same time.

"Our apologies for taking so long to get here, Kami-sama, we were out on the grid line when the summons came and returned as quickly as we could." Nanao bowed.

"Understandable. Please, take a seat, Nanao, Toshiro."

Both of them sat next to their respective Masters and waited silently. Byakuya was the next to arrive, shortly behind the other two and simply offered a silent bow before Aizen waved him to a seat. Karin was the last to arrive, a little out of breath.

"My apologies, Aizen-Kami… I did not know that Soul Society uses black butterflies to deliver messages, nor do I know how to retrieve the messages they carry. Please forgive my lateness."

"Ah, I see. I had wondered what had taken you so long. Perhaps, when this situation with the Swarm has been cleared up, you can officially attend the Shinoreijutsuin to fill in the gaps in your knowledge."

"I would like that," she admitted, still bowing low before him.

"Please, be seated and we can begin,"

Karin bowed again before taking her place beside her mate.

The meeting started off as most meetings with Kami tend to. Tea, pleasantries, reports. There was nothing about it that seemed out of the ordinary. None of it did anything to help alleviate the growing knot of fear in Szayel's gut. Karin clearly picked up on it, for she shot him concerned glances, which in turn earned her apprehensive looks from her mate.

Finally, after over an hour of conversation that Szayel hardly followed, Aizen's next sentence snapped his attention back to the meeting and the fear in him escalated until he could barely breathe.

"Finally, it has come to my attention that there seems to be a lack of motivation around here. I know that lack doesn't pertain to all of you, but several of you seem to be slacking on the job. I will neither tolerate such slothfulness from my most powerful warriors, nor from the representative Taichou from the Divisions.

"As such, I have decided to give you a demonstration as to what will happen should you fail to pick up the current slack and have chosen one of you who has recently failed me to provide that demonstration. Szayel, if you please…" Aizen smiled at him.

His throat was completely dry and his body trembled. Aizen had never really punished him publicly before, at least, nothing more than a reiatsu barrage, and never had he been punished openly. Most of his punishments, mercifully, happened behind closed doors.

"I…"

"Stand up," Aizen ordered sternly.

Gulping, Szayel did as ordered, all too aware of the eyes that were on him. Some curiously, some in amusement, and others in concern.

"Against the wall please, and remove the top half of your uniform."

Hands trembling he obeyed, folding his jacket like top neatly and placing it on the table before walking up to the nearest wall.

"Karin," Aizen turned his attention her way.

"Yes, Kami-sama?" she asked, her voice waived slightly with emotion, but otherwise seemed to be somewhat steady.

"As Szayel is your pet, I would like to request that you deliver his punishment, as we agreed when I gave him to you."

"Hai, Kami-sama. What will it be?" she asked.

Szayel heard the scrape of a chair and the sound of footsteps he believed belonged to Karin. He could hear Aizen whispering, but couldn't make out what was it was she was being instructed to do to him.

A moment later he heard Karin walk towards him and he braced himself for whatever pain and humiliation was about to befall him. The fact it was being carried out in front of the other Espada by a human girl was perhaps the most painful part of all.

"Brace yourself, Szayel, this is going to hurt," Karin whispered softly as she stopped behind him.

(POV)

Karin knew something was wrong the moment Szayel's fear slammed into her. She could feel his mounting terror as she'd obeyed Aizen's summons and it did not diminish as the meeting wore on. When Aizen starting talking about a lack of motivation, she feared that she knew where the conversation was headed, and her suspicions turned out to be true when Aizen ordered Szayel to stand against the wall sans his jacket.

Her apprehension skyrocketed when Aizen beckoned her to his side. She could feel her own mate's terror and swore she could hear him growling unhappily under his breath, the sound leaking out of his mouth from between gritted teeth.

She stared at the weapon Aizen had given to her in horror as he gave her his instructions on what to do with it. She wanted to tell him no, that she refused to do such a thing, but the look in his eye promised a million punishments for more than just herself and Szayel should she fail to comply. Any refusal she could have uttered died in her throat as she thought about what he might do to Grimmjow, or worse, to Ajuga.

Her hands shook as she clenched the handle of the weapon and walked over to stand behind Szayel, all too aware of the eyes boring into her back. She licked her lips nervously and stared at the abomination in her hand.

"Brace yourself Szayel, this is going to hurt," she warned in a whisper.

She pulled the weapon back before flicking it forward. Nine whips lashed out, the barbs attached to the ends digging into his skin and digging into his flesh. His body jerked under the impact, but he made no sound other than a soft grunt.

Steeling her will, she jerked the modified cat o' nine tails down harshly. The barbs attached to the end tore through Szayel's back, leaving nine ragged lines of torn skin in their wake, earning a soft cry of pain from their victim.

Karin's heart wrenched painfully as she looked at the damage she had been forced to inflect and had to feel the overwhelming emotions rushing through the Claim from the one she was torturing.

"Again," Aizen ordered firmly.

Forcing back tears, Karin raised the abominable device again. Another lash and jerk left another nine ragged lines down Szayel's back, leaving his back a shredded mess. A second, louder cry tore from his lips and blood now flowed freely down his body, staining his once pristine hakama red. To add to his torment, he was sweating profusely now and the salt from his own body viciously stung the wounds.

"Turn around, Szayel," Aizen ordered.

Karin closed her own eyes now, unable to look at the man she was being forced to torture.

"I said, turn around, Szayel," Aizen said again, this time his voice had a hint of anger in it. Karin felt Kami's displeased reiatsu rush past her to knife into Szayel.

Szayel let out a scream of agony and then must have turned around for Aizen ordered her to deliver another lash. Her entire body trembled in a mixture of pure rage and helplessness as she forced her eyes open. Pain-filled golden eyes caught her own, full of silent pleading.

Karin wasn't sure if the pleading she saw was to spare him the next lash, or to hurry up and get it over with.

"Karin," Aizen said warningly, and this time his displeased reiatsu assaulted her.

She gasped and staggered at the sheer, raw power of it and heard her mate raise his voice and body in protest until he too was silenced as Aizen spared a portion from the reiatsu he used on her to subdue her irate mate.

"I will not ask again, Karin," Aizen warned.

Tears flowing freely down her face now, she drew the weapon back. As she did so, most of the pressure was removed from her body, but the rest remained in silent threat. Her eyes remained locked onto Szayel's, trying to convey to him that she did not want to do this while offering whatever silent comfort she could.

She was surprised when she felt calm resignation suddenly come from him, as if he accepted the fate that awaited him. She swore he gave a soft nod of his head, and she returned it. Her arm lashed forward again, the nine spikes digging into his chest before they sliced his front open and he cried out in pure anguish.

He collapsed to the floor in a pool of blood, the wall behind him splattered with it. No longer caring what Aizen wanted or would do to her, she tossed the weapon aside and rushed to his side to inspect the damage, half-sobbing.

The cuts were deep, the barbs gouging into the layers of muscle beneath his skin, but fortunately they weren't deep enough to have hit any of his organs. Rage from her mate slammed into her shortly before she heard him let out a howl of pain of his own and Karin whipped her gaze around to see Grimmjow snarling at Aizen, fresh blood running down the Espada's face.

The entire room was full of tension and for a moment everything and everyone was frozen. Slowly, Karin watched as Grimmjow backed down and muttered an apology, not because he was actually sorry, but because Karin knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that had he pushed Aizen further _she_ would have been the next victim.

"I trust my displeasure has been made clear and that there will be no further failings?" Aizen inquired, dropping all pretence of the 'benevolent ruler'.

A chorus of "Hai, Kami-sama…" came from almost everyone in the room, answering his question.

"Very good."

Aizen stood up with a sudden smile, the mantle of beatific ruler back in place. "You are all dismissed."

However, no one moved as Aizen exited the room. The moment he was gone, Unohana was beside Karin in a flash, her expression one of worry as she helped Karin try to minister Szayel's back.

"I am fine," Szayel tried to insist, attempting to sit up before Karin and Unohana both stopped him in a failed bid to save some kind of face.

"Fuck! What was _that_ all about?" Nnoitra exclaimed in confusion. There was no attempt to hide his bewilderment this time. It only deepened when no one seemed to be able to provide an answer.

"Chu," Yammy spat in Szayel's direction, before being the first to storm out in disgust.

"I mean it, what the fuck was this all about?" Nnoitra demanded again, growing slightly pale himself as he took in the fresh wounds on Szayel's body as well as the myriad old scars from previous punishments. Karin saw him actually swallow, throat working in shock as the Fifth Espada realized the scars across the scientist's back were actually readable kanji.

"Pft. Well, that was a waste of time." Barragen snorted derisively before being the next to leave.

"What have you failed to do this time?" Starrk asked almost sleepily, casting a glance at Szayel. He did, however, spare enough energy to raise an eyebrow at the wounded Arrancar.

"The defence net is taking longer to set up than anticipated," Szayel answered weakly.

There was a moment of silence while the remaining Espada looked at one another, stunned at Szayel's answer.

"You're telling me he gathered us here and had you publicly flogged by Grimmjow's pet bitch for _that_?"

Nnoitra disbelief was plain to see, his one eye wide.

"Are you seriously that surprised?" Karin snapped at him.

Nnoitra narrowed that eye at her.

"You got something to say to me, human bitch?" he demanded, standing up.

"Nothing my fists haven't already told your face," Karin snarled back, her patience at an end.

Nnoitra made to take a step forward, but paused when he noticed Pantera's blade at his throat and found Grimmjow's eyes boring into his, the murderous intent in them crystal clear. More than that though, he noticed that most of others in the room were now looking at him with varying degrees of 'try it' written on their faces, even Ulquiorra.

"What has been going on?"

Halibel was the one who broke the strained silence, her calm voice like a splash of cold water over the group. Nnoitra mumbled something nasty, but backed down while Grimmjow turned towards the Third, sheathing Pantera. He met her cool aquamarine gaze, one that made no hostile moves or promised any repercussions, but still demanded a response.

"Aizen has been overstepping his bounds lately," Grimmjow answered in a snarl, moving to Karin's side protectively, completely ignoring his own fresh wound and the blood dripping from his face onto his uniform. "Like touching shit that ain't even his and breaking his own fucking laws… and ours," he added after a moment, the disgust and loathing in his voice plain for all to hear.

"What do you mean?"

This time Halibel frowned as she asked for clarification. Behind her, Toshiro frowned as well, mirroring his Mistress's expression. It was a good question. Hollows didn't really have many laws, but the ones they did have were iron-clad.

"It is no one's business," Szayel snapped suddenly, and all eyes turned his way.

"Denying it ain't going to make it go away," Grimmjow snarled back.

Szayel tried to send a pleading glare Grimmjow's way, but with Karin in the way that was impossible. The blue-haired Espada must have gotten the message though, for he sighed in exasperation and rubbed his forehead.

"Szayel, stop moving so much and let us tend these!" Karin ordered firmly.

Szayel went still beneath their hands while the two women worked at cleaning and bandaging the deep gashes caused by the lash.

"What is going on, Karin?" Toshiro was the next one to break the silence, apparently not content to remain in Halibel's shadow this time.

Karin let out a frustrated sigh and looked around the room. She didn't know much about Halibel, and thus didn't know if they could trust the Third. She did recall it had been this woman and her fraccion that had rescued her and her sister from the rubble of their home, but that had been ages ago and she'd assumed that the Espada had done so under orders, not out of any benevolent intent.

She definitely didn't trust Nnoitra. She was also unsure of Ulquiorra's true loyalties and what he would and would not be obligated to report to Aizen. She was pretty sure he would never do anything to bring harm to Orihime or his child, but his faithful obedience to Aizen was fairly well-known and unquestioned.

"It's not my place to say," she finally sighed in defeat.

She could practically feel the relief radiate from Szayel at her answer, and she didn't blame him. Telling an entire room full of people that he had been violently raped by Kami and had been tortured on numerous other occasions for very little reason would have damn near crushed his soul and what little remained of his social standing.

"Aizen-Kami has broken the one taboo we hold upon him," Ulquiorra commented coldly. "He has done so repeatedly."

The entire room froze and Karin felt the wash of unbearable shame and mortification rush into her from Szayel as well as her own sudden burst of anger at Ulquiorra for blurting out information he had no right to dispense.

"You're fucking kidding me?" Nnoitra demanded, shooting a shocked glance at Szayel.

Szayel keep his gaze locked on the ground, unable to meet anyone's eyes as his darkest secret was laid bare before them.

The entire room was filled with rage-charged reiatsu, taking Karin by surprise.

"Fucking hell, not even I am _that_ low or have ever been _that_ desperate," Nnoitra spat in distaste.

"This is true?" Halibel demanded softly. What little of her expression Karin could see, given her mask and high jacket collar, hadn't seemed to change, but there was a tension to her frame that hadn't been there before.

"It is," Starrk sighed in exasperation and confirmation, and tossed an annoyed look in Ulquiorra's direction. "Such information was not yours to give," he admonished.

"Hiding it does not change the fact it happened," Ulquiorra pointed out.

Before the conversation could continue, the perimeter alarm blared. Everyone remained frozen for a moment before breaking apart to rush to their duties. Aizen's little demonstration was fairly fresh in everyone's minds… and eyes.

Szayel forced himself to his feet, much to Karin's protests.

"I need to get to my station," he said grimly, making a pained face as he moved.

"You need to rest," Karin protested.

"Do you honestly believe that Kami-sama will see such minor wounds as these as an excuse to neglect my duties?" he countered bitterly, pulling the top half of his uniform, splattered with his own blood as it was, back over his bandaged shoulders and torso.

Karin sighed in defeat, before nodding her head in acceptance.

"I'll accompany you," she offered, but he shook his head.

"No, you had best get to your Division, lest Aizen turn his attentions towards _you_," Szayel pointed out.

Karin opened her mouth to argue, but closed it shortly after. Szayel was right. Karin did not need Aizen turning his attention in her, or her family's direction, nor did want to risk him digging through her background as he had Hana's. And there was the little fact that Szayel's fate was now intertwined with hers.

With a reluctant nod, she rose to her feet and forced herself to calm down. She had too many people relying on her to falter, no matter the obstacles Aizen placed before her. The others, including her mate, had already left. She felt a brief stab of worry for Grimmjow since he had been injured, but all she felt from her mate right now was an icy anger so cold it seemed to burn. No doubt he was busy taking out the rage generated by today's events on the Swarm.

Karin squared her shoulders and began to march out of the meeting hall with the express intent of doing the same, until a cry from Szayel made her turn around and she rushed back to his side.

"What is it?" she asked worriedly as she felt his panic race across the link and into her.

"Nemu," he answered quickly looking as frightened as if Aizen had just walked up behind her. "She's in serious trouble..."

Karin cursed and quickly looked in the direction he pointed. Since she was familiar with the woman it didn't take her long to trace Nemu's reiatsu to her location.

"I'll retrieve her. You get to your post," Karin ordered.

"But what about your Division?" he asked.

"Byakuya has it well under control. Go!" Karin urged as she launched herself into a Shunpo, racing towards Nemu's flickering life force.

(POV)

Nemu _was_ in trouble, which, given her body's innately strong construction, was saying something. For some strange reason, her reiatsu refused to answer her summons. Instead it seemed occupied with something else and she had a hard time getting it to do what she wanted. At the moment, she needed it to combat the insects that came at her and Renji from all directions.

Renji fought silently beside her in a zombie-like way and could only engage one target at a time, limited as he was to taking instructions piecemeal. With most of his soul missing, she had to practically order him how to fight blow-by-blow and that was difficult to do while she was distracted trying to defend both herself and, more importantly, the silver poles making up the new defence grid.

It wasn't very often she felt much in the way of emotion, but right now she felt caught in the grip of blind panic. Szayel would be horribly punished if the grid was damaged and with her own body acting strangely, she feared that she might fail him as well. That thought caused her more despair than any of the others.

With her 'father' dead, and Uryuu dead at her father's hand, she'd no longer had any purpose in life. Szayel gave her purpose, gave her direction, and gave her pleasure. He spoke to her as is she was an actual being instead of a mere creation and had actually taken her apart fewer times than her own creator had. Szayel recognized her use as an assistant and placed trust in her, and praised her occasionally for those skills.

Szayel was everything she had admired about her 'father' and next to nothing of the things for which she despised him In short, Szayel was clearly the perfect being for her and she would be damned if she would fall before giving him the one thing he wanted more than anything else: children.

The thought caused her to momentarily freeze, a mistake that almost cost her head. She quickly ran another diagnostic of her body, and everything once more came back 'green'. According to the sensors built into her, here was nothing wrong with her body and to continue to rely on them would get her nowhere. However, if her 'father's' boasts about how 'completely' he'd engineered her were to be believed, then a potential pregnancy might not be considered a reportable 'problem'. Perhaps Kurotsuchi-sama had simply created her monitoring system with the understanding that pregnancy wasn't equal to a disability or injury or any kind. That made sense to her; if she _was_ with child then there technically _was_ nothing wrong with her, save for the disruptions to her reiatsu. She would have to get Unohana-Taichou to scan her when she got off of the field… if she got off the field. Nemu inwardly chided herself for her thoughts as she dodged another Locust, and then brought her fist down on the vulnerable spot between its head and its thorax, killing it.

Around her, the rest of her Division members were doing their best to defend the poles and get them safely back underground where they wouldn't risk being damaged by the attack, but the former 12th Division was not well known for their fighting skills. A crash from nearby forced her attention back to Renji, who lay unmoving in a self-made crater, not because he was incapable of doing so, but simply because he hadn't been ordered to move now that his last assigned opponent was dead.

She pulled what she thought was an appropriate and suitably vile curse from her internal database and uttered it as she whirled in his direction, intent on helping him. It was increasingly vexing, dealing with him while he was in this state. At this rate, he was more of a hindrance than a help in a fight. The only reason she hadn't let him just die already was because she had no idea what happened to a Claimer when his or her Claimed died and she would not risk harm to Szayel-sama. There was also a part of her, one that was no longer repressed by her late creator, which refused to see lives, even one so stunted and damaged, so blatantly discarded.

"Renji!" she called.

He turned his blank, brown-eyed stare her way, silently waiting for his next set of orders as he lay in the crater.

Then the ground shook and she was unable to deliver her next command as the earth erupted around her. She felt at least two bones break as the force of the explosion tossed her about before she crashed to the ground, getting the wind knocked out of her in the process.

Shaking the last chunks of broken vegetation, dirt and rocks from its body, one of the giant beetles turned its attention their way and reared its head back. Stunned from the impact and unable to move her broken limbs, Nemu could only watch in horror as the creature prepared to fire a stream of acid straight at her.

A shaft of Kido crashed from the sky, knocking the beetle's head slightly to the side and causing its attack to go wide of its mark. The acid hit a tree somewhere to the left of her and she could hear the leaves and bark sizzle as it burned. Nemu stared up in relief as Karin appeared beside her. Her clothing was decorated with splashes and smears of crimson, but Nemu didn't think the blood belonged to the acting Taichou, nor did she act as if she'd been wounded.

"Are you alright?" Karin asked hurriedly.

"I am adequate, but not intact. Would you like a damage report, Karin-san?" Nemu asked.

"Yes," Karin answered, never taking her eyes off the beetle as it flailed around, missing half of its head.

"It would appear that my left ankle is broken, as is my left wrist. My body has suffered numerous lacerations and I will likely develop several bruises, possibly to the bone beneath the tissue," she reported. "My reiatsu also seems to be out of synch, a condition I've suffered for some time now," she added with a hint of frustration. "I am having difficulty gathering the necessary amount for a proper Kido attack."

"Yes, I can see that," Karin frowned. "We will look into that matter later. You need to get out of here right now."

"I will do so," Nemu promised, knowing she was of no more use. "Renji," she called again, "come here!"

He did so, lurching upwards out of the hole and walking towards her, heedless of his own injuries. Karin couldn't help staring at the man as he approached. While she had never known him that well, she had seen him around back in the Living World when her brother still presumed she was ignorant of everything that was going on.

She knew he had been her brother's friend and had felt the reiatsu he'd left behind at the house several times, back before everything had gone to hell. Seeing anyone like this was almost too painful to watch and she wondered if there was anything they could do to help him.

As it was, Karin couldn't help but think that he would be better off dead. She knew that if she was ever reduced to such a state, she would most certainly desire death. He stooped, and picked up Nemu carefully, following her instructions to the letter, but showing no reaction to what was going on around them.

With Nemu secured, Karin covered their retreat before finding the rest of her Division and sending a few of them to help the former 12th's members, now that Nemu and Renji were no longer able to help them. It looked to be another very long day and she couldn't wait for it to be over.

"_When are we finally going to get a bloody break?_


	87. Chrysalis

Chrysalis

The throbbing pain in his back and chest made his task so much more difficult, but he clenched his teeth and continued to direct the battle, keeping his voice firm and clear. It was the only time he got to command those higher than him and he took a small amount of satisfaction in that.

At least Karin and Unohana had seen to his injuries. Mercifully, he'd been able to stroll into his control room with no one the wiser about what had just happened. He felt a glimmer of fearful frustration, as his equipment indicated that several of the rods were damaged in the attack and he just knew that he would be the one blamed for their condition.

And now, now almost everyone knew about his shame. The only relief was that neither Yammy nor Barragen had been there to hear it, but he wouldn't put it past Nnoitra to spread the information out of sheer spite. If he registered low enough in Kami's eyes as to be raped, he had no doubt that the moment the news got out to the general Arrancar population he would have to divert precious resources and energy into the task of watching his own back.

There had already been grumbling with regard to his becoming Karin's fraccion and the only thing holding back those stupid enough to try to take him out was fact that they feared Grimmjow's well-known wrath. The Sixth had made it quite clear to everyone that he would dispose of anyone found antagonising his property, be it his mate, his child or his mate's pet

The battle was thankfully short today. The Espada and Taichou, in particular, seemed a little on the pissed side and had spared no effort in laying waste to the Swarm. He wasn't sure what had been the most devastating weapon: Byakuya's Bankai or the combination of Halibel dousing the field in water only for her pet to freeze it into spears and prisons of ice. It was an exceptionally lethal, beautiful attack. The Third and her pet worked together surprisingly well.

"Szayel-sama, Nemu-san and Renji-kun have arrived and both appear to be injured," one of his aides reported. "They have been taken to the first examination room."

"Deal with their wounds," he ordered. "I will see to Nemu once the cleanup is finished."

"Hai, Szayel-sama," the aide replied and saluted before quickly retreating.

Alone again, Szayel let himself slump against the side of the monitor for a second in relief before pushing away from it and standing a little straighter. So Karin had thankfully gotten to the woman in time and pulled her out of harm's way before anything worse could happen.

Sadly, as worried as he was about Nemu, he had a job to complete. He didn't dare falter in his duty; the searing pain in his back reminded him all too harshly of the cost of failure.

(POV)

Karin walked back to the city, listening to the reports from her seated officers with Byakuya by her side. She didn't really hear them and might have been more worried about her absentmindedness, but she trusted that Byakuya would not only give them his full attention but would also commit anything important to memory to relay to her later. At the moment, something else commanded her attention.

The cleanup was well underway and thankfully, only a few of the poles had been damaged. Still, Karin knew that Aizen was not going to be pleased about the setback and she just hoped that he wasn't going to feel the need for another demonstration, or additional punishment, so soon after the last one. When her last seated officer finished she wrenched her mind back to the present.

"Very good… continue cleaning things up here and anyone who is still physically capable is to assist with the repositioning and repair of the poles for the defence net. Anyone willing to work overtime to get that damn thing up before Kami's patience wears out will be given compensation. I have to take all of this and get it to the First…" she sighed, once the last report was given and her officers had scattered in order to carry out her orders.

Well, that was somewhat true. She was going to have to report in to the First Division, but not for a few hours. At the moment, she only wanted to make sure that both Szayel and Nemu were going to be alright.

Karin launched into Shunpo the moment it was appropriate to do so, racing back to the city and towards the Research Building. She was relieved to detect both Szayel and Nemu inside, with no sign of Aizen anywhere near them.

She marched confidently through the building towards the first examination room. Everyone she passed stepped to the side and offered her a short bow. She had gotten so used to it now that it was no longer unnerving to be accorded such respect.

"How is she?" she asked as she stepped into the room.

Nemu lay on a bed, her wrist and ankle already wrapped up while Szayel hovered over a monitor beside her. Renji stood silently in a corner, his eyes staring out at nothing as one of Szayel's minions finished bandaging a cut to his right arm, bowed to Szayel and then left without a word.

"Physically, there is not much wrong with her, but her reiatsu is still completely out of synch," Szayel reported, busily tapping away on a device in his hand before turning his attention to Karin. "What do you see when you look at her?" he inquired a little too forcefully. Perhaps his own injuries made it impossible for him to completely veil the worry in his voice.

Karin sighed and then turned to study Nemu, focusing her ability as best she could despite her own fatigue. Nemu's reiatsu pattern seemed oddly familiar, as if she'd seen it before, and yet she hadn't. Her reiatsu was completely out of control, with the majority swirling in a pair if vortexes around her abdomen, like a pair of miniature storms. Her entire system and its ebb and flow of energy, had been thrown off as a result. No wonder she hadn't been able to defend herself properly.

Well, there was definitely something abnormal going on. Now they simply had to find out 'what' the reason behind Nemu's disrupted energy was.

"Have you run an ultrasound test on her?" Karin asked. Szayel gave her a withering look, as if she'd asked some kind of incredibly stupid question.

"No, why would I run an ultrasound test for a problem involving fluctuating reiatsu?" he snapped. She glared right back at him.

"I have a theory. Let's run one, just to rule out a few things," Karin ordered.

Szayel made a face and rolled his eyes, but moved towards the machine nevertheless.

"Very well," he sighed. "Just for you, Karin-sama…"

Szayel pulled the ultrasound machine up, or tried to before wincing in pain and ordering Renji to do it for him, while Karin adjusted Nemu's clothing to bare the woman's midsection and spread the gel over her skin. Karin watched impassively as Szayel moved the wand about until finally settling it over the woman's stomach and staring at the monitor in shock.

"There _is_ something there, like some sort of bundle…" he murmured, and then moved one of the dials to try to focus in on the image a little better. "No, wait. There seem to be two of the things in there. They resemble cocoons of some sort."

Szayel moved to a different monitor, tapped in a few commands on the keyboard and the image on the first monitor came into much sharper focus. The scientist adjusted the ultrasound machine's sensor yet again and squinted at the screen.

"A large portion of her reiatsu seems to be pooling here," he indicated "…and here. I believe they're using it to either feed, or perhaps they're using her reiatsu to spin the cocoons that surround them. Could they be something the Swarm infected her with?" he pondered aloud, sounding both concerned and enthusiastic about the discovery. He turned to reach for yet another device, before flinching and hissing as he pulled on his gashes in his enthusiasm. "Perhaps whatever is driving the Swarm is trying a new tactic, something we wouldn't expect, given that they've simply been coming at us in swarms so far. This could be a parasitic sneak-attack of sorts," he finally said, when he'd recovered enough to speak again.

"I am so sorry about those," Karin whispered in apology as she watched him straighten carefully. He looked down at his bandaged chest and deflated a little, the image on the screen temporarily forgotten.

"There's nothing you could have done differently," he said and offered her a faint smile, their argument momentarily forgotten. "I have been through much worse. The damage would have been far more extensive and thus more debilitating had someone less concerned for my well-being delivered those blows. The real question is, what did your mate do to anger Kami-sama?"

"What?"

Now she was confused and it must have shown on her face. Szayel paused and tried to explain, sounding a little hesitant, as if he was sorry he'd brought up the subject.

"Aizen-Kami is well aware of how Claims work. It would not have slipped his mind. He was punishing the both of us, me for 'failing' him yet again and you… well, I think he was using you to punish Grimmjow. My question is, did Grimmjow do something to anger him, or was he simply using you to send your mate a warning?"

Suddenly Karin felt an overwhelming need to sit down, and pulled up one of the empty workstation chairs before her legs betrayed her. She'd been so focused on Aizen's repeated abuses of Szayel that she hadn't considered the fact that _both_ she and Szayel were considered Claimed by Grimmjow. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, not wanting to think of what distress her mate might have had to endure if that were really the case. Her emotional pain hitting him had been bad enough. Szayel was right; it could have been much, much worse.

"Does Aizen need a reason to do anything he does?" Karin pointed out, not liking where Szayel was going with this, but unable to deny his logic in his theory about Aizen's latest round of 'demonstrations'. She made a note to have a talk with Grimmjow when she got home.

"No, I suppose not," he admitted, adverting his gaze and clenching his fists. "I think we should open her up and take a look." Szayel changed the subject back to the real reason they had gathered here. Karin let him, though not without raising both her eyebrows.

"Open her up?" Karin's jaw dropping in shock. "You can't mean…"

"It is a normal procedure, Karin-san," Nemu spoke up, lifting her head a little to look at her and sounding as calm as if Szayel had suggested taking a walk in one of the local parks. "I am a construct and I've been opened many times. It will not harm me in any way that you would understand."

Karin inwardly cringed at the idea, but they did need to make sure that the Swarm wasn't using some new, strange form of weapon on them, even though she had her own growing suspicions as to what was truly going on.

"Instead of opening her whole torso, can't we just send a small probe in to see?" Karin proposed, trying not to sound as squeamish as she felt. She didn't think she had it in her to see Szayel carve up Nemu while the latter serenely watched the proceedings.

Szayel pouted, but conceded that the alternative procedure would be sufficient to get an idea of what might have taken up residence within Nemu. He gathered the necessary equipment while Karin prepared a local anaesthetic, though Nemu insisted that she really didn't need one. Szayel made a small slice in her slide and began to insert the probe. Karin, for her part, tried to watch impassively as he probed Nemu's insides, working his way towards the strange things inside of her. He angled the probe down and to the left. When the probe made its way past her cervix, they could finally see what was disrupting Nemu's reiatsu.

"They seem to be in her womb," he said with interest, the camera clearly showing two small, wrapped bundles, nestled closely together.

Karin blinked, staring at the picture, and then turned her head to stare at Szayel.

_How oblivious can one man, human or Arrancar_, _be?_

"Szayel, what is your base creature?" Karin asked suddenly, as the images from the probe began to show up on the screen, far clearer than what they had seen on the ultrasound.

Indeed, rather than woven cocoons, the small packages clinging to the sides of Nemu's uterus seemed be encased in hard, iridescent shells, though the light from the probe wasn't enough to determine the actual color. Her formal schooling had ended when she was twelve, but she distinctly remembered more than one science class that had discussed the insect life cycle. These looked very much like the pictures of a chrysalis, the pupa state of a particular kind of insect and Karin was now sure of what she was looking at.

"Nothing that spectacular," he answered dismissively and perhaps a tad bit defensively. Karin narrowed her eyes and then shook her head.

_I think the answer to that is __'__Exceedingly Oblivious__'__._

"I am certain that I have never heard of a creature called 'nothing that spectacular' before." She managed to smirk at him while staring at the monitor. "Do tell me more about it."

He glowered at her before sighing and muttering something under his breath.

"I didn't catch that."

"A butterfly," he snapped in irritation, louder this time.

_Make that __'__Outrageously Oblivious__'__ and stick a cherry on top of it._

"I see, that sort of makes sense," she mused. Resting her chin between the thumb and forefinger of her right hand and her elbow on the opposite forearm, she pondered the screen. Silence settled about them for moment.

"Why?" Szayel suddenly asked, his tone growing suspicious.

"Just a theory," she answered. "We'll find out in a second whether I'm right or not."

Szayel frowned, but finally turned his attention back to the monitor and gestured impatiently with one hand.

"Hand me the small tube over there, I need to take some scrapings of the shells to run a DNA analysis. I do not want to remove them just yet. Other than disrupting her reiatsu and feeding on her reiatsu, they do not seem to be otherwise harming her and I want to study them the best we can before we attempt to remove them."

He was clearly excited and would have moved about a little faster if not for his injuries. It didn't seem to take much to make him forget he was bandaged.

"_It must be nice to be so easily distracted_," Karin thought wryly and then rolled her eyes. This had gone on long enough, in her opinion. "_And to think I__'__m about to drop another little bombshell into his lap__…__ I hope he__'__s ready for it.__"_

"Hey, Szayel…"

"What, now?!" he snarled, finally snapping at the latest interruption.

"How long would a butterfly's gestation period last?" Karin asked offhandedly. This time he faced her fully, hands on his hips and a look of utter exasperation on his face

"While I understand that the majority of the population has difficulty understanding the basics of zoology and wouldn't know the various stages of the insect life cycle, I expected you… at…. least…"

Szayel's rant died in his throat and his golden eyes widened as what she hinted at finally sank in and made itself at home in his brain. He spun about to stare at Nemu in shock. The symptoms she'd had for the last few weeks, including her illness in the mornings and her erratic reiatsu finally made sense. With hands that almost shook in excitement he quickly gathered the DNA samples he needed from the chrysalides and raced over to the decoding machine he had built years ago.

Karin removed the probe and tubing, and sealed the small wounds in Nemu's stomach before helping the woman to sit up. She didn't need to see Szayel to know how nervous he was; she had never felt this much pleasure and excitement coming from him in, well, ever she supposed.

He started laughing hysterically, but in a way that indicated he was delighted, not crazed. Karin barely managed to move to the side as he rushed back to Nemu and hugged her tightly. Nemu let out a squeak of surprise before smiling softly and leaning into his embrace.

"Finally!" he cried in excitement. "And there are two of them! TWO! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" he shouted in glee at the top of his lungs and squeezed her again. "Two," he repeated again in a murmur, burying his face in Nemu's dark hair.

Karin was truly happy for them, and not just because Szayel was busy assaulting her with joy. The scientist truly deserved a break after everything he had been put through and she was well aware of what this meant to him.

"There is one other thing that I have been pondering, and now might be the best time to test the theory," she said, speaking carefully because she loathed breaking the mood.

"What might that be?" Nemu asked, for Szayel seemed currently incapable of speech, one hand holding her tightly to him and the other clutching her braid, fingers toying with her hair.

"Renji," Karin turned her eyes to the only person in the room without a happy expression. In fact he didn't look like anything at all was going on between his ears. "You said half of his soul was destroyed when you destroyed his Zanpakuto, right?"

"Yes," Szayel answered, finally able to compose himself enough to give Karin a response.

"So that means the other half is still there, right?"

"Yes, that is why he is still capable of speech and able to follow orders," Szayel confirmed. Karin nodded at that and took a deep breath, about to propose something that Szayel might not want to consider.

"Do you think Orihime-chan would be able to heal him? If his soul was completely gone I would understand why she wouldn't, but if half of it is still there, then all she would be doing is returning something to its whole and original state, correct?"

Szayel actually seemed to ponder the suggestion. She wondered why the thought had never occurred to him before.

"_Or perhaps it has, but the scientific part of his nature was more interested to see how long a natural healing would take, or if it would take at all,__"_ she guessed. Szayel didn't disappoint her with his answer.

"I suppose at this rate there is very little data left to gather from this experiment, and I will desire someone better able think for themselves to protect my offspring," he sighed in annoyance and turned his gaze to the silent redhead. "Given how little intelligence the fool had to begin with, of course, I'm not sure he's up for the job," he added under his breath. "Still, his protective instincts were impressive when it came to his companions."

"So you will let her do it?" Karin asked.

"Technically speaking, you could force me to say yes, Karin-sama," he pointed out.

"No need. I am taking that as a 'yes'. I'll go ask Orihime-chan for her help. I doubt we will be able to do anything today. It's been a long, rough, tiring day and she has probably already exhausted her powers at the 4th Division with the wounded. How about in a few days?" she suggested. Szayel seemed to take this under consideration and eventually nodded in agreement.

"Very well. I _am_ interested to see if her abilities can affect the spirit as much as it can affect the physical plane. I'm sure the results will be intriguing, either way."

Karin looked heavenward at that and reached up, closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose in-between her fingers. Trust Szayel to turn everything into an opportunity to conduct an experiment.

A date for the attempt now set, Karin left the two to their own devices, her work at the Research Center finished. She hadn't been exaggerating; it had been a long day and right now all she wanted to do was curl up in her mate's arms and sleep for a week. She was emotionally and physically drained as well from the meeting and battle and if she made it home without falling asleep in midstride, she'd be surprised.

Still, it _was_ gratifying to look back over her shoulder as she closed the door and see Szayel and Nemu, eyes closed and foreheads touching, holding one another carefully; Szayel because Nemu carried his precious children and Nemu because of Szayel's injured back and chest. As terribly as the day had started, Karin thought as she began the walk back to the Estate, the finish had more than made up for it


	88. Soul Retrieval

Soul Retrieval

A few days later, Orihime and Karin walked towards the Research Center, their respective children walking in front of them, Ajuga up on two legs and Diaemus in a series of short glides as he practiced flying.

Karin kept a sharp eye on her daughter because Ajuga kept glancing at Diaemus as if he was prey and her tail was constantly in motion. Ajuga had promised them that she understood that Diaemus was NOT to be hunted, but Karin trusted that promise about as much as she trusted the girl's father's promises not to molest her for the day; a promise that was seldom upheld.

She didn't think Ajuga would hurt Diaemus, but she could tell that the young boy had her daughter's undivided attention. Karin also knew that Orihime was just as nervous as she was about the children, but today that nervousness was overshadowed by an abundance of cheer.

Orihime had jumped at the chance to heal Renji's soul. Unlike Karin, Orihime actually knew the redhead well enough to call him a friend. Karin just hoped this worked because she knew Orihime's spirit would be crushed if she failed at this task.

"Szay!" Ajuga shouted happily as they approached the entrance to the building, finding the scientist waiting for them.

Karin watched as he daughter took off to greet him, pleased that her daughter took off on two legs instead of dropping to all fours and loping like an animal.

"Hey, how is my favourite experiment?" Szayel greeted her warmly.

"Good," she chirped. "Look, Demus-kun came too!" she pointed at the boy as Diaemus fluttered to the ground, ending his short glide and staring up at Szayel with big green eyes.

"Ah, my second favourite experiment," he grinned at the child.

"I wish you wouldn't call him that," Orihime sighed as the two women caught up to the gathering. "Ulquiorra doesn't like it either," she added.

"Oh, Mama said that you are going to be a Daddy soon too! Is that true?" Ajuga asked excitedly.

"Yes it is," Szayel smiled happily. "With twins," he practically squealed in delight.

"Congratulations," Orihime smiled happily, eyes lighting up.

"Yes, Aizen-Kami was actually very pleased with the news and extended the deadline for the defence net. Nemu and I will be the first Shinigami/Hollow success, despite her unique makeup," he said proudly.

Karin's smile faded a little at that. She already knew about that, and unfortunately, she also knew about the fallout the announcement had caused. Granted, the repercussions weren't anywhere near as terrible as those which resulted from Aizen's Victory, since most of the Arrancar had already used up their allotted Claims. Still, she knew that a number of Arrancar had once more been getting more physical with their pets, including Nnoitra.

There was nothing they could do about it and Rangiku had gone out of her way to reassure her that the Fifth Espada wasn't hurting her physically with his attentions. He _was_ more amorous than he had been in some time and Rangiku was damn sure it wasn't because of the battles.

Szayel had apparently made it known how important it was to keep the female stress-free for copulation to be successful, so the reports she had gotten from the Claimed Shinigami in both the 2nd and 5th division more or less had the same thing to say: the Arrancar owners had been more 'attentive' to their pets, but not overtly aggressive or abusive in their renewed interest in siring progeny.

That was at least one relief to her overworked body and mind. Not needing to fret about any of her subordinates coming into work traumatised, if most of them could even _be_ further distressed at this point, was one less burden she had to shoulder. The only one she still worried about was Byakuya; even though Yammy had been far less abusive towards the Noble, especially after Aizen's public punishment of Szayel, the Espada still did enjoy his pet rather frequently and made no motions of being gentle.

"_At least there was one silver lining to that whole mess_," she reasoned.

"We have a room set up and ready for the experiment. I am not sure what to expect, but one of the more likely results is that returning half of his soul will also return a large portion of his reiatsu at once. That in turn may cause either an explosion or some other similar outburst of energy. Nemu will be watching the children while we do this to insure that they will be out of any potential harm's way," Szayel announced, bringing Karin's thoughts back to the reason why they were here.

"Lead the way," Karin nodded.

"I'm ready," Orihime added, with her voice full of determination.

They followed Szayel into the building, dropped Ajuga and Diaemus off with Nemu before being led into another, more open chamber somewhere underground. It was heavily shielded, which Szayel explained was to protect the structure should something violent happen and avoid any potential damage to the children, more so his own than theirs since theirs were already developed enough to have their own protections.

Renji was already down there, lying on a steel table. It was the only piece of furniture in the massive room other than the monitoring equipment.

"You can begin when you are ready," Szayel directed, and motioned to Orihime with his hand.

"Alright."

Orihime stepped up and stared at her target before giving a sharp nod of determination and summoning her shield, saying the phrase "Soten Kisshun" in a strong voice. Her look of determination didn't slip for a second and Karin watched with pleasure as Renji's reiatsu slowly started to shift and change.

She felt excitement coming from Szayel as well, indicating his equipment must have been picking up some interesting data. all the answer she needed to know that Orihime's talents had to be working.

For all intents and purposes, it appeared as if Renji was simply sleeping, his eyes closed and his body relaxed. When the moment of actual restoration happened, the change came so quickly that it took Karin a moment to realize the table was now suddenly empty shortly before a burst of power rushed into her followed by a squawk of pain and surprise from Szayel.

Reiatsu infused with what Karin could only call blind fury lashed about the room and she heard Orihime cry out in surprise as it shattered her shield.

"**Murdering, raping, fucking bastard! I am going to kill you!****"** a voice roared, the fury in it unmistakable.

Karin whipped about just in time to see Szayel fire a defensive Cero at point blank range, knocking Renji off of him. He then retreated several feet away with fresh blood streaming from a cut down his face.

The surge of returning reiatsu seemed to have shattered what was left of Szayel's Claim on the redhead, setting him completely free, and he was clearly not happy. Holding out his hand, a blade slowly formed in it and Szayel barely had time to draw his own Zanpakuto to block the strike coming for his head.

"Renji-kun, wait!" Orihime desperately cried, trying to get his attention without getting caught up in the brawl.

Karin watched amazed as the furious redhead bit out a command shortly before his blade changed before adding a second command that changed his blade again, as well as releasing a large wave of spiritual pressure.

"Holy shit," Karin gasped in surprised at the large, bone-like snake that was now roaring and rushing straight at Szayel.

The room was large, but Szayel was too close to the attack and all that extra space meant nothing as he simply didn't have the time to be able to get out of the way.

Karin acted quickly, summoning a barrier of Kido to block the attack and launching herself at Renji's back, grabbing a hold of him and trying to pin his arms down while calling his name over and over.

Orihime acted next, calling upon her healing shield again. She cast it over both Karin and Renji. She then put herself squarely between Renji and Szayel, a warning look on her face.

"Get off of me!" Renji snarled, trying to dislodge Karin.

"Easy, relax, he won't attack or hurt you," Karin tried to soothe him.

When words failed, she fell back on her second option.

Like she had done the first time she had discovered Aizen had tortured Szayel, she let her reiatsu wash over him, surrounding him with calm while not actually letting the reiatsu penetrate his own, an act he might have misinterpreted.

"Easy," she whispered. "Tell me, do you know who I am?"

He ceased struggling and glanced at her over his shoulder, a frown marring his tattooed features as he studied her.

"You look familiar," he admitted. "But…"

"I am Karin, Ichigo's younger sister," she informed him and watched him stiffen in shock.

She felt him slacken in her grip as his eyes widened, jaw dropping in disbelief.

"Impossible," he breathed. "You're too old to be her," he added.

"No, it has just been a long while since you've been fully with us." Karin loosened her grip on him but didn't let him go just yet. "What is the last thing you remember?"

"I…" he frowned, confusion in his voice as he tried to mentally grope for the information.

Around them, Orihime's shield continued to glow golden, sending soothing energies into them and Karin watched as more of his soul was slowly knit back into place.

"I remember pain, a lot of pain, and Zabimaru screaming," he finally answered softly. He looked over his shoulder at her again. "You really are Kurosaki Karin?"

She winced at the name, but as it was the only one he would remember her having, she nodded.

"I was," she answered. "I go by a different name now. It has been almost ten years since Aizen ascended to the throne."

He went ridged at her words, his expression becoming one of horror. Slowly his transformation slipped away; his clothing returned to his normal garb and the giant snake made of bone returned to a simple katana.

"Mama!" a voice cried out, and both she and Renji turned to look at who had uttered the word.

Orihime let the shield fall and everyone looked at Ajuga, who rushed up to her mother, heedless of the man next to Karin. Karin stepped away from Renji for the moment, but stayed close just in case he decided to attack again. Ajuga made it to her side and hissed at Renji in warning.

"Why you attack Szay?" she demanded, clearly upset.

"Ajuga-chan, I thought I told you to stay upstairs," Karin said firmly, glaring at her daughter.

"I smelled Szay's blood so I came quickly in case something bad was happening," Ajuga declared, ignoring the fact that Renji's jaw had dropped at the sight of her.

"This is…" he tried to ask, and Karin took pity on him.

"My daughter, Ajuga," Karin introduced her child before turning her attention to the woman who should have been watching her.

Nemu actually looked out of breath as she crossed the room, hot on Ajuga's heels.

"My apologies, Karin-san, in my condition I was unable to keep up with her when she bolted," Nemu apologised with a bow. "Renji-san, it is good to see you fully-functional again," she added.

"She's a Hollow," he blurted, staring at the little girl.

"Of course I am, you knew that," Ajuga looked up at him in disbelief. "What's wrong with him?" Ajuga questioned, turning her gaze to her mother. "And why did he attack Szay?" She demanded, hissing his way.

"He was hurt and Orihime-chan fixed him," Karin answered.

"Oh, is that why he couldn't speak very well before?" Ajuga asked curiously, her tail twitching.

"That's right," Karin agreed.

"So you are all better now. That's awesome!" Ajuga said, looking up at the stunned redhead happily. "You weren't much fun before."

"Your daughter?!" he blurted again.

"You knew that," Ajuga pointed out, a little crossly this time. "You must have been really sick if you can't remember that!"

"Ajuga, I'll tell you all about it later. Go back upstairs for now," Karin ordered.

Ajuga pouted but eventually sighed and wandered back towards Szayel, who was wisely remaining silent by the monitoring equipment.

"Oh, Diaemus, what are you doing down here?" Orihime sighed.

A glance over to Orihime showed her own son hiding behind her legs, looking over at the redhead curiously.

"There's another one!"

"This is my son, Diaemus-kun," Orihime smiled, reaching down to pick him up.

"But… He's a Hollow too?" Renji gasped, looking as if someone had punched him in the gut, repeatedly.

"Of course he is. His father is Ulquiorra," Orihime announced.

If Renji's jaw dropped any farther, Karin thought, his chin would be scraping the floor tiles.

"Perhaps it would be prudent to inform Renji-san what has happened in the years his soul has been absent," Nemu spoke up.

"An excellent idea," Szayel agreed, speaking up for the first time since the healing had begun.

Renji shot a look of pure hatred and a promise of a very painful death towards the Espada. His hands clenched on the hilt of his Zanpakuto, but at least he didn't try and attack again just yet. Some of that might have been because Ajuga now stood next to Szayel, her tail 'poof-ed' out in the shape of a bristle-brush and her blue eyes narrowed.

"I do hate to bring up unpleasant news, considering your current attitude towards me Renji, but there is one little law that cannot be side-stepped," Szayel spoke up, adjusting his glasses somewhat nervously.

"Yeah, and what might that be, you asshole?" Renji demanded in a bark.

"You are still considered Taichou-class," Szayel said. "Under Aizen-kami's laws you will need to be Claimed in order to be permitted to continue living."

"Fuck no," he snapped, eyes blazing. "I ain't ever letting you touch me like that again you sick bastard," he added in a snarl. "Try it and I'll cut you to ribbons!"

"You're Taichou-class? Then the second form your sword took…. that was your Bankai?" Karin asked with some surprise.

"Yeah, it was," Renji reluctantly admitted, then turned on her with a suspicious look on his face. "Why are you defending him anyway?"

"If you will permit me, Szayel-sama, I would like to inform Renji-san of what he has missed during the last decade," Nemu spoke up again.

"The danger though," he frowned, and Karin could tell he wasn't pleased with leaving a pregnant Nemu alone with a potential threat.

"As long as he stays down here no one will be the wiser," Karin pointed out, indicating the shielding. "Ajuga-chan, can you promise not to tell anyone about Renji not being Claimed?"

"You mean like 'take-ji?" Ajuga questioned.

"Right, like 'take-ji. For now it's best to leave things as they are and you know why Szay can't refresh it right now anyway."

"Oh right, because Szay belongs to Papa, so he can't recast a Claim yet anyway," Ajuga said proudly.

"That's right." Karin smiled at her daughter. "I believe we are done down here for now. Renji, can you promise me not to leave this room, at least until we can figure out what to do? Aizen's Claiming law still stands and it would be one hell of a mess if another Arrancar were to spot you and notice you are no longer Claimed."

Renji glowered at the scientist, the look promising a world of hurt and pain, but eventually he rubbed his forehead and nodded in Karin's direction.

"Yeah sure, I guess I can stay in here for the time being. Where are you going?" he demanded.

"Well, _I_ need to get home with Diaemus-kun. Ulquiorra should be home soon and he gets twitchy if he doesn't know where his son is" Orihime answered. "But we _will_ be back tomorrow, for certain and I would love to catch you up on everything you missed," Orihime smiled warmly at him.

He returned a weaker version of it to her.

"And I have to get back to my Division," Karin sighed. "Byakuya-san does an excellent job running the place, but the two of us are just barely keeping up with the bloody paperwork and there is a training session I need to run in about an hour."

"Division? You are a Shinigami now?"

Renji looked a little pale at that, bombarded as he'd been with what Karin suspected was too much information.

"No, not quite," Karin sighed. "I am sure Nemu-chan will fill you in on that, but if not, I will see you tomorrow as well. Ajuga-chan…" Karin said, turning her attention to her daughter, about to order her home.

"Can I stay here, please Mama? Please, please, please!? I want to know more about Renji now that he can talk without being told to," Ajuga begged. "I promise to be good."

"She's a lot like Nel, isn't she?" Renji couldn't help but to ask, unable to take his eyes off of the girl.

"Nel?" Karin snapped her attention back to him.

The memory of the green-haired woman that had tried to warn her about her families blood, before Szayel's untimely interference, an interference he paid dearly for, bubbled up from somewhere and her eyes grew larger.

"_He can__'__t mean__…"_

"Nel was an Arrancar child that Ichigo, Sado-kun and Ishida-kun found when they broke into Hueco Mundo to try and rescue me," Orihime answered. "Her mask was broken and I don't think she had any memories from before she regressed."

"She's also the Arrancar you met when this happened to me," Szayel tapped his mask, indicating the fracture.

Karin felt a headache of her own coming on and reached up to rub her forehead before answering.

"Yeah, I just didn't know you knew her, and she _definitely_ wasn't a child when I met her last."

"I'll tell you about it on the way home," Orihime promised her, and Karin shot her a look that indicated Orihime had better do just that. "Come on Diaemus-kun, are you ready to go home?"

Diaemus gave his little head a nod, but still kept a curious green eye on Renji, as if unsure whether the man was friend or foe.

"So can I stay?" Ajuga pleaded.

"It's up to Renji, but I am not so sure he wants to be pestered by you right now," Karin answered.

Ajuga pouted, putting on a pathetic face.

"Eh, the kid can stay if she wants, I don't mind," Renji answered, slightly embarrassed by her interest in him. "Since apparently I already know her."

"Yes!" Ajuga exclaimed, clapping her hands.

Karin looked back and forth between Szayel, her daughter and a very put-upon looking Renji, but eventually nodded.

"Alright, but I want you home in time for supper. After all, you can't expect Lily-chan to take care of Jushiro-san all day."

"Promise, and I won't forget about 'take-ji," Ajuga promised.

"I am going to secure the door behind us so no one wanders down this way," Szayel announced, giving Renji a significant look. Renji, for his part, bared his teeth.

"You lock that door and I am going to bust your face in," Renji threatened.

"I have the codes to open it, should the need arise," Nemu assured him, placing one hand on his forearm.

"It would be for the best. Besides, it's not like Orihime-chan and I don't know you are down here," Karin assured him as well. "And as I am sure Nemu-san will tell you, there is nothing that Szayel can do to stop me from doing _anything_," Karin smirked.

Szayel's eye twitched in annoyance at the reminder.

"This way then, if you please, Karin-sama," he bowed elegantly with a sarcastic ring to his voice.

"Oh, no mocking today?" she shot back with a grin.

Szayel muttered something under his breath before leading the way out of the chamber, securing the door behind them.

"Please sit, Renji-san, we have a great deal to discuss. I also promise not to leave a single thing out."

Renji stared at the closed door, as if he could wish it open. A moment later, he sat back down on the table, holding a sheathed Zabimaru across his lap. With his elbows on his knees, he let his forehead rest against his interlaced hands, eyes cast down at his lap.

"One thing before you start, Nemu. Please, I have to know, is Rukia still safe?"

"Yes, she is," Nemu smiled softly at him and as she watched his shoulders slump a little in relief, she launched into her explanation, starting with the day Aizen won. Occasionally, Ajuga would chime in from time to time, with odd, helpful little bits.

Nemu, for her part, left nothing out, not in the least bit concerned that Ajuga was there to learn things that she had previously never known. The only thing she was careful to omit was the information regarding the fact that Karin, Ajuga and Hana shared Royal Blood. Szayel had forbidden her from telling anyone about that fact, and this was no exception.

By the end of it, Renji was left to sit in stunned silence as he digested the information he had been given. When Ajuga reluctantly had to go home, Nemu let her out before returning to his side. Renji still had not moved or spoken. They stayed that way until the redhead gathered himself together and looked up at Nemu.

"I wish I could say that the bastard got what was coming to him, but that was sick, even for Aizen," Renji muttered. "Still, how could you respect him, especially when he killed Ishida?"

"You know as well as I do that it was Kurotsuchi-Taichou that killed Ishida-san to spite Szayel-sama. Szayel wanted Ishida-san alive and regrets that he died," Nemu informed him.

Renji scowled, for he knew she was right. He may have been delirious with pain, but he did recall it had been the former 12th Division Taichou who had killed his friend by crushing the doll that contained Ishida-kun's surrogate internal organs without a moment of hesitation, declaring that he was no longer interested in studying the Quincy. He, sprawled out across the debris of the broken building, had been unable to do anything but watch as his companion died in front of him.

"Damn it, everything is so messed up," Renji groaned, clutching his head in frustration. "I mean, Karin and Grimmjow!? Ichigo is going to have a conniption fit when he finds out about this! Not to mention Orihime and the flying rat that kidnapped her in the first place! And now… you and that bastard Szayel?! You're really going to give him children?"

At that, Nemu stood and she straightened, looking him in the eye with an intensity he'd never seen before from her. He'd always considered her that nutjob Kurotsuchi's puppet, his willing drone, doing the Taichou's bidding without question or remorse. In truth, he'd been a little scared of her. All of the Fukutaichou had given her space because of that seemingly relentless devotion. A little of that fear returned as he realized that she'd effectively shifted her allegiance to the Arrancar, this time by her own free will.

"Times have changed Renji, people have changed. I am sure you will notice that Szayel-sama himself has changed a great deal."

"So, Aizen really did… _THAT_…. to him?"

"Hai," Nemu answered. "He has suffered far worse torture at Aizen's hands than anything you could wish upon him," she assured him.

Renji ran his hands through hair that seemed much longer than he remembered keeping it and then lay back down on the table and stared at the ceiling.

"I think… I need some time alone."

"Of course…" Nemu stood up and walked to the door before looking back over her shoulder at his prone form. "Renji-san…"

"Yeah, what is it?"

"It is good to have you back and, I know it is not something you want, but in order to walk out of this room and freely about you _must_ be Claimed," Nemu stressed. "Aizen will know that you lack an owner and kill you outright."

"Yeah, I know," he sighed unhappily as she left, hearing the lock click into place behind her.

The very thought of submitting himself to the pink-haired bastard brought up the strong urge to vomit and kill all at the same time, leaving him feeling beyond nauseous. He had a lot to think about and he had the feeling it was going to take several days to work it all out. He did have about ten years of history to sort through and digest after all.

"Karin and Grimmjow….. that must have Ichigo's tail in one hell of a fine knot," he couldn't help but to muse aloud


	89. An Odd Turn of Events

An Odd Turn of Events

Orihime and Karin parted ways as their paths diverged, Karin returning to her duties at the 2nd Division and Orihime returning home, Diaemus once more made short little gliding flights a few feet ahead of her without going too far. He had definitely learned his lesson in the park when Ajuga ambushed him by mistake. He stayed much closer to his mother now.

He hadn't started speaking yet. In fact, he rarely made any noise at all. Orihime wasn't even sure she could recall hearing him cry. He was turning out to be a serious little boy who desperately sought his father's approval and couldn't stand being hugged or held for very long.

Orihime wished she could design some kind of covering for his upper body, if only to help keep him warm. Unfortunately, his wings made putting a shirt or sweater on him impossible. Tucking them underneath a shirt was also out of the question, because he hated having them restrained in anyway. As it was, all he wore was a pair of white hakama. His clawed feet posed a problem as far as footwear, but from what she could see, walking on gravel in his bare feet bothered him as little as it appeared to bother Ajuga. Shoes and socks, it would seem, weren't really a necessity as far as enabling mobility among Arrancar, she thought, particularly when his preferred mode of transport involved the ground as little as possible.

The trip home was uneventful and Diaemus wasted no time heading to the large jungle gym-like structure his father had constructed for him to practice both his flight and climbing. Ajuga had seemed pleased with the construction as well and had demanded to know why she never got one. Even Hana dropped her rather mature demeanour and acted like a regular child once she got her hands on those bars.

It was a great relief to see all three of the children acting like children for a change. The three definitely had a maturity about them Orihime didn't recall having herself or seeing in any human child, but then they had to mature faster and it wasn't as if there was a plethora of same-age playmates available. Perhaps Hana might have been able to find other children to spend time with, but Ajuga and Diaemus were clearly Hollows. At times the two didn't seem to know their own strength. Ajuga proved just that when she had shredded her mother's arms and chest in her ill-advised attempt to avenge her beloved 'take-ji.

Orihime sat down on the porch and watched her son flutter and glide between the bars, climbing them with an ease she could only dream of. She always felt pride as she watched him and made it her mission to let him know just how much she loved him, since his father was a little more reserved when it came to showing his emotions.

Oh, she knew Ulquiorra was pleased with how their son was turning out. It was just difficult to see it at times. He wasn't a particularly demonstrative creature to begin with and Orihime wished there was some way for her to return the Claim so she could finally know what he truly felt at times.

She sighed and lost herself in thought, staring into the courtyard until the greenery became a bit of a blur. She didn't dwell on it for too long though before she shook her head and turned her attention back to her son. It was getting late and she needed to start dinner. 

When she looked up, however, the jungle gym was empty.

Diaemus was neither on the bars, nor anywhere else that she could immediately see. Panic quickly gripped her, for Diaemus was not the type of child to wander off on his own.

"Diaemus!" she called looking about in concern. When he didn't immediately appear, she felt real fear grab her. "Diaemus!" she cried more frantically, jumping up and searching the garden when she still didn't spot him.

She quickly scanned for his reiatsu and found it both nearby and excited. He did not, surprisingly, appear to be afraid. Looking everywhere, she finally spotted him when she glimpsed movement above her and shrieked in horror.

"Diaemus!"

Diaemus, riding an air current, glided somewhat haphazardly in a circle several dozen feet above the garden. Orihime felt as if her heart had stopped as she watched him complete the circle overhead and begin on the next one. A 'bang' of Sonido caused her to jump in shock, followed quickly by relief as Ulquiorra appeared beside her, no doubt summoned by her panic.

His own gaze darted to the sky, but unlike her, he didn't seem concerned and Orihime swore he gave her an exasperated look when he turned his attention back to her.

"Orihime, curb your emotions. There is no reason for such distress," he ordered with a slight amount of annoyance slipping into his voice. Clearly, he was none-too-pleased to have been summoned by her fear over what he perceived as something that clearly didn't warrant anxiety.

She bit her lip nervously and tried not to cry out in terror as Diaemus pitched hard to the side before righting himself in mid-flight. With a sigh of irritation, Ulquiorra drew his blade and changed before her before spreading his own wings and taking to the air to join their son.

"Spread your wings wider," Ulquiorra ordered his child, his own wings beating steadily, with enough force to stir the grass and leaves below them.

Diaemus obeyed, gaining more control over his movements.

"Observe," Ulquiorra ordered their son. Diaemus turned his attention towards his father. With another flap of his wings, Ulquiorra flew off. Diaemus took a second to steady himself in the wash of air, and then quickly followed his father.

Orihime continued to worry her lower lip with her teeth, but felt considerably better with Ulquiorra nearby. She was well aware of how much faster he was in that form and there was no way Diaemus could fall faster than Ulquiorra could move.

She nervously watched them turn and glide several times above her head, until she felt that her presence was no longer needed. With a sigh, she turned about and entered the house. It was much easier to deal with the strain when she didn't have to watch it. As hard as it was, she did understand that this was important to her son, and in all honesty she was thrilled to see Ulquiorra take charge of Diaemus's training. She had been worried that Ulquiorra would lose interest quickly, but it seemed like he was pleased with their offspring, if a little impatient with his rate of development.

(POV)

Diaemus followed his father through the air, carefully studying the movements of his father's wings. He tried hard to match them, and the differences in their wing structure were not enough to make the lesson harder at all.

Ulquiorra was pleased with Diaemus's progress. His son was calm and listened well. He certainly wasn't as excitable as Ajuga or Hana, although the Fourth would grudgingly admit that Ajuga exhibited an exceptional amount of patience while she was hunting. He thought it fortunate that the little female took after her mother more than her sire. The world did not need another, smaller version of Grimmjow and he silently prayed that if the couple produced any future offspring, those children would also follow in their mother's footsteps. He found the idea of a pack of blue-haired, blue-eyed, feline-featured cubs intent on spreading mayhem appalling.

Ulquiorra took his mind away from such matters and turned his attention towards his son. Diaemus was growing quickly and Ulquiorra had to admit to taking a certain amount of pride in his son's growth and the advancement of his skills. The only thing Diaemus seemed to have a problem with was speech. Neither parent had yet to hear their son utter a single word and for some reason, that one area of delay bothered him.

"Your ability to fly has improved greatly," he commented, scrutinizing his son's wings with his all-seeing green eyes.

Diaemus turned his head to look at him and gave a nod, accepting the rarely-given praise.

"I expect a verbal reply," Ulquiorra indicated, letting a little of the irritation he felt at his child's continued silence seep into his voice.

Diaemus dropped his head to look at the ground, as if he was deliberately trying to avoid eye contact with his father.

"Diaemus!" he said firmly.

He flew before his son and started to fly backwards so he could be face-to-face with his offspring. Diaemus gaped at him, surprised at his father's unexpected manoeuvre and his wide eyes filled with wonder as he watched his father fly in reverse.

"Land," he ordered, pointing towards the ground with one finger.

Diaemus gave another nod of his head and they descended in a long downward spiral to land in one of the many parks that littered the city's finer districts. His landing was graceful; Diaemus's was more of a spill than a proper touchdown, but he did manage to remain on two feet and recovered quickly.

Ulquiorra approached his son, studying the boy who resembled him so strongly save for his hair. The ginger strands he inherited from his mother had grown to be just as long, thick, and out of control as Orihime's. To this day, he still refused to wear anything more than a pair of white hakama, forgoing even socks. Then again, he wasn't particularly bothered by his son's preferences in attire. The shape of Diaemus's feet precluded shoes or sandals. If shoes and sandals weren't practical, why bother with socks that would only slip and slid on floors? Yes, his son greatly resembled his second form very much, and the boy's aerial skills were up to par for his age, but at present, the question of his delayed speech required his attention.

"Diaemus is there a reason you refuse to speak?" he asked. His tone indicated that there had better be no more dissembling.

His son sighed and eventually raised his eyes to his father's with a helpless look before opening his mouth. Instead of the answer Ulquiorra had been expecting, a high pitched screech erupted from his son's mouth.

Ulquiorra stared at his son in surprise, and then his usual stoic reasoning set in. Of course Diaemus wasn't being recalcitrant; the child almost never disobeyed him. He'd simply asked his son to do something the boy simply could not do. His child wasn't throwing a temper tantrum. Rather, his lack of speech was a real, physical problem, one that no one had foreseen or detected. It was clear his son was very embarrassed, and even ashamed, as his eyes dropped back to the ground and he refused to raise them again.

"I see."

They would have to take his son to the 4th and if nothing could be done there, then a visit to Szayel was in order. He'd have a little 'chat' with the scientist regarding Diaemus's monthly checkups and would question the lower-ranking Espada about why such an impediment had gone undetected for this long.

(POV)

Karin was completely exhausted, tired to the core of her being. A part of him wished he had never given her permission to assist Starrk's pet with her Division, while the other half puffed up with pride at how much she'd accomplished, how far she had come over the years. True, she would never be as strong as any of the Espada, but she was definitely one of the strongest females around and Ajuga was proof of her ability to breed good cubs.

He found himself grateful that Aizen had forbidden the Arrancar to battle one another over Claiming rights. Otherwise, Grimmjow was certain that he would have had several confrontations over her already. That was assuming she let him fight for her. _That_ thought brought a definite smirk to his face.

Karin was one hell of a spitfire and completely devoted to him in ways that sometimes still shocked him. As much as he desired to stand up for her, it was just as much of a turn on watching her stand up for herself, knowing _he_ had been the one to ignite that particular spark in her as well as tame her.

Still, his mate had been under a lot of stress lately. She tended to try to shoulder everyone's burdens, whether they were pack or not, a trait she unfortunately shared with that worthless brother of hers. She simply didn't know when it was time to say no or how to let others tackle their own problems. With both of them working so much, they hadn't had much time together of late either, and so help him, he was going to get her to relax tonight if it killed him.

He could feel how strained she was today; the tension radiated through their Claim and gave a slightly nauseous feeling that he wasn't sure came from the headache starting at the base of her neck, or the frazzled nerves that had her stomach on edge. It was time he did something about it. It was nothing to make sure Jushiro would watch Ajuga for the night. The elder Shinigami was more than happy to care for the child, when Ajuga wasn't caring for him. This enabled Grimmjow to make sure he had a chance to get Karin alone, just the two of them. He planned on working out some of her stress in a way that would be pleasurable for them both.

The ambushing went easily enough. He caught her the moment she came home, slipping up behind her and pulling her flush against his body, nuzzling her neck with his nose. He also noted that the bite mark he'd made when they had last reinstated their mutual Claim had nearly faded away. That would not do and he made a mental note to refresh the Claim, even though it was still strong, later in the evening.

"Grimmjow?"

The startled curiosity in her voice was understandable. After all, it wasn't often he accosted her as she walked through the front door. After a battle or in their bed certainly, but not at the entrance to their quarters. He could tell from her tone she suspected he had something nefarious in mind.

Well, he thought, giving a quick thought to a part of his anatomy he deemed 'neglected' of late, she wasn't exactly wrong on that count.

"Shh," he ordered her, turning his nuzzling into nipping kisses that had her shivering in his arms. "It's been too long since I got to have you to myself," he growled.

"I need to check on Jushiro and Ajuga," she protested, trying to pull out of his grasp.

It was child's play to hold her against him and he refused to let her go.

"They are _fine_," he reassured her. "Tonight, it is just going to be me, you and our futon," he promised her.

She remained rigid in his grasp for a moment, before finally taking a deep breath and letting out a sigh of contentment, going limp against his body. He smirked in triumph and continued to lay a series of kisses along her neck and shoulder, his hands going from her waist to the belt holding her hakama up.

"I hope dinner is in there at least somewhere," she questioned, her voice already becoming breathless as he lavished her flesh with attention from his lips and tongue.

"Hmm," he hummed an agreement as the belt was finally undone and her hakama pooled at her feet.

"Something other than me being the main course," she added, relaxing further into his embrace while stepping out of the garment.

"Maybe," he murmured as he pulled the rest of her clothing off before picking her up bridal style.

Her arms shot up to go around his neck for better balance and she returned his kisses all along his throat and chest while he carried her to their room to set her down on the futon.

She reluctantly let him go so he could stand up and shed his own clothing. He took a moment to enjoy the lust-filled worship in her eyes as she studied his impressive body before he crawled over her like the predator he was, working his way up her body with his mouth until he could bury his face between her breasts.

They were perfect. Even after having gone through breastfeeding, they were still firm and fit flawlessly in his palm without any excess flesh spilling out of his hands. The only difference now was that her nipples had darkened with childbirth. There was nothing about her body that was wasted. Grimmjow had trained her well and she fit the image he had imagined so long ago far better than he could have ever anticipated. Oh, how he wished he could rub it in Ichigo's face, but he hadn't seen the hybrid since their spar in the park, the day that Karin had told her brother off.

The Espada pulled his thoughts away from such irritating things and focused them back on the woman pinned beneath him. It had been too long since they had enjoyed an evening together. Sure, they'd had plenty of sex. Battles always left him ready to pound into her, but that was different from enjoying an evening exploring every inch of her flesh, of taking the time to appreciate the soft trail of her fingers over his skin. To make love instead of just fuck.

His mouth moved from her breasts and up her neck until he found her mouth, already open as she panted softly beneath him. He shifted slightly to lie beside her and ran one of his hands up her thigh, letting his nails scrape lightly against the skin until he reached her core.

Karin let out a moan as he ran his fingers through the black curls that protected her womanhood before he slipped a finger inside of her, pleased to discover she was already getting wet.

He allowed himself to smugly grin at that, before she retaliated by running a hand over the sensitive skin of the scar that marred his chest, earning a shiver out of him. He had other, smaller scars over his body. However, _that_ one always seemed to fascinate her, although she had, oddly, never asked him about it. She had asked him about the others on quiet nights when she let her hands trace over his body, but never this one.

"You brother," he grunted.

"What?"

She looked up at him in shock and he snorted a little.

"Your brother gave me this one the first time we fought," he explained, capturing her hand before she could withdraw it from his chest.

Silence settled between them as he released her hand and she continued to trace the large scar with a thoughtful expression. Perhaps it was time to tell her about his relationship, if one could call it that, with Ichigo. He very much doubted she would ever leave him now, even knowing how close he had come to killing the hybrid.

"It started when Ulquiorra returned from his mission to assess what kind of threat he was to Aizen's plans..."

Karin listened silently, and while she winced at some of the more vivid details of the battles he had shared with her brother, she didn't pull away from him nor did she stop running her fingers over his body. When he was done recounting their last battle in Hueco Mundo, her silence lingered between them for some time.

"Men," she eventually sighed, and nestled closer against him. "What about now? Would you kill him if you had the chance?"

"Fuck no," he groused, and then winced as she bit his neck sharply at his use of profanity. "If I killed him, I couldn't kick his ass over and over again," he finished. "Nor taunt him that you're mine," he couldn't help but to add with a leer.

"Men," Karin sighed again, this time a little more irritably, but he could tell that his answer at least appeased her. "And how do you know that he just won't find it amusing that his meek little sister took down and tamed the big, bad Grimmjow?" she couldn't help but to tease him back.

"Only a fool would think you meek," he growled, pleased at the flush that lit her cheeks at his compliment. "And some things are worth falling for," he added.

She squirmed in his grasp and he chuckled, returning his lips to her neck and raining kisses all over her body. He could feel the tightness drain away as her body went limp under him, months of knots finally coming undone. The pulses of stress coming from their Claim were slowly replaced by one of intense relaxation and pleasure, a far more enjoyable kind of feedback.

By the time he was ready to mount her, her body had become pliable, open and ready to receive him. With a grin, he moved between her legs and purred as she adjusted her position slightly to give him a better angle. It was a thousand times better to slip slowly into her body, to slowly bury his shaft in that warm, wet heat inch by inch. Karin's walls shifted and flexed around him as he gave her time to slowly adjust. When he was fully seated, he let out a loud sigh of pleasure and enjoyed the feeling of being within her.

It wasn't that the sex was lacking; they went at it like rabid animals after a battle, but half of the intensity during those times was instinct-driven and he hardly recalled much of it afterwards. It was quick and passionate. However, this, this was the sort of luxurious decadence that he would recall for hours afterwards while he watched her slumber by his side.

Grimmjow's thoughts were broken as he felt her walls clamp down around him as she deliberately tightened her muscles, wrenching a groan from his lips and encouraging him to move if he didn't want her to start playing dirty. Moreover, she knew how to play _very_ dirty, thanks to her excellent reiatsu manipulation.

He could already feel his skin start to heat up as she let her power twine with his, stroking softly at his very core and pulling a gasp from his lips, one she was quick to return as he pulled out and thrust back in again.

The Espada lost himself in the haze of pleasure brought about by the feel of her skin against his and her liquid heat encircling and clamping down upon his most intimate part. Her reiatsu moved against his own, igniting his entire body and he returned the favour, pumping his own reiatsu into her as their soft lovemaking and gentle caresses turned into heated thrusts and desperate clawing, their bodies rising desperately to meet one another.

He buried his face against her neck, breathing in her scent, only to have her grasp his hair and rip his head away as she scowled and mouthed the word 'mask.' Chuckling, and (although he would never admit it) feeling slightly embarrassed that he had forgotten about the bone fragment on the side of his face that made nuzzling her on that side uncomfortable for her, he switched to the other side of her neck so it was bare skin against bare skin.

"Going to remove that one of these days," she grumbled, or tried to. It turned into a gasp near the end as another thrust poured more of his reiatsu into her. She retaliated with a sharp penetration of her own reiatsu around his nether regions that almost made him cum right there.

The little interruption brought the tempo of their lovemaking down a bit, but it recovered quickly, until his vicious little mate could take no more and her walls clamped down tightly around him, followed by a gush of fluid and a sharp pulse of reiatsu into his body that made his mind go blank. Then he felt his brain shut down again as his own orgasm slammed into him with the intensity only his mate had ever been able to ignite within him.

He had no idea how long he convulsed nor how long he rode that amazing high that only she could give him. Since bedding her, he had never even looked at another woman, which had taken the female Arrancar population some time to get over as he was truly the only powerful male that had bothered to bed them without damn near killing them in the process.

When he finally caught his breath he noticed that Karin lay dazed beneath him with eyes mostly closed and a look of utter relaxation on her face. He loathed to break the mood, because the moment he did he just knew she would start thinking about all of her problems again, and right now he just wanted to enjoy the tingling of their refreshed Claim and the mutual buzz of gratification they shared with each other.

To his immense satisfaction, her eyes drifted closed and she fell into an exhausted slumber, leaving the 'hum' of their joint Claim still going between them, even if it diminished a little as she drifted off. He couldn't help purring as he finally untangled their bodies enough so he could spoon up behind her. She let out a contented little noise and curled up against him in an effort to get her first real chance at some rest in weeks. He vaguely remembered something she'd said earlier about 'dinner', but that could wait until she'd filled her need for sleep.

Besides, he thought as his own brain grew a little fuzzy and he closed his eyes, half of the fun of 'midnight snacks' came from sneaking them in the wee hours of the morning anyway


	90. A Fair Trade

Note: the next few chapters were written by Black Fox.

A Fair Trade

There was, she decided, something to be said for laying back on the grass and staring up at the fading daylight through the leaves. It was all she really had the energy to do and for once, there was no one around to disturb her. Her mate and Starrk had been sent out on patrol, while the First, Third and the Science Divisions wrestled the defence net's pillars back into the necessary positions for Szayel's design to function properly. A late training session would have Nanao working well into the evening; Hana was currently at her lessons, though she would be home soon enough. Jushiro, Lilinette and Ajuga were the only ones at the Estate at present, the latter two fussing over the older man as if afraid he might break like a twig in a strong breeze. When last she'd checked, Jushiro had been in the process of letting Lilinette win a game of shoji while Ajuga watched curiously.

She ought to be preparing dinner, or finishing the laundry, or something more productive than watching the sun set and the sky go red and gold while she dawdled. But she'd had so little time to deal with everything that had ended up in her lap in the last few days and she needed this little break to think.

Karin just wished that she'd been able to come up with a better plan. Or at least something that wouldn't have Renji ready to rip her throat out.

It had been five days since Orihime had restored Renji's missing soul to him along with his Zanpakuto and more than once in the last five days, she wondered whether or not she'd made a mistake in suggesting the whole thing to her friend. She hated to think that the redhead might have been better off as a shuffling, unfeeling shell, but she hadn't expected Szayel's Claim to be so weak at the time that it would shatter under the force of Renji's returning reiatsu.

If the Claim had naturally dissipated while Szayel was unable to refresh it, Renji would have neither known nor cared about it in his former state. He might have been considered completely harmless, lacking a will of his own and requiring instructions to move. Aizen might have even allowed him to remain as he was as long as he showed no sign of being trouble, though Karin had some doubts about that.

But a thinking, reasoning, completely-un-Claimed Taichou-class Shinigami with a deep-seated grudge against both Aizen and his former 'owner?' There was no way in either the Seireitei or the Living World that Renji would escape notice, or be allowed to run free. In that, at least, Szayel had been correct. Given what she'd seen over the last few days, visiting with Renji after her long shift was over, the man wasn't big on subterfuge. In fact, she doubted the man even knew what that word meant.

"_Fat chance of that__…__ he__'__s the kind that will keep fighting you, no matter what you throw at him and no matter the consequences,__"_ she thought wearily. "_I__'__m surprised that Szayel managed to Claim him at all the first time. Though I suppose Renji wasn__'__t exactly at full-strength at the time and Szayel, without the crack in his mask and wounds from Aizen, is a powerful Espada,__"_she mused.

Keeping Renji hidden was a short-term solution at best and one that she didn't think would work for too much longer. When she'd gone to see him last night she could tell Renji was clearly restless, eager to leave the room that had become a de facto prison for him. Szayel, perhaps proving that he was neither suicidal nor a fan of tempting fate, hadn't been back downstairs since his 'pet's' restoration. Instead, he was intent on making sure that the defence net was coming along quickly.

Karin didn't blame him for dealing with that one issue to the exclusion of all else, with the exception of seeing to Nemu's and his unborn children's welfare. She could feel, through her Claim on him, how focused he was on fixing any problems that surfaced as they occurred, lest he suffer yet _another_ 'reprimand' from Aizen.

She found that she needn't have worried about one of the Science Division's staff members inadvertently letting Renji loose; Szayel had the majority of them out in the field with the other Divisions to assist with getting the pillars up properly and promptly. Only a few necessary Shinigami remained at the computers to handle any issues with the programming of the net and to keep an eye on the camera's for any sign of attack.

Of course, that left Nemu to deal with the majority of the other day-to-day issues at the Division. This included the care and feeding of Renji, once Szayel became convinced that he wasn't a threat to his former colleague. Nemu, thankfully, had the sense to move a bed from one of the upper rooms into the sealed chamber, along with a few chairs so that they could sit on something other than the floor during visits.

A Western-style bureau replaced the monitoring equipment. It held several changes of clothing, most of it the usual black and white Shinigami hakama and underclothing, as well as an odd construction of pipes festooned with what Karin swore looked like a bath curtain from the Living World strung about it. It was, according to Nemu, a hastily-put-together portable shower, since they couldn't risk sneaking Renji to the upper levels for a proper soak yet. She had to admit, the two large buckets, one above to hold the hot water and one to both stand in and catch it, were a nice, if rustic touch.

While it was a temporary fix, Karin could tell that Renji hated being caged. While she and Orihime visited with him each afternoon, he would glance frequently at the door, or get up and pace around the large room's perimeter, the way a large cat would stalk the outskirts of its territory. Karin found the comparison apt, considering how often she saw the same sort of behaviour from her mate. It was also worrisome, a reminder of just how bored and restless the former Fukutaichou really was and how easily he might fly off the handle if they didn't resolve the situation quickly.

Unfortunately, all of the other options she could think of had inherent flaws as well. Smuggling Renji out of the Seireitei was risky. It wouldn't take long for someone to notice the redhead wasn't around and Karin had no doubt that Aizen would expect an explanation from Szayel if only one of his 'pets' showed up at the next Claim Meeting. It would most likely prompt Aizen to start an investigation that could lead to the bastard discovering all sorts of things she'd rather not have him know about.

Reaching up, Karin rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands and massaged her forehead with her fingers. She'd had an off-and-on headache this past week that she attributed to too much stress and too few resources. Neither hiding nor releasing Renji seemed to be realistic options right now. That left convincing Renji to allow someone to Claim him. It was the only scenario that Karin thought had a chance of success. Once again, however, she found herself faced with a figurative brick wall: who could she not only trust to Claim him, but would be willing to do so?

Her first instinct had been to Claim Renji herself, much as she had Szayel and in the same way she was willing to Claim Jushiro if it became absolutely necessary. She also, regrettably, knew the limits of her own power. Managing Szayel's Claim was hard enough and she didn't think she had the strength to extend herself to provide coverage for both Szayel and someone as powerful as Renji on a regular basis. She'd do what she had to in order to hide Jushiro's condition as well, at least until he could recover enough for Starrk to recast his Claim. That did not take into account her burning of the proverbial candle at both ends as far as her duties to her Division, watching over Jushiro, managing her mate's insatiable needs, and keeping track of Ajuga. All in all, Karin felt she was dangerously close to her limit.

She chewed a little on her thumbnail, a bad habit from childhood she reverted to when confronted with a puzzle with no good solutions at hand. Szayel was simply out of the question as Renji had made it quite clear he would sooner die than let the scientist touch him again in such a way. Her mate was out of the question as well, since he'd used up his second Claim allowance by pretending to have Claimed Szayel to cover Karin's own ability. That left the First Espada, and Starrk's allotment of Claims was exhausted as well, even if he technically didn't have an active Claim on Nanao. Then there was Renji's adamant refusal to submit to a man ever again. She didn't trust the Shinigami not to try to put a few holes into any male Arrancar that got near him and given Renji's attitude, she could easily see Starrk refusing to get involved.

For one brief, mad moment she considered Lilinette, before thrusting that thought away with a grimace. Karin really had no idea exactly how old Lilinette was. She recalled that Starrk had explained to her the Lilinette was basically the physical manifestation of his Zanpakuto so there was no telling if Lilinette could even cast Claims, not to mention the girl was still very childish in both manner and appearance. The mere thought of the 'young girl' sleeping with Renji was just so wrong on too many levels. No, Lilinette was absolutely out of the question.

There simply was no one else that Karin had confidence in to neither hurt Renji nor scurry back to Aizen with the truth behind his restoration. Ulquiorra now had a free slot since Tesra took Tatsuki from him, but Karin still wasn't sure how far she trusted Ulquiorra, given his devotion to Aizen.

Tesra, while reliable and one Arrancar she would deem trustworthy, didn't have enough strength to Claim someone like Renji for long periods of time, and his devotion to Nnoitra was as strong as Ulquiorra's was to Aizen. She also didn't doubt his love for Tatsuki and honestly didn't believe Tesra would sleep with another soul as long as the two were together.

She wouldn't even bother asking Nnoitra, considering what she knew of the Arrancar's preferences and how he still occasionally treated Rangiku. There was the whole possessiveness issue with him as well. The Fifth disliked Karin as much as she disliked him, so she had no reason to think he'd step up to help her, especially if it meant bringing someone who so blatantly screamed 'Alpha-male-in-training' into his house.

That summed up the Arrancar she thought might treat Renji with some small amount of respect. She didn't even want to imagine what Yammy or Barragan might do to him. Karin vowed that she would do everything in her power to keep him out of their respective hands if at all possible.

There was still one Arrancar that might prove to be the key to solving her Renji problem, but there were far too many unknowns as far as Karin was concerned. Still, every potential option had to be considered carefully. She just wished that she had a better read on the woman in question.

Halibel… Karin let out a frustrated growl, low in her throat, an indicator of just how much time she spent around her mate. The Third Espada was an enigma. She rarely said anything at all during Claim meetings and kept her opinions on most subjects to herself, unless Aizen asked her a direct question. Even then, her answers were short and to the point, revealing nothing of her character or views.

In Halibel's favour, Toshiro seemed healthy and mentally well-adjusted (if perpetually irritated but that seemed to be 'normal' for him according to Rangiku), and didn't seem to be the outright victim of the same kind of abuse that Byakuya, Rangiku, Yumichika and Soi Fon constantly endured.

She also had three female Fraccion, though Karin didn't know all of their names. She'd only seen the slender one with the black, shoulder-length hair that had summoned Toshiro away from their training session up close; she'd seen the two others occasionally on the battlefield, but only at a distance. None of the women in the Third's household seemed interested in any of the males around them either, Shinigami or Arrancar. Karin was aware that Toshiro was the only man in that household, but that seemed to be the extent of her knowledge about the lot of them. She could try to find an excuse to visit the Third tomorrow and discreetly ask its Captain about his circumstances and the Espada he served.

The more she thought about it, the more she liked it, or at least thought it was better than any of the other questionable plans she'd mentally outlined thus far. Maybe she could convince Toshiro to get Halibel to Claim Renji. Karin did recall that Halibel had been one of the few who had seemed displeased with Aizen's public punishment of Szayel. The blonde even showed disgust when she had learned of Szayel's rape at Aizen's hands. That, she told herself, had to be worth something.

There was very little risk in gathering information about Halibel, at least until she could determine if Renji would take being Claimed by a woman with better grace than he had the idea of another male 'owner.'

Karin closed her eyes and stretched her arms over her head, hearing the vertebrae in her back pop one by one. She could hear the twittering of small birds in the branches far above her head and the occasional flutter of wings as one would take flight, as well as the rustle of the leaves left behind in their wake. Long ago, during her last year of 'official' schooling, she'd learned that wild birds would gather together and chatter at sundown, pairing up and letting the other members of the flock know they were settling into their hiding places for the evening. They'd call and sing in the morning in the same way, to let the rest know they'd survived the night.

Her own 'flock,' if one could call the odd grouping of Arrancar, Shinigami and one lone human that resided at the Estate as such, would soon do the same. She ought to at least start putting the evening meal together, she thought tiredly, if nothing else. Yet the grass beneath her was plush and the smell reminded her of the soccer field she used to play upon back in Karakura after the groundskeepers had finished mowing: green and fresh with the lingering warmth of the sun. Her own fatigue got the best of her as she yawned hugely. It didn't take much for her eyes to flutter closed and let some of the tension of the last few days drain away. Soon she felt herself begin to doze as the sun sank lower and lower…

It was only when the birds suddenly went silent that her instincts dragged her back to full wakefulness. She blinked for a second, the lack of noise setting her teeth on edge. Twilight loomed and for a second the larger garden seemed draped in purple shadows as her eyes adjusted. She was still safely within the borders of the Estate, and she could feel Jushiro, Ajuga and Lilinette in Jushiro's set of rooms near the side garden. But if she extended her senses, she could feel something nearby, as if it was watching her and waiting. It wasn't a reiatsu signature that she had originally detected, but rather, the complete lack of one, as if something should be there and yet wasn't. Of course, she could still 'see' it so she knew exactly 'where' the intruder was, if not 'who' or 'what'. The fact it seemed to be trying to cloak itself was enough to help her make up her mind as far as dealing with it.

Carefully, so as not to tip off whatever lurked in the greenery, she began to gather her reiatsu into her hands and readied herself, intending to infuse it into her arms and legs if attacked. She kept her breathing steady and calm, and prepared to strike anything that came within range.

"I know you're there. Best come out now before I come in and drag you out," Karin ordered in a low, threatening voice. She got to her knees and moved into a crouch.

A few moments went by before she heard the faint sound of movement in the leaves and the small reiatsu signature slowly advanced towards her. Something small and dark slipped through the gloom beneath the flowering shrubs and for a second, Karin thought it was her daughter, practicing her 'stalking'. That would account for the 'dead feeling', as her daughter was very adept at hiding her reiatsu. The shape of the thing, however, was too small to be Ajuga. When a pair of piercing yellow eyes opened and looked back into hers, Karin scowled, trying to figure out whether or not she was going to be attacked.

There was something about the animal that seemed familiar, however. She'd never laid eyes on the thing, but for some reason she thought she'd seen the creature's reiatsu signature before.

"The name you're looking for is Shihoin Yoruichi, if you please."

Karin blinked as a coal-coloured cat materialized at the edge of the underbrush, an inky blot against the foliage, and sat back on its haunches.

The cat, Karin realized, had actually spoken to her, in a gravelly voice that suggested that the thing was either a heavy smoker with a preference for harsh sake, or wasn't exactly a cat to begin with. Her suspicions were confirmed when the cat spoke up.

"I'm an old associate of Kisuke Urahara and a current associate of your brother and his friends. I was also Taichou of the 2nd Division and leader of the Stealth Force, long before your time."

Shihoin… the name of the noble house was familiar, even if the person speaking was not. She'd have to ask Byakuya about it.

"I wasn't aware that the Stealth Force employed cats," Karin said carefully.

That earned her a laugh from the creature.

"My, and here I thought you lacked a sense of humour. These," the cat said, waving a paw in the air, "are my traveling clothes. Much easier to get through customs this way, if you know what I mean. And before you ask me to change back to my 'normal' shape, I have to warn you that when I did so in front of your brother, he lost about a pint of blood from the nosebleed. I didn't realize the Kurosaki men were so susceptible to embarrassment."

If her explanation was meant to put Karin at ease, it failed miserably. Woman and feline regarded one another, neither wanting to give any ground. They sat like that, Karin poised to strike, Yoruichi seemingly ignoring the threat Karin posed, for a few more minutes as the last of the light in the sky drained away and the sun disappeared below the horizon.

"I haven't changed my mind. I'm not going to…" Karin finally began.

"Abandon your 'mate' and your child?" the deep voice of the Shihoin heir retorted. "I wouldn't expect that you would. I certainly would think twice about abandoning a mate as 'tasty' as yours seems to be."

The response wasn't what Karin expected. She blinked at the words, and then watched as Yoruichi began to lick a paw and proceeded to wash her ears, all the while keeping one eye on Karin. The cat yawned, white teeth showing and pink tongue extended, as if she was bored with the conversation before it had started.

"I wasn't going to ask you to do so, since you seemed so adamant about remaining here the last several times we have spoken to you. Hiyori was very put out about your refusal during our last trip here." A pause. "You look tired, Jaegerjaquez-san," the cat added. "I trust that the Swarm is keeping you as busy as it's keeping us in the Living World?"

"I wouldn't know what's your group has…" Karin began and then stopped in mid-sentence. "Wait. What did you just call me?"

Yoruichi turned both of her lantern-like eyes on Karin and she thought that the feline actually rolled them at how taken aback the young woman seemed at the use of Grimmjow's name.

"After our last group incursion here, I made the mistake of asking why your reaction to Hachi's use of the name 'Kurosaki' seemed so negative. I thought that perhaps Hiyori blew it out of proportion in the retelling. As a result, I was treated to a two-hour lecture on the nature of Arrancar mating habits and customs. Thank you very much for instigating that, by the way." Yoruichi sounded a little gleeful about this. "Really, Nel needs an editor, for the sake of her more prudish listeners if nothing else. We learned far more about the subject than I think anyone ever wanted to know and Kenpachi claims he has trouble sleeping because of it."

Karin got the feeling that Yoruichi would have been grinning from ear to ear if cats could do so.

"That's not my problem." Karin hoped her voice sounded icy enough to get her point across. "You told me who you are. Now, why are you here? What do you want?"

Yoruichi finished with her ears and appeared to give her whiskers a cursory examination. Karin wasn't fooled. She could tell the other was scanning the area around them, from the changing position of her ears and the way the 'absence' that marked her reiatsu seemed to reach out in different directions, as if searching for something.

"Who's with you…?"

"Don't worry. I'm quite alone. As to my purpose, I'm delivering a report to one of my resources within the Gotei 13. Please forgive me, but have the core duties of the Divisions that remain changed at all since I left the Stealth Force?" Yoruichi interjected dryly and more than a little disapprovingly.

She couldn't help it. Karin's jaw dropped as she recognized her own words, tossed back at her from an unexpected source. When she could find her voice she had to clamp down hard on the urge to shriek in anger. Instead, her next words came out in a low-pitched snarl, forced out between gritted teeth.

"Excuse me?!"

"I thought I was being quite clear. You're the head of a Division at present, no?"

"I'm presently seeing to Ukitake-Taichou's Division. He's… wait, why the hell do you want to know?"

The cat shook her head and sighed, her tail moving back and forth slowly across the grass.

"Because this information is important. What's happening in the Seireitei is also happening in the Living World, only the effects are becoming far more dangerous the longer this goes on. As the realms become more and more unbalanced, the repercussions… well, you'll read about what's happened in the report," she said ominously.

The slit pupils of her eyes had grown into large black circles, eclipsing the gold in them as the darkness in the garden grew deeper, until all Karin could see of them were the thin shining rims around Yoruichi's pupils.

"If you choose not to fulfill your family's obligation regarding the Throne, then you _must_ shoulder the responsibility of the souls who find themselves prey for the Swarm or who are the unwitting victims of the events outlined in the report. You must use what power you do have to try to fix this unfortunate situation."

There was no mistaking the authoritative ring in Yoruichi's tone, considering how often Karin had adopted a similar 'voice' when issuing orders to the squads within her Division. Despite herself, Karin felt her spine stiffen in response, and clenched her fists.

"Don't you think we're trying to deal with the Swarm? Don't you think we're trying to send as many of the 'plusses' to the Seireitei as we can and cleanse the 'minuses' we find? We can't do the latter without leaving the city vulnerable and fighting the former and we barely get more than a few days between attacks!" she spat, suddenly weary.

It didn't matter how hard she'd tried, how many squads she trained to combat the flying menaces. More kept coming, without end and without any real gains as far as stopping them. "There aren't enough of us left to keep up with both. There used to be 13 Divisions. We've only now just got a fifth up and running properly, not including Szayel's Research Division. There simply aren't enough troops to do everything that needs to be done and we are doing the best we bloody well can with the mess Aizen has left for us," she snarled.

"I understand that. Whatever you may think of those of us who haven't yet fallen to Aizen's perfidy, _we__'__ve_ tried to keep the vows we took when we became members of the Gotei 13. Despite being hunted, despite having to live hidden away from those we care for and those we once led, we've _never_ stopped sending those souls that needed our help on to the Seireitei."

Yoruichi's low voice held barely-disguised pride at this admission, and Karin couldn't really think of anything to say to refute that. The cat shook herself out and straightened up, looking up at Karin.

"We never abandoned our duty to them, and we've dealt with the Swarm as well. The damage on both sides of the Senkaimon will get worse before it gets better, Jaegerjaquez-Fukutaichou. If the remains of the Gotei 13 can use this information to buy some time, then we think sharing it is worth the risk to us. Will you accept this report?"

Without waiting for an answer, the cat turned around and fished a small, folded packet of paper from under one of the bushes behind her. It turned out to be a sealed envelope. Resting one paw on it, Yoruichi looked up expectantly at the young woman. Karin, in turn, looked at the thing as if it might bite her. This sudden request and offering of information wasn't at all what she was expecting and it was entirely surprising.

"Aizen will be suspicious about where it came from," she pointed out and inwardly winced at how weak the excuse sounded to her own ears. She could only imagine how her refusal sounded to the former Taichou, no matter the real danger taking it from the cat represented. "I can't put my people at risk – if he suspects that it came from anyone outside of the five Divisions, no matter how helpful it might be, he'll destroy anyone whom he suspects of betraying him."

This time Yoruichi snorted derisively and gave Karin a withering look that told the younger woman that she didn't believe Karin for a second.

"Surely you can find a way of disguising it, to make it look as if your own people are responsible for gathering it," the cat sniffed. "You're a smart woman, you can think of some way around that…"

"You know something? I'm damned sick and tired of 'trying to figure out how to get around things'!" Karin snapped.

She knew the agitation she felt would summon Grimmjow and just as quickly clamped down on it before it could get the better of her. Her mate knew she'd been working to distraction of late and while not happy about it, wasn't really in a position to prevent their 'superior' from expecting results yesterday.

"It's all I seem to do these days! And those obstacles just keep getting higher and multiplying!"

She also, to her chagrin, felt tears pricking at the corners of her eyes and redoubled her efforts to remain calm. The last thing she needed right now was for Grimmjow to storm his way into the garden and cause a ruckus with Yoruichi. She was sure her mate could take on the woman, no matter what form she wore, but the attention the fight would garner wasn't something she wanted to have to explain afterwards.

Now, according to Yoruichi, she needed to take on the additional responsibility of trying to at least help balance out the Realms as far as the souls that needed help, in addition to the rest of her duties. Was there no end to the number of things she had to keep under wraps? Szayel's Claim, her, Ajuga and Hana's Royal blood, the extent of her gifts and now, one un-Claimed Renji hidden in what was the equivalent of Szayel's crawlspace…

"What was that about Abarai-kun?"

Jerking her attention back to Yoruichi, Karin was horrified to find she'd muttered that last part out loud and cursed softly. She had to be at the end of her rope if she'd let that slip. She turned away and hastily rubbed away the wetness on her cheeks with her sleeve.

"Shit. It's nothing! It's just another problem in my lap that I have to solve," she said sharply and rubbed her eyes. "It has nothing to do…"

"Abarai Renji was Kuchiki Byakuya's second-in-command with the 6th Division. If something has happened to him, Byakuya-bo would be terribly hurt, and from what I have learned of how his 'master'" Yoruichi spat the word with clear and utter distaste, "treats him I do not think he can take on any more sorrow." The venom with which the cat mentioned Yammy and the familiarity she seemed to have with Byakuya kept Karin from turning around and marching off. "What happened to him, or rather, what's left of him?"

Something in Yoruichi's tone made her pause and she looked back at the cat, which resembled yet another shadow cast by the light of the thin sliver of moon that hung low in the evening sky. Karin suspected the former Taichou had chosen this evening for her little excursion into the Seireitei for just this reason.

"Please, if you could tell me, I would appreciate it, if only to be able to convey any bad news to your brother, Byakuya-bo and Kuchiki-san before they hear it from another source," Yoruichi pleaded softly, changing her tone.

She was, Karin realized, asking if Renji was dead and the younger woman held both her hands up, shaking them to stop the cat from going any further.

"No… He's fine, for now. Better than he has been for a long time, in fact," she added quickly. "Orihime fixed him. She restored his Zanpakuto to him and mended his torn soul. Unfortunately, going from half a soul to a full soul doubled his reiatsu and it shattered what was left of Szayel's Claim on him. If Aizen or any other Arrancar find out he's unClaimed, he's at risk for execution." she explained.

Yoruichi's serene posture slumped a little in what Karin suspected was relief. However, the cat's next words sounded almost regretful.

"Let me guess… you weren't expecting him to have his free will restored as well?"

Karin sighed and shook her head, resigned now to at least giving Yoruichi this much. She did remember the small, dark-haired, fierce Rukia-chan from the great deal of time she'd spent at the clinic, and knew that she and Renji had often arrived at the Kurosaki residence together. Of course she would want to know that her friend's splintered soul had been pieced back together. She'd planned on telling Byakuya when she deemed it safe to do so, but as of now she had no idea when that would be.

"We were hoping for it," Karin corrected the cat. "We weren't sure that Orihime could accomplish it in the first place, to be honest." She told Yoruichi this matter-of-factly and then ran a hand through her hair, trying to sort out the tangles in it from where she'd laid her head on the grass, pulling a few green blades from the strands. "The other reason for it was that Szayel needs a…" she stopped herself before she could say _"…a reliable protector for his twins and their mother"_ and swallowed the words before they could escape. There was only so much she felt was safe to share. Instead, she simply shrugged and said "…someone who can act of his own accord and doesn't need an order to blink."

Thankfully, Yoruichi seemed to take this at face value.

"Ah… I see. Knowing how the Divisions have been decimated, I can understand his motivations." The cat seemed to give this some serious thought and then her yellow eyes narrowed. "Why can't I feel his reiatsu? If he's back in one piece, I should be able to detect him. He's a hard man to miss and his control over his own energy is as abysmal as your brother's control over his."

Karin rubbed her forehead and tried to figure out how much Yoruichi needed to know.

"We've got him secreted away in a sealed chamber beneath the Science Division, behind one of Szayel's barriers until we can figure out how to deal with his missing Claim. Aizen will kill him if he learns Renji isn't Claimed. Worse, another Arrancar that hasn't used up their Claims might attempt to drag him off and make him theirs."

Karin thought of Barragan's attempt on Ajuga and gritted her teeth.

"I honestly don't know how long we can keep him hidden before someone notices he's missing and starts snooping," she sighed in frustration. Yoruichi appeared to nod in understanding.

"And let me guess, your only other option is to try to convince him to resubmit to Szayel, right? I doubt that will happen in this or any other lifetime, if Abarai-kun is back to full strength. He is a rather stubborn creature and if memory serves, he's also exclusively into women."

Karin took a deep breath, exhaled and nodded. "The few I would trust to Claim him have already used up their two allotted Claims. Szayel could cast the Claim, but as you noted, Renji would sooner die than submit to being Claimed by him. There are no others that I feel are either trustworthy enough or would treat him fairly. I'd hate to think of what would happen if Yammy or Barragan…"

"Say no more. I don't see such a scenario ending favourably either, especially if Yammy were to acquire him. It would give the brute another means to torment Byakuya as well. Yes, Jaegerjaquez-san, I see the gravity of the situation."

The cat shuddered in distaste and shook her head, as if she wanted to dislodge the image that such an outcome generated in her brain. Then she hunkered down in the grass and closed her eyes. To Karin, it looked as if Yoruichi had decided to pause for a nap of all things, save for the fact her tail continued to move slowly back and forth as if she was meditating. After a few minutes, Karin found herself watching the outline of that black tail swishing like an eel through the shadows. The movement was oddly mesmerizing and she jumped a little when Yoruichi's voice cut through the half-trance she'd inadvertently slipped into.

"You said that Abarai-kun must be Claimed in order to move about freely, yes?"

Puzzled, Karin nodded and then the cat closed her eyes again and then chuckled.

"Interesting. Your statement about seeing if anyone else would be willing to Claim Abarai-kun is telling, Jaegerjaquez-san. It informs me that while Aizen can detect _if_ someone is Claimed, he cannot determine _who_ holds the Claim, am I right? Otherwise," and here Yoruichi let out another low-pitched laugh, "…you would simply have told him to wait until the one who had previously Claimed him could do so again. That's very interesting."

"Of course Aizen can't see Claims, he isn't a Hollow," Karin pointed out dryly. "But yes, they can only tell that someone is Claimed, not who is holding it. I thought Nel would have told you that, being a Hollow herself. But he might as well be able to see them. He's got plenty of others around him who could easily rat Renji out for a reward."

Karin swore the cat made a face.

"Nel simply gave us a far-too-detailed account of mating customs as they pertain to Hollow society in Hueco Mundo. I'm actually not even sure that the word 'society' applies here. As far as Aizen is concerned…" and here Yoruichi paused, looking up at the moon, before shaking her head again, "…we simply cannot assume things about what he can and cannot do. If we hadn't made assumptions about him in the first place, all those years ago, all of this," she indicated with a paw, "might not have happened."

Yoruichi's last statement contained a great deal of regret, taking Karin aback for a moment. The younger woman couldn't exactly argue with her logic, as she had no idea how long Aizen had been in the Soul Society before becoming what he was now, let alone what the Seireitei's leaders at the time thought of him.

"I might have a solution for you, Jaegerjaquez-san."

For a moment Karin thought she'd misheard Yoruichi as the woman, yet again, emphasized her last name. The young woman was also getting a little weary of the cat working it into every other sentence. While it was now technically her family name, Yoruichi said it with just a touch of mockery, enough to know that not only was she less than sincere about accepting Karin's name change, but that she was getting a great deal of amusement out of doing so.

"What do you mean, you might have a solution? To which problem?" she asked. Her voice had a sharp edge to it, as if she were on the lookout for some deception on Yoruichi's part. "How could you possibly have…?"

"I said I _might_ have a solution. Actually, if what I'm thinking of works, it will solve not only your problem with Renji's Claim, but…" and here Yoruichi's voice grew hesitant, even a little pensive, "…it might also solve an issue… one that's been simmering on our end as well."

"I'm sorry, I'm confused here. What kind of solution do you propose?"

Yoruichi lifted her hindquarters up first and Karin watched as the cat stretched herself out, small white claws extended and ended with a very large yawn. Sitting up, she motioned with one paw for the other to come closer.

"Tell you what... let's make a deal, here and now. If I can bring about a way for Abarai-kun to look as if he's Claimed, will you accept this report and deal with the contents?"

"I… now wait, how do you propose to do that?" Karin put both hands on her hips and frowned, and Yoruichi rolled her eyes.

"Well, first, I have to get back and see if it's even possible. If you have him behind that strong of a barrier, I think this might actually work, with no one the wiser. But if I take this burden from you, will you deal with the contents of this report? I think it is a fair trade, Jaegerjaquez-san."

"Stop using my new family name to mock me and I'll think about it."

Woman and cat looked at one another for another long minute, the white envelope between them in the grass. When the cat rolled her yellow eyes and nodded at the addition to the deal, Karin reached down and took the thing, holding it between her fingers as if she expected it to explode in her hand. The cat's expression went from hopeful to one of relief. Karin, however, looked down at Yoruichi with cold eyes.

"Wait! You still haven't told me how you propose to deal with Renji!"

Yoruichi opened her mouth, and then snapped it shut as she cast a glance at something behind Karin and backed up a little into the shrubbery, putting some space between them.

"Your daughter and her companion are at the gates. I'll return here, to this spot, in two nights to either let you know if I can get an agreement about this, or to tell you the plan is no good. If the latter, you can tear that," and here Yoruichi indicated the report in Karin's hand with her paw, "…up in front of me while I watch. Until then, keep it hidden."

Karin took a step forward, ready to demand that Yoruichi explain exactly how she planned to carry out such a miracle and then realized that the spot of grass before her was empty, the Shihoin heir having shunpo'ed away into the darkness. The only giveaway was a momentary whisper of leaves and the thin trail of quickly-dissipating reiatsu as the cat departed, leaving a bewildered Karin in her wake.

She stood for a few moments longer, 'looking' for any trace of Yoruichi or her reiatsu farther a field, but it was no use. The intruder had gone and left her holding something she'd rather not have on her person, with only a 'maybe' as far as a solution to her Renji problem. Karin looked down at the envelope in her hand and wanted to beat her head against the trunk of the nearest tree.

How had the woman managed it? Aggravation made her want to shred the thing then and there, but doing that would leave evidence that she didn't want fluttering around. Tucking it into the inner fold of her hakama, she turned around and marched from the garden, formulating a plan as she made her way to one of the many empty rooms in the Estate with the intent of hiding the report until she could safely peruse it later. The paper, if held against her skin long enough, would have more of her scent on it than Yoruichi's, and that would serve to keep her daughter, Grimmjow and possibly Starrk from knowing its origins if they did find it.

The only safe thing to do was to burn it once she'd read its contents and she had no intention of doing that until she got a proper explanation from that utterly irritating woman. Karin glanced around and finally tucked it away between the wall and the back of a small chest in one of the unused bedrooms, then made for the kitchen at top speed. Maybe she'd be able to get there before Hana and Ajuga decided to try to 'cook' dinner and burned down half the Estate. She really didn't need another mess to clean up, given the number on her plate already.

(POV)

Tonight was one of those nights that she was glad she'd taken the long way home. She needed the time to put together her next plan.

Shihoin Yoruichi stepped through the gate and into one of Tokyo's public parks a few minutes ahead of the Cleaner. She knew that getting through the Dangai just before it meant that anyone trying to track her through the chaotic tunnels that lay between the Seireitei and the Living World would have a difficult time tracing her. Then again, it sounded as if those on the other side of the Senkaimon had bigger things to worry about than one small furry intruder.

Ah, well, it was another thing to be grateful for. Her paws landed on the rough bark of a tree branch and she made her way to one of the larger ones before settling down for a second. A short rest and some self-congratulations were in order.

Her plan had worked perfectly. Karin had responded as planned to the change in tactics, just as she'd suspected the young woman would. Anyone who knew the Kurosaki family well enough understood that the direct approach almost never bore fruit with them. Reminding them that they had an obligation to use what powers they had for the good of others, however, seemed to grab them by that ever-present moral compass they all seemed to possess. The tricky part was leading them around by it.

And Karin had more obligations than most. Once Karin read the report, once the information in it began to sink in, she'd be forced to think about the price everyone else was busy paying for the lack of a real Ruler on the Throne of the Spirit King. It was one thing to talk about preserving the balance between the worlds as a theoretical concept. It was quite another to realize that that innocent people were dying of disasters in the Living World borne of the instabilities that Aizen had created when he'd parked his lousy, incompetent hallucination-creating ass in the Soutaichou's chair. Yamamoto would never have let things go on this long, or let things get this bad. He'd have sacrificed himself first.

She wrenched her thoughts away from what her old superior would have done and contemplated the deal she'd just made with Karin while she cleaned her whiskers of the dust they usually picked up on trips through the Dangai. It was as if Christmas had come early when Karin had let slip that not only was Renji back to his normal, abrasive, over-enthusiastic, sarcastic self, but that his Claim was gone as well. She'd had to abandon her first impulse, which was to drag Renji back to the Living World by his hair. Right now wasn't the time to do that and she'd been trained to think at least five steps ahead of everyone else when it came to planning. She wasn't about to capture Renji, a rook, for her side and endanger Karin, the queen, in the process.

Then again, Yoruichi wasn't one to pass up the perfect opportunity to sneak a potential bomb underneath Aizen's pillow while he wasn't looking either. Which led to the 'by-the-seat-of-her-pants-had-she-been-wearing-any' plan she'd come up with once Karin's dilemma became clear. It was a good thing that she'd trained since childhood to think on her feet. Karin had unwittingly handed her a solution to what might be a serious problem. Kami, the girl had practically gift-wrapped it for her!

Sometimes, she thought as she leaped down from the tree, she wished she wasn't the second-oldest of their little group and didn't have the life experience to know when there was a potential for trouble in the ranks. It must be nice to be Rukia or Ichigo's age, or Kami-forbid, Yachiru's, to still see the patterns in people's interpersonal relations as something innocuous, to be taken at face value. Unfortunately, she didn't have that luxury and ever since Hachi had finished with his latest, long-term healing project, Yoruichi had noticed a few things between three of their motley little band that made her very nervous. Every member of their group had duties that had to be done and they needed to trust one another to do those things, despite personal feelings and individual wants.

She'd initially taken her concerns about the things she saw to Hachi, thinking he'd be a good sounding board and hoping he'd simply tell her she was imagining things. Her heart sank when he'd agreed with her, discovering he'd not only considered the possibility of a problem when his project was completed, but had had to deal with a couple of identical issues over the long century of hiding out with rest of the Vizard. One didn't simply throw a mixed group of eight, Hollow-stricken refugees together in a small space and expect things to remain calm at all times. Or platonic, for that matter. She went so far as to ask what his own Hollow thought about things and Hachi had simply shrugged and replied that there was nothing to do about it but deal with it when and if it occurred.

Yoruichi didn't bother asking Hiyori what her take was, since any solution the little spitfiremight devise would probably involve stuffing the one to land the first blow in a sack, tying it and tossing it into Yokohama Bay. The Shihoin heir also wouldn't put it past the Vizard to ask Kenpachi for help doing so.

As practical as both approaches sounded, Yoruichi wasn't the sort to simply wait around and react when she could pull strings in the hope of mitigating a problem before it could take root.

On the lookout for stray dogs, trucks, bicycles and other hazards of the Living World, Yoruichi took a zigzagging, meandering route down the back streets and alleyways of some of Tokyo's more boring residential districts, weaving her way home. Hachi had learned from some of the past mistakes he might have made as far as creating a safe house. Their current hideaway was far harder to spot than the old one in Karakura's warehouse district, harder to get into, and was far more mobile than she expected. Sometimes she had a difficult time remembering where the access was, since Hachi had upped his game as far as security was concerned.

She leaped to the top of a wooden fence and nimbly followed it for its block-long length, jumping the vines that occasionally blocked her path.

Yoruichi considered the best way to let the rest of the group know about Renji and used the remainder of her commute to decide on the best way of 'spinning' the information so that her three potential troublemakers followed the path she wanted each to take. The key to that was to waylay the one most likely to create trouble, using Renji as a distraction. She'd have to use all of the skills she'd learned about emotional manipulation from her time with the Stealth Force and the Second Division. If necessary, she'd dip into the brand of shameless exploitation that her late friend Urahara specialized in. The sooner the situation was diffused the better. The last damned thing she needed was to come home from a scouting mission to find that someone's instincts had gotten out of hand.

But, she reminded herself, first things first, which was seeing to the hardest part of her sketchy strategy. There was no sense putting the cart before the horse in this case. She'd have to talk to Hachi privately about logistics and a little over forty-eight hours wasn't much time to come up with a way to prevent prying eyes from knowing exactly what was going on. She'd worry about getting consent once the rotund Vizard let her know if he'd come up with a feasible solution.

Oh, yes, she thought smugly. It finally felt as if things were starting to go their way for a change, if only a little. If she could pull this off she'd solve two problems at once and give the refugees another weapon to use against the arrogant bastard who dared to consider himself a 'god' while wrecking the Realms with his negligence


	91. Crimson and Clover

Crimson and Clover

_Forty-seven__…__ forty-eight__…__forty-nine__…_

It had been, to his way of reckoning, nearly nine days since he'd 'awakened', as Orihime-chan had so nicely put it, from what everyone who knew he was incarcerated in this room called a shambling existence. He had a few new minor scars, but everything else, save for his much longer hair, seemed the same. After an inspection in the metal mirror that Nemu had found for him somewhere in the vast maze that was the Science Division, he decided that Orihime's 'rejection' of anything related to the destruction of Zabimaru had been enough to address his initial concerns. He was, more or less, back to normal. The reality around him, however, had changed to something utterly surreal.

_Fifty__…__ fifty-one__…__fifty-two__…_

The pushups, sit-ups and callisthenics he busied himself with could only do so much to distract him from his current predicament. Nemu came twice-a-day with meals, and thankfully, the room had been set up with a small toilet and sink off of the main chamber. He supposed it had initially been meant for the use of the late Kurotsuchi's staff members. The odd contraption he used for a daily shower worked surprisingly well, though filling the upper water reservoir was a bit time-consuming and emptying it was tricky.

_Fifty-three__…__ fifty-four__…__ fifty-five__…_

It wasn't as if he didn't have the time to waste. Thankfully, Karin and Orihime had made good on their promises to at least visit and keep him informed of what was going on beyond the chamber's door. Just as he assumed that no one could sense his reiatsu, he couldn't sense anyone else either, unless they crossed the threshold. Between talking to the two young human women and Nemu, his initial picture of what lay outside only made him angrier, in no small part because of his own relative helplessness regarding his situation.

There were others among the survivors who had suffered far more than he had. At least, he thought, he'd been 'asleep' while the worst occurred. His body might have been violated, but his mind had not. Renji couldn't say the same for those who had not only endured having their Zanpakuto's locked away, but had been chained, body and soul, to the very beasts that they were sworn as Shinigami to 'purify'. Even someone as powerful as Kuchiki-Taichou now resided under the thumb of one of them. If Kuchiki Byakuya had been enslaved and brutalized, he didn't hold out much hope of avoiding a similar fate if he left his current confines.

That was another issue he had to keep from thinking about too often, lest he work himself into another rage that would result in his sliding back into despair. Nemu had informed him that Yammy was hardly gentle with his pet, and that he had ordered Szayel to permanently silence the Noble, a procedure Nemu had been required to assist with. The more he learned of his previous Taichou's fate, the more he desired to see Yammy's flesh horribly rendered from the Espada's body, preferably by Zabimaru.

Unfortunately, after a few days of talking with the others, he didn't see much hope for his own future. Maybe he'd be able to escape after a while, if given enough lead time. Perhaps he could strike out alone in the Living World, maybe find the few he knew had managed to avoid Aizen's patrols. Karin had given him the few names of those she'd encountered on their incursions into the Seireitei and found there were a few he didn't recognize. Maybe they were refugees from other divisions, lower seated officers or unranked Shinigami that had found refuge with Ichigo, Rukia and that lunatic Zaraki Kenpachi …

He gave up on the idea of push-ups and instead lay down on the barely-comfortable bed Nemu had pushed into the room the evening he'd come back to himself. She'd dropped off a basket of clean sheets that morning and he breathed in their scent. Someone had put them outside to dry after washing and he could smell the wind and sunshine on them. Until he could find a way out of this room, it was as close as he was going to get to the great outdoors.

And yet, from what Nemu had told him, his disappearing would put Karin and her family in danger of drawing that son of a bitch Aizen's attention, and he wasn't sure he could do that to Ichigo's sister. Hell, even Orihime could be pulled in if Aizen learned she had been the one to restore his soul to the point he regained his free will and he could not suffer the thought of seeing the bubbly human girl suffer for his actions.

The thoughts only threw him deeper into his desperation. Trying to quell them, he grabbed one of the books that lay in a stack next to the bed.

Studying had never been one of Renji's strong suits, even while he was at the Academy; Kira and Momo had usually helped tutor him in the finer points of Kido control and the theoretical principles behind building forms with one's reiatsu. His weak Kido skills were a sore spot. Orihime, bless her ditzy little heart, had raided the bookshelf in the house that Ulquiorra Cifer had taken over and brought him everything from a cookbook on pies to old copies of the Shinigami Women's Society newsletter, a dryly-written treatise on diplomatic customs of the Four Noble Houses and their historical significance, to a thin volume titled 'Kido for the Absolute Beginner'. Her intent, he guessed, was to give him something to read to help with the boredom. The book had been required reading for his first year at the Academy and he picked it up now, turning the pages until he found the incantation for Hado No. 53…

He'd worked his way through seven pages worth of exposition on how said Kido-spell could be used to restrain an opponent and worked up an appetite for something called deep-dish cherry pie when he heard the now-familiar sound of the lock on the door opening. In an instant he was up off of the bed, heart pounding, Zabimaru drawn. While Renji hoped he knew the person about to enter, he didn't entirely trust that the rest of the former 12th Division wouldn't eventually try to find out why the room was suddenly off-limits.

Thankfully, he recognized the head that poked its way past the door.

"Karin-chan..." he sighed and sheathed his Zanpakuto, relaxing a little as the young woman walked into the room.

Her dark hair was pulled up today in a simple pony tail. However, her normally serious demeanour seemed 'off', and she had an air of apprehension about her instead of her usual 'in charge' attitude. In addition, she carried what looked to be a covered basket with its lid tied shut. Then any sense of calm he might have felt evaporated as both Nemu, carrying a tray of odd implements and the pink-haired bastard Szayel followed behind her.

Szayel gave Renji a condescending look and remained near the door, opening up the control box that governed the shield that surrounded the room with a small pick he'd fished from his pocket while Nemu picked up what looked like an earthenware pot with a brush sticking out of the top.

"Karin-sama, I think this idea is absolutely hair-brained…" Szayel began, and then shut up when Karin gave him a sharp look.

Renji guessed that whatever discussion they were in the middle of had been going on for a while, if the worried and irritated expression on Szayel's face was any indication. Ah, to learn the bastard was now nothing more than a human girl's lap dog. It was perhaps the only positive thing he had learned about his time 'away'.

"I'm not wild about it either, but it's the best one I've been presented with. So we're going to go with it. Yoruichi gave it to me this morning and told me there was a specific time frame in which it could be used. That time frame is now, so get busy with that."

"Szayel-sama, I've calculated the odds of discovery for each plan Karin-san outlined while we were en route here and this plan has the lowest level of risk, given present circumstances," Nemu said gently, trying to calm things down a little.

Szayel gave her a look that said he might want to argue with her about her data, and then, shockingly, shook his head.

"You realize what will happen if Kami-sama discovers this, right? We will all be executed, or worse! He could even learn about your secret, Karin-sama. Are you truly going to risk your family and our lives for this deadbeat?" Szayel sneered and jerked his thumb in Renji's direction, although Renji did detect a trace of fear in his voice as well.

"I risked my life for yours, so don't even bother with that argument. Or would you like me to save the hassle and remove your Claim?" Karin suggested with a raised eyebrow.

"Ah…." Szayel clearly had no argument for that and looked terrified at such a prospect.

"You and I are just going to have to be very careful not to let anything happen, aren't we? We've got too much to lose to fail on this one and I thought you wanted someone reliable to baby-sit the twins?" she pointed out with a smirk.

Szayel had the nerve to look Renji up and down and then turn back to Karin with fresh protests.

"Reliable?! Him? Kami, spare me!" Szayel complained. "I doubt he'd know what to do with the business end of a safety pin!"

"The only concern I have is someone detecting the reiatsu anomaly we are about to create and report it," Karin admitted, ignoring Szayel's assessment of Renji's babysitting skills. Renji, for his part, was inclined to agree with Szayel on this point, as much as he hated to admit it. This time it was Szayel's turn to scoff.

"The shields on this place are ridiculously thick. Stupendously so. I highly doubt anyone will be able to detect anything."

None of this meant anything to Renji, who watched Szayel and Karin bicker back and forth for a few more minutes while Nemu busied herself pushing his bed of all things into the middle of the room. Then she began to paint what looked like a large, intricate circular design onto the floor with about seven feet all the way around it, using whatever was in the pot and the brush. Every few minutes, she'd straighten up, rub her back a little and consult a sheet of paper she'd pulled from gods-only-knew-where. Eventually, it started to resemble a Kido inscription, but it wasn't one Renji recognized, not that that was saying much given his complete ineptitude when it came to Kido.

"I don't like this plan, Karin-sama… this is incredibly dangerous," Szayel whined.

"Well, I don't see you offering up anything better."

"This counts as treason in so many ways… I have a family I need to protect now…"

"SO DO I, and we're already in it up to our eyeballs in it as it is, so don't give me any lip about this! One more thing isn't going to change that. Now finish with the adjustments to the barrier. The sooner I explain this to Renji, the better!" Karin snapped, now truly pissed off. Szayel seemed to understand he'd reached the end of his allowable limit of complaints and shockingly backed off.

Grumbling something about 'in for a penny, in for a pound', Szayel returned to the control box and abandoned any attempt to talk Karin out of whatever was going to happen, which, Renji suspected, greatly involved him in some way. He cleared his throat and Karin looked up at him as she reached down, intending to open the basket lid.

"Exactly what, pray tell, are you going to do and how does it concern me? I'm still in the room, you know," Renji declared.

He didn't bother trying to hide how disgruntled he felt about people talking around him like he wasn't even there. It reminded him that, up until a few days ago, people assumed that he was just another piece of lab equipment.

Karin gave him an apologetic look and a half-smile that did nothing to alleviate how stressed she seemed at the moment.

"Sorry about that. It's just that I think this is the only way we can get you out of this room and we have to move quickly. It's a bit complicated, but once Szayel makes the adjustments he needs to with the barrier…"

"…to make sure your daughter doesn't decide to walk through it again…" he heard Szayel mutter darkly, and then flinched as Karin looked daggers at him.

Even Renji drew back a little. After only a few days of really knowing her, he had no doubts as to her claim of being Ichigo's little sister, given how quick-tempered and fierce both were, as well as sharing that overwhelming urge to protect everyone and anyone they knew or cared about. Ajuga was, he'd learned in very short order, a subject best avoided or better yet, simply accepted for what she was.

"…we can deal with the problem that your lack of a Claim presents," she finished.

"You're going to help me escape?"

Karin sighed and shook her head. "It isn't possible right now, not without drawing obvious attention to your sudden absence," she replied, her tone grim. "That would also draw Aizen's attention, which in turn could draw it to some things that we don't want him seeing right now…" she said, and when he opened his mouth to ask what those things were, she added "…they're things you don't need to know about. No offence, but you'll sleep better at night without this knowledge."

"So what does all of that mean?" Renji pressed her, not liking where this conversation seemed to be going.

Nemu chose that moment to interrupt them, holding up the sheet of paper in front of Karin's face. The young woman took it, and moved away to scrutinize the image on the floor and compare it to the image on the paper. After a few tense minutes, she nodded at Nemu, who took the pot of paint and the brush and withdrew to stand quietly by Szayel. A few moments later, Szayel finished his tinkering, closed up the box and began pressing the buttons on it in sequence to seal the barrier.

"It's done, Karin-sama. I hope you know what you're doing. It's our lives on the line if this doesn't work," the Arrancar said, drawing Nemu a little closer to him.

Renji glared at him, but Szayel seemed more worried about what Karin had planned than any potential threat Renji posed at the moment, and that unsettled Renji even more.

"Renji, take this and go stand in the center of the circle Nemu made," Karin ordered. Then she pulled something from the basket and handed it to him.

He recognized it as a small cube made entirely of carefully-crafted layers of Kido, a few inches across in each dimension. Beyond that, he had no idea what its purpose was nor any idea as to who had made the thing. Despite his misgivings, the redhead did as Karin asked and then turned around to face the other three, a puzzled look on his face.

"Make sure you're the only person that touches this before you put it down. Step to the side and place the cube on the floor, with one corner of the cube pointing to the characters in the circle representing the cardinal points…" she said, as if reciting a set of instructions someone else had made her memorize. When he blinked, not understanding, she sighed.

"Cardinal points… that means North, South, East…" she tried again. "You have to position it. I can't help you with it."

"Oh, right. Got it," Renji answered and did so, shaking his hand as he withdrew it to get some feeling back into it.

The sheer amount of energy concentrated in the thing wasn't something he was used to handling and his palm and fingers felt numb. Then he stepped back in surprise as the thing began to crackle and grow exponentially. It grew large enough to encompass the bed frame and as he backed up, Renji realized that the paint on the floor was glowing as well.

"Don't try to avoid it, Renji!" Karin called out behind him. "You need to be inside it for this to work! It's keyed into your reiatsu now!"

Renji whirled around to ask, exactly, what the hell was going on when he felt one of the sides of the cube of Kido hit him and sizzle every nerve as it went through his body, leaving him flat on his butt on the floor and a little dazed. He shook his head to clear it and glanced around, stunned.

The interior of the thing looked even stranger than the outside; delicate layers of patterns moved, one on top of the other, creating an iridescent effect that made it difficult to look at for too long. They shimmered in and out of view, giving Renji the impression he was encased inside of what seemed to be a form of living glass. While it was extraordinarily pretty, the redhead could find no way out of it either. Once he was inside of it, there appeared to be no apparent door or weak point he could use to escape.

"Are you alright?" Karin asked.

Renji got to his feet, shook himself and glared at her, feeling a little betrayed and claustrophobic at this point. Her voice sounded tinny, as if she were shouting through a long tube, echoing off of the side. He assumed that was the effect of the enormous amount of Kido in the layers between them.

"What the hell is this thing?" he called back, craning his neck as he looked around frantically.

Eventually, the parameters of the cube ceased growing. He realized the corners of the thing now touched the points on the painted circle to which they'd been aligned. Then he felt something in the energies 'shift' and the reiatsu of the barrier around the room poured into it, blending in with the cube's Kido and creating new patterns that swirled in the reiatsu that surrounded him. Placing his hand on the side of the new barrier, he found it was cool and surprisingly solid to the touch. Szayel and Nemu appeared as distorted shapes, though he could tell the scientist was suitably surprised by how large his eyes had grown.

"Yoruichi-san said that someone named Hachi-kun made this specifically to help us and help you." Karin explained. "We weren't sure it would work, but I guess Hachi-san is a former member of the Kido Corps."

That, Renji inwardly cursed, explained why the circle's glyphs had seemed so complicated. The cube was now translucent, its earlier transparency fading as more and more of the Kido patterns began to overlap one another, moving faster and faster. She got as close as the outer edge of the barrier would allow and tried to make herself heard by shouting, looking utterly apologetic now.

"I'm sorry, but you have to be Claimed, since we can't get you out of the Seireitei and hiding you forever would arouse Aizen's suspicions. He's already too interested in Szayel as it is and that's a danger to everyone that's helped you recover. There's no one here that I can trust to Claim you and not abuse you."

"So you're imprisoning me?!" Renji nearly shrieked in outrage, hitting his fist against the cube's wall. "And did you say 'Yoruichi'?"

"No! Yes! I mean…we just… we have to keep this portal hidden – it will only work for one person…" she tried again. Her voice was fainter now, and looking through the barrier now seemed like looking into a rapidly-thickening fog. "This was Yoruichi's idea… she's with Ichigo and the others who are still fighting Aizen…"

"If it's a portal for one person, why can't I just use it to get the hell out of here!?" he demanded angrily.

"Because your absence would be noticed and questioned, and there is far too much heat on all of us as it is without Aizen looking any closer," Karin said sadly, appearing as little more than a dark shadow against the Kido barrier. "I'm sorry, Renji. The portal isn't for you. It's for… someone else. This is the only workable plan we have right now as far as your Claim is concerned. If I'd told you everything beforehand, you would ha…"

The barrier chose that moment to become completely opaque, cutting off both audio and visual communication with anything outside of it. Renji found himself shut into the equivalent of a box lined with mother-of-pearl. Unsheathing Zabimaru, he squinted all around, trying to find a weak spot that might prove exploitable with his Shikai. There wasn't enough room in the twenty-foot radius to unleash his Bankai without torching himself in the process. Then he took a deep breath, then another and tried to steady himself.

"_Don__'__t panic__…__ don__'__t panic__…"_ he told himself. "_There__'__s supposed to be a reason for doing all of this. I just have to figure out where the portal is in this thing and use it.__"_

Karin had mentioned Yoruichi. Renji grabbed onto that thought, trying to determine how the Shihoin heir was involved. He'd only met the woman a few times, when she'd breezed through the shop that Urahara-san ran, acting as if she were the landlord and Urahara a few weeks late with the rent. The only thing he'd known about her at the time was that she was good friends with the shopkeeper, had a wicked sense of humour and had given up her position within the Gotei 13 to follow him into exile. He also remembered that she was tricky and had absolutely no sense of shame or decency, but this was going way overboard with things. What he didn't understand was what any of this had to do with his lack of a Claim, unless…

The air pressure in the cube changed suddenly and Renji felt his ears 'pop' loudly and painfully in response. He winced at the sharp jolt on either side of his skull and moved his jaw about, trying to find some relief. As a result, he missed the sliding sound behind him. He did not, however, miss the sound of the metal bed frame creaking as someone or something clambered over it, nor the faint rustle of the bedding.

"Renji-kun?"

He froze at the sound of his own name, spoken by a breathless feminine voice he didn't recognize. For a split second he thought, from its girlish tones, the voice belonged to Momo, back from wherever it was that Shinigami went when their lives on this side of the Living World ended. But the feel of it was different, less 'cheerful' and more tentative, as if whomever had said it was unsure of what he might do.

Keeping his hand on Zabimaru's hilt, he pivoted on one foot, putting his back against the wall he'd been facing in order to confront whoever it was, his Zanpakuto held protectively in front of him.

A joyful squeal assaulted his ears, making him wince and he made the mistake of closing his eyes on reflex.

"It really IS you, Renji-kun!"

Someone roughly five-foot-six-inches tall, curvy and warm hit him full on and managed to wrap her arms around his neck in what he could only charitably call a 'hug'. Rather, it felt as someone was trying to squeeze all of the air out of his lungs, anaconda-like, while sniffling and soaking the front of his uniform with tears. She'd also managed to manoeuver around his Zanpakuto, moving a little too quickly for his liking.

"Gah…" he managed to choke out and found his mouth full of hair of a shade that fell roughly between robin's egg blue and sea green. There was, he discovered, an abundance of that hair as he tried to spit it out.

"I'm so happy to see you again… you have no idea how worried we were about you when we heard what happened and Rukia-chan and Ichigo-kun were ready to storm in here and grab you but Yoruichi told them that would be very bad since Aizen could use it to track us down and Kenpachi-san was ready to come get you too so he could fight you until Hiyori-chan hit him with that vending machine that Yachiru-chan brought home…"

"Wait… wait!" Renji gasped and pried whoever had such a death grip on him loose.

He held her at arm's length, to try to follow what it was she was busy babbling about as well as figure out exactly why she knew his name. Staring down, his eyes met up with wide, gray ones and his brain decided that it was time to take a short holiday while his salivary glands dried up.

"Renji-kun? Are you alright?"

"Who in the hell…?" he began and then really let himself get a good look at the woman before him, eyes moving up and down her frame.

He ought to remember hair that color, as well as the pink maple seed-shaped marking, its wings meeting over the bridge of her small, pert nose. There seemed to be a faint scar, the skin only a few shades lighter than the rest of her face, nearly imperceptible, running from beneath her long bangs to just where the pink markings crossed her nose. It did not detract from her looks in the slightest. Unfortunately, he couldn't remember anyone who was so ridiculously pretty and who had, as he looked farther down and felt his cheeks heat up, what any male would consider a set of remarkable 'assets'. The only person that he remembered having that kind of rack was Rangiku and this girl might actually put the former 10th Division's Fukutaichou's cleavage to shame.

While she wore a simple, white sundress that no doubt had been made in the Living World, he also didn't miss the slim katana slung from the belt around her hips. Nor did he miss the odd, bony helmet shaped like a skull with two ram's horns on either side of her face, connected by a row of long sharp teeth perched atop her head. She also looked up at him with such an expectant, hopeful expression, one that only served to frustrate him as his memory yielded nothing useful.

"How do you know me? How do you know my name? Who the hell are you?" he demanded harshly, and immediately regretted saying anything.

The young woman's lower lip began to quiver anew at his words and those large, pretty doe eyes began to refill with tears.

"You don't remember me? How could you forget me so quickly? We met in Hueco Mundo, remember, Renji-kun? I and my brothers met you and Sado-kun and Ishida-kun and Rukia-chan and…" she sniffed a little "…Ichigo-kun."

For a split-second Renji stared down at the teary girl, not making any kind of connection, until one of his earlier conversations with Karin about her half-Arrancar daughter came back to bludgeon him. The realization hit him hard enough to steal all of the breath from his lungs and the blood drained from his face. The _child_ he remembered _did_ have short, bluish-green curls that peeked out from beneath the hood of the rags she'd worn and there _had_ been pink smudges beneath her eyes in roughly the same shape. But still…

"You can't be… you… you can't be her. She was just a little kid with a broken mask and missing baby teeth and a lisp and bare feet and a snotty nose and …"

Somewhere during the panicked speech that tumbled from his lips, Renji disengaged from the girl, made it to the opposite side of the bed while only tripping twice on Zabimaru's scabbard and backed into the farthest corner he could find to give himself some much-needed space.

"…And a scar on her face…" he whispered. _"No, no, nonononono…"_ his gut screamed at him, while his rational side dragged the details of the talk concerning Karin's daughter Ajuga back into the light for a thorough examination.

He'd mentioned how much Ajuga looked like Nel. Check. Karin had given him a strange look and he'd described the only example he'd ever seen of a Hollow child to her, comparing the two children. Check. Orihime had confirmed his story, though he had no idea how she knew about Nel, as Renji assumed that she'd been kept captive by Aizen somewhere around the time they'd run across the little girl and her three mentally-challenged companions. Check. Karin had mentioned that she'd met Nel as well at one point recently, though she hadn't looked like a little girl and that she was somehow still with Ichigo and the rest of the escapees. Check. So she was working with them, as a rebel, trying to oust Aizen from the Seireitei while he had been locked in this odd, Kido-based cell with her for some reason that pertained to the lack of…

Renji blinked, brown eyes going wide as the reality of his present situation sank in.

… an Arrancar Claim on his person…

His jaw dropped.

…with a bed…

Holy shit.

…and Karin had yelled to him that this had been _Yoruichi__'__s_ idea…

Oh, fuck, now the whole thing made a sort of perverse sense to Renji, who proceeded to hyperventilate as his legs gave way and he sank into the corner, hanging on to Zabimaru for dear life.

"Oh, no… you really don't remember me, do you?"

The young woman sniffed and wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand, then gingerly made her way around the bed frame. She sat down on the edge of it, facing him. She had a sad expression on her face and looked down at her hands, her fingers laced together in her lap, as if unsure how to proceed at this point. Her body language conveyed a great deal of disappointment, while all he could think about was slaughtering Karin and Yoruichi for this.

They couldn't possibly expect him to…

"Renji-kun?"

Oh, Kami, they really did expect him to do this! With someone he'd only seen as a bratty toddler until this point? The utter insanity behind that assumption astounded him. Renji closed his eyes, and tried to get his breathing under control before he passed out.

He'd kill them both, he swore. He'd kill them and then kill that pink-haired bastard for good measure and then try to figure out how to get the hell of the Seireitei on his own. He closed his eyes, counted to ten and when that didn't help, counted again. And again. He was nearing seventy when he heard her sigh deeply.

"Oh, Renji-kun…"

The bedsprings creaked as he heard her get up off of the bed and then he heard the soft, padding sound of her sandaled feet approach him. She stopped a few feet away. He detected the 'swish' of the fabric of her skirt as it swirled around her legs when she sat and the 'shush' of her sword's sheath against the cloth as she laid it across her lap.

"Renji-kun, look at me… please?"

He shook his head violently, and buried his face in his hands, Zabimaru leaning against his shoulder for some much needed mental support. He could feel her reiatsu before him, cloaked and carefully banked and suppressed to keep from spooking him any more than he already was, which didn't exactly put him at ease.

"Renji-kun… I'm here because I want to help save you," she said softly and he felt sword-calloused fingertips trace along his arm, in what he supposed was an attempt to soothe him as Karin had done upon his restoration. Instead, he jerked his head up and growled at her.

"Don't. I don't sleep with children," he said flatly, coldly.

She sat back on her heels, taking her hand away to Renji's relief as he shuddered. Looking away, she seemed to be thinking about what to say next. After a minute, she turned back to him, her face set in a solemn expression.

"Do you know what happens when an Arrancar's mask is torn away or broken?"

The question surprised him a little and he blinked up at her, his retort dying in his throat as he took in the sight only a small space away from him. Her hair fell in waves over her shoulders and long strands of it framed her face as she lowered her gaze to the floor. From where he sat he could see the full curve of her breasts under the white cotton neckline of her dress and the outline of her calves where she'd tucked her legs up beneath her. Definitely NOT a child in any way shape or form, except in his few memories of her.

No one would suspect that such a demure-looking creature could have possibly come here with such a purpose in mind. He looked away again in order to concentrate on the actual question and fished around for what he hoped was an intelligent answer.

"Nemu told me that an Arrancar will regress in apparent age if his mask is damaged. The more reiatsu escapes from the crack…"

Oh, Kami. Did that mean what he thought it meant? Fortunately, the answer to that question came quickly.

"…the younger and weaker the Arrancar becomes," she finished, and then reached up with one hand to trace the left side of the mask atop her head.

Renji watched as she closed her eyes, fingers moving along a faint line that ran from the top of the mask to the bottom of the teeth, and continued on to her nose. "Nnoitra did this to me, with Szayel's help, long before I met any of you. He couldn't beat me with his own strength in a fair fight, so he took up Szayel's offer to assist him in taking me down. Szayel had a machine that made me see an image of my opponent and I fell for it. Nnoitra hit me from behind while I wasn't looking and cracked my mask nearly in two".

"You mean that fucking rapist hurt you too? That he's why you looked like a five-year-old back then?"

He couldn't help it. His curiosity getting the better of him, Renji reached out and traced the thin line with his own fingers. She shivered a little as his nails scraped against the bone, and he wasn't sure that he might not be hurting her. When he tried to break contact, Nel reached up and clasped his hand in hers, scooting a little closer. Her hands were warm, as if she'd just come in from a sunny day outside.

"Szayel helped, but Nnoitra was the one that exiled me from my place among the Espada and left me to die in the desert. In addition to taking away my adult form, the wound took my memories as well. If not for Pesche and Dondochaka…"

She trailed off, looking away and biting her lip, though she did not release Renji's hand. For his part, he could feel her energy as it gently enfolded his fingers. When he tried to pull his hand away, he found he was unable to do so. She took the opportunity to scoot even closer to him and Renji debated trying to tunnel his way out of the Kido cube with his teeth and one hand if necessary. Steeling his resolve, which wasn't easy given that she was practically in his lap, he tried to appeal to whatever reason she possessed to see that what they'd set her to do was utterly unnecessary, probably wrong on many different levels and quite possibly illegal if one took Living World laws and standards into account. 

"Look, Nel…" he pleaded, trying not to notice how her reiatsu kept trying to twine around his, creeping up and around his arm in a manner he could only describe as 'cajoling' "…this isn't right! There has to be some other way, some better plan than… doing this… with me… I mean I just woke up and I'm still trying to…"

Looking back, Renji would say that was the moment when Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck started playing dirty. She bowed her head, looking up at him through thick, dark eyelashes, and said:

"Do you want her to keep crying over you, Renji-kun?"

"What are you…?" Renji started, but Nel leaned even farther into his personal space, silencing him by bringing the hand that held her sword up and pressing two of her fingers against his lips. He could literally feel the power within it 'thrum' against his own reiatsu. The earnestness and urgency in her voice were also unmistakable.

"It took years for Hachi-san to heal my mask with his Kido, to help me get back to normal. I owe them all so much, Renji-kun. Do you know how much Rukia-chan cried when Yoruichi-san told us that your Zanpakuto had been destroyed?" she asked softly, the rhetorical question dropped like a bomb in front of him.

Of course he couldn't have known what Rukia's reaction would have been when she'd heard about what Szayel had done. But he could imagine it and it was an unexpected punch to the gut. The unbidden image Nel's words brought up made his throat tighten up with more than a little guilt.

For him it had been one terrible moment of overwhelming agony and screaming, then nothing at all, and then suddenly he'd been yanked from the peaceful darkness to find nine years had passed in a mere instant. He couldn't imagine what it had been like for his childhood friend or for Ichigo or Orihime or for anyone who remembered him before Szayel conducted his little experiment.

"She's been mourning for you all this time, thinking that she could have saved you somehow, that she could have rescued you," Nel informed him, her voice containing just a hint of reproach.

The fact that Rukia had grieved for him for nearly a _decade_, thinking the soul within him had been destroyed while his body still shuffled about took a lot of the fight out of him as he pictured Rukia, shoulders slumped, her face buried in the cloth of Ichigo's uniform, indigo eyes red from rubbing away tears.

"Stop it…" Renji began, and then bit his lip to stifle a shocked gasp.

Her words had made him drop his defences for a moment and the full power of Nel's reiatsu flowed into him, unhindered. It rendered him speechless as a wave of it replaced the trickle that had so far found its way up his arm to his shoulder. She slowly got to her feet, keeping the connection between them and pulled him, unresisting, up with her.

"Do you know how much _I_ cried, knowing that I couldn't do anything about it until my mask had healed?" she murmured in that low voice that had suddenly gone silky on him.

What little space there was in between them vanished and Renji inhaled sharply as Nel stood on tiptoe to press her curves into him.

More of her reiatsu washed into and around him and, unable to back up, he took the full force of her spiritual pressure head on. Renji arched his back as it thundered its way down his spine and spread out along every nerve in his body. Part of him, the part that had just regained his free will, wanted to fight back against sensations that left him reeling. The other part of him wanted to lean against the wall and let it drown him, it felt that damned good. And he hadn't felt this good in… how long? A warning jolt from Zabimaru helped clear his head a little and he tried to cut through the mental haze that clouded his senses as he realised the last time he had felt this good had been when Szayel had Claimed him and that brought reality sharply back into focus.

"You can't… you're just doing this because that crazy woman Yoruichi told you…" he stuttered, trying to get his brain back together to put a stop to this before it could go further, or before he gave in and did something he thought he would probably regret on many levels.

"I'm here because I'm the only one that can Claim you, Renji-kun, to keep you safe. None of the others are capable of it and as Karin said, Aizen will kill you if he finds out you're free."

She said this softly, calmly, logically, as if explaining it to a particularly dense listener, all the while pressing parts of her anatomy that he didn't remember her actually having the last time he'd encountered her against him.

Again, he tried to push back, only to discover that between the sheer strength and amount of her reiatsu and the faint fresh, green-grassy scent that he could detect now that she nearly inhabited the same space as he, a part of _his_ anatomy that hadn't seen voluntary action in a very long time had turned traitor on him.

Someone groaned and to Renji's dismay, realized it had been him. He felt her draw the hand she clasped from her mask down and place it firmly on her hip, then moved that hand up to run her fingers through the long, crimson stands of his uncut hair. From there, she reached up and slid her hand along the back of his neck, drawing him down so that her warm breath in his ear sent shivers all of the way down the backs of his legs. He heard her whisper:

"You should have seen how happy Rukia was when Yoruichi told us that your Zanpakuto had been restored to you."

He felt her lips brush his earlobe and actually heard himself whimper as he felt her belly press the fabric of his uniform against the traitor between his legs, making the situation that much worse.

"She actually hugged and kissed me with tears in her eyes when I agreed to Claim you …"

Every man, Renji decided, had an absolute breaking point.

He'd just reached his.

He could not draw upon the vast amount of experience with women that a man like Kyōraku Shunsui or Hisagi Shuuhei might have had to fall back on under such circumstances. But, he thought as the last of any resistance drained away at Nel's admission, they weren't here to critique him either. He turned his head and caught the lips of the girl in his arms, swallowing her gasp of surprise as he surged out of the corner. It wasn't a gentle kiss either. Rather, it felt like he was giving in to what her enveloping, teasing, maddening reiatsu almost compelled him to do: surrender.

"Ren…" 

He cut her off in mid-syllable, his tongue lashing against hers in an attempt to take some kind of control over the situation. When she opened her mouth wider and caressed it with her own, sucking it deeper into her mouth, he knew he'd lost. He felt her reiatsu, stronger than his own, pulling him away from the wall of the opalescent barrier, enticing him to move back towards the center of the cube's interior…

…closer to the bed that sat in the middle of it, with its messy linens and a pillow jammed between the metal slats of the headboard. Drunk on the chamois-soft energy that stroked against his, addled with it as he devoured her mouth and then moved on to her throat, Renji let himself be led. Even the call of alarm from Zabimaru felt muffled and distant in comparison to the twin sensations of her fingernails stroking his scalp and her hips as she ground them against his own in what was a blatant invitation. There was a small tug on the tie that held his hair up and then he felt it fall like a curtain around his face and shoulders. Renji would have said something, but Nel chose that moment to break the kiss and run her tongue along the line of vertical markings tattooed on his chest.

This, he hazily rationalized, was what Rukia wanted.

He felt Nel gently, gingerly, take Zabimaru from his hand with her own and while he was busy running his tongue around the shell of her ear, breathing in the perfume she'd dabbed behind it that made her smell as if she'd just rolled in a newly mown field, felt her lay both of their swords across the foot of the bed.

With his hands now free he ran them up and down Nel's cotton-clad body, cupping her ass, skirting over the curve of her thighs, the dip of her waist, briefly let his palm hover over the place where her thighs came together before tracing his way up her belly. He heard her moan something that didn't seem all that important anymore in comparison to following what the reiatsu that overwhelmed his seemed to want him to do. This was, he decided, to get rid of his suddenly restrictive clothing and find out what the skin beneath her dress really felt like.

Rukia must have gone through hell for all this time. Worse, he thought guiltily, he'd been partly responsible for her pain, being too weak to prevent his captor from obliterating a good chunk of his soul.

A set of hands that weren't his own started loosening his uniform's ties, dexterously ridding him of his obi and pushing the kosode from his shoulders to drop to the floor in a heap. Recapturing her lips, Renji redoubled his efforts, fencing with Nel's tongue, drawing it along the roof of her mouth, a manoeuvre that dragged a whimper from her throat and across what felt like a small set of fangs in her lower jaw. Her reaction, wriggling even harder against him, set off a small flame of pride in his chest.

It wasn't that he had much to be proud about, truth be told. He'd shared a few, half-hearted kisses with various female Shinigami after a night out drinking, a habit that he'd abandoned once he'd been assigned to the Sixth Division, and once with Momo when he and Kira had dragged the young woman out for the obligatory night of celebrating after their graduation and their assignment to the Gotei 13. That had been a drunken, sloppy thing that they'd never spoken of again. Instead, he'd directed almost all of his energy to his training, improving his fighting skills and his connection with Zabimaru, to prove himself against the measuring stick represented by Byakuya in the hopes that someday he'd be worthy of the one woman that seemed to be perpetually out of reach.

Funny, he reflected, how he'd always assumed that he'd wait until then, that his first time with a woman would be 'with' her, rather than 'for' her…

Renji's hands found their way to a truly impressive set of breasts through the material of her dress, his thumbs moving across the thin fabric to stroke already-hard nipples, startling him a little. Reaching down, he broke off the kiss and grabbed at the hem of Nel's skirt, pulling up at the moment her hands slipped below the waist of his hakama and the garment he wore beneath it. He discovered two things as he began an exploration of her heated flesh: that his initial suspicions were correct in that she wore absolutely nothing beneath that dress and that, from the way her slender, calloused fingertips moved over his shaft and cupped the heavy sac beneath, she knew exactly what she was doing with his body.

Her palm circled him, moving over the head of his cock and he couldn't help the cry that forced its way out of his mouth as she worked him. It took what little self-control he still had to not seize her garment in his fists and tear it off. All the while her reiatsu flared along every nerve he had, pulling on his own until the back of his knees hit the edge of the mattress. When he felt her hands withdraw he could have screamed in protest, until he felt the remainder of his clothing fall into a puddle of cloth around his ankles. Without warning she placed one hand on his chest and pushed gently, causing him to fall back. He hastily propped himself up on his elbows, brown eyes wide, in time to see her cross her arms, grab the hem of the sundress and pull it over her head.

The redhead promptly forgot to breathe.

The last of what little willpower he might have used to refuse her, to stop her, disintegrated as she leaned forward, took his almost painfully erect member in her hands and opened her mouth. He got a brief glimpse of her breasts and the tip of his cock as her tongue teased the slit at the end of it before she swallowed him whole.

Renji couldn't have stopped the scream that erupted from his throat if he'd stuffed his discarded hakama into his mouth with Zabimaru's hilt.

He'd never felt anything like it. The fantasies he'd had while pleasuring himself with his hand, late at night, didn't hold a candle to the real thing. The hateful pleasure he'd experienced when Szayel had first Claimed him, leaving his body wrung out and his heart filled with self-loathing, faded to nothing in comparison. Warm, wet suction combined with the rough sensation of her tongue swirling up and down his length to steal any reason he might have had left. Her reiatsu ebbed and flowed with each bob of her head, her hair moving like silk across his belly and thighs.

Renji could hear himself panting in time with it as little by little, it pulled more of his reiatsu with it, like ocean waves lapping at a shoreline, dragging the grains of sand with them as they rolled in and went out. She circled his head with her tongue and then he felt her swallow him fully again, throat muscles rhythmically tightening around him, the occasional scrape of a fang setting off an almost involuntarily push of his hips upwards. Anything to get himself deeper into that delicious mouth. He had no idea how long he laid there, eyes closed, head thrown back, and his hips shamelessly thrusting upwards in order to get his wet cock between those perfect lips, while her fingers teased and stroked his balls.

"Nel… oh, Kami… I…" he babbled, the pleasure threatening to overwhelm him completely unless she stopped.

Then, to his horror, she _did_ stop and he nearly sobbed when she let his cock go, giving one last lick to his slit. The bed shifted as she climbed upon the mattress, straddled his hips and slowly, torturously, skimmed her fingers along the various tattoos that decorated his chest, arms and shoulders.

"Renji…" she whispered, head ducked and eyes lowered "Please, let me try to save you this time."

The 'please' hung there in the air as she hovered over him, waiting for some signal from him to continue. She'd withdraw, taking all of the pleasure she'd wrought so far with her, letting him make the choice to continue if that was what he wanted.

Renji couldn't have opposed her then if he'd had the entire Gotei 13 at his back. Her eyes flew open and she met his gaze, startled, when he ran his hands up her thighs and let his thumbs graze her sex. He gave her a nod. The smile she returned to him erased any doubts.

This was what Rukia wanted, and Kami help him, he wanted this just as badly.

With one hand she reached down, lifted her hips slightly and guided his slippery cock to her entrance. Then, with agonizing slowness, he felt her body surround him as she lowered herself onto him. Grinding down, she closed her eyes and then began to move. His grip on her thighs, feeling the muscles in them contract as they lifted her up and down, tightened.

He thought her mouth had been the absolute pinnacle of heaven. Renji realized, through the haze of lust and the pulse of her reiatsu surging through him, enveloping him, that he'd been absolutely incorrect on that account.

She was almost too tight, too hot, too much for his over stimulated body to take for long. Yet it seemed to him, as she rode him, that she kept him from reaching his climax too quickly, reigning in the building pleasure that coiled and seethed in his belly. Moving his limbs seemed like an incredibly bad idea; he wanted nothing to interrupt the feeling of her heated, clenching, velvety passage moving from the base of his cock to the tip and back down again. Renji had a front row seat to the most mind-blowing show in the Seireitei and a perfect view of his painfully rigid member, glistening with her juices as it disappeared between her engorged, nether lips.

The weight of her reiatsu flowed over him, keeping him flat on his back and helpless to do anything save watch and move his hips up to meet her as Nel's lush body moved above his, full thighs parted, breasts bouncing up and down with the rhythm she set. She kept one hand on his chest and the other propped behind her as leverage. Head back, eyes closed and pink lips open with her increasingly ragged breathing, he knew she wasn't all that far away from coming. For that matter, so was he. Renji was dangerously close to losing it, and all he seemed capable of doing was driving his hips upwards and moaning garbled half-obscenities at how good she felt, how good all of it felt.

"Nel… oh, Kami…fuck…" he heard himself cry and realized he was pleading, though for what he wasn't quite sure. Relief or release, maybe. He had to come, needed to come and yet he didn't want the sensation of Nel's body pleasuring him to ever end.

Renji felt her change her rhythm and would have actually _whined_ until he felt the tip of her tongue trace his lower lip, as if seeking entrance. He caught it, opening his mouth for her. Her mouth enveloped his and he felt a massive rush of her spiritual pressure swamp his body, eliciting even further pleasure as her reiatsu invaded and twined around his own, just as her inner muscles seemed hell-bent on sucking his cock farther and farther up into her. It moved around him, encasing him, leaving all of the parts of him that it touched screaming for release, from the ends of his hair to his toenails. It was all-enveloping, binding him and too late, he realized what was about to happen.

Zabimaru wailed in the back of his mind, sounding a million miles away as Nel quickened her pace, gasping for air. Renji found himself dragged towards a precipice, bodily and spiritually, by her. He managed to reach down, fingers grazing the place where their bodies met, through the soaked curls above her sex to the pearl just above her lips…

He thought they might have screamed in unison as her body convulsed, her walls clamping down hard on him at the same time he gave one, last desperate thrust into her and pumped her full of his seed, his hands grabbing her hips so that he could force as much of himself into her as possible. The world faded to white for a moment with the force of his climax. Somewhere above, he heard a sob as his fingertips moved circle that pearl again and he cursed as she throbbed around him a second time, sending him reeling as another wave of pleasure surged over him.

At the same time, he knew that she'd taken some of his reiatsu into herself with his climax, leaving some of her own in its place. Nel's Claim settled around him as each clench of her inner flesh stole what little breath he had from him. His arms and legs seemed heavy, as if all of his energy had been drained away and his eyelids slid closed.

The last thing he felt was her hair and skin as she leaned down, resting her head against his shoulder, her tresses blanketing the both of them, the turquoise and blood-red strands tangled together. His arms, for lack of anywhere better to go, wrapped around the still-shuddering form above him. He shushed a seething Zabimaru, content to let her body milk him dry, breathing in the spring-like perfume that clung to her hair and her skin. It smelled grassy, like green fields on a sunny day and after a moment he realized what it was.

"_Clover_," he thought, suddenly proud of the fact he'd identified the fragrance as he drifted off.


	92. Subterfuge 101

Subterfuge 101

When Renji opened his eyes again, he found that he was on his side, with Nel curled up behind him. One of her hands was busy running though his unbound hair, working the tangles out of it. Her breathing was deep, but back to normal. Her reiatsu had also withdrawn, and he felt oddly colder without it swirling through him. Renji shivered a little, and she responded by reaching over and pulling a sheet over the both of them, settling in, her chin resting on his shoulder.

"That wasn't so bad, was it Renji-kun?"

Considering he was still recovering from their mutual, Claim-induced orgasm, his limbs tingling and the perpetrator of the whole thing pushing her breasts against his back, there wasn't much he could really say to that. Tentatively, he reached out with his own spiritual pressure, expecting to find another version of Szayel's chains reining him in, keeping him captive.

Instead of chains, what he found felt more like a blanket, woven more finely than the sheet above them that surrounded him. He pushed and it moved, but did not break or tear.

It felt nothing like the sordid, constricting energies to which Szayel Claim had subjected him to. Those restraints had bound him tightly and he'd struggled against them to no avail, until that bastard had decided that destroying Zabimaru might make for an interesting experiment. Instead, he found that Nel's reiatsu simply encased him, warming him like the lining of a glove would warm the skin on his hand. They laid like that for a few minutes, catching their breath and in Renji's case, getting his body to listen to him again. Zabimaru, at the foot of the bed, was sullen and reproachful towards him and once the lust-induced fog had lifted a little from his brain he began to sweat a little.

"Renji-kun… we have some things we need to discuss, now that you're mine."

He couldn't help it; he stiffened at her declaration of ownership, however gently she tried to say it, whispering the words in his ear and running a hand up his arm. He wanted to shrug her away suddenly, hold her at arm's length and tell her in no uncertain terms that _no one_ possessed him.

Except that he couldn't. Renji tried to find the strength to stand up and leave the bed but he remained stretched out on his side, Nel's silky skin behind him both a distraction and a reward for staying still and listening. She patted his arm as a consolation and wrapped an arm around his waist, fingers lightly stroking his abdomen.

"I don't have much time left with you. This Kido chamber Hachi-kun created has a time limit. We have an hour and no more before the portal I used to enter here closes. Right now, anyone scanning for its energy signature will think it is part of the barrier in the room and won't think twice about it being here. When Yoruichi-san heard that Karin-chan was hiding you in here, she told Hachi and he said that he thought he 'remembered the room in question'. When he gave Yoruichi the Kido spell, he also gave her the instructions to modify the barrier around your room."

Frowning, Renji tried to look back at her, a little confused.

"Why did he do that?"

Nel actually giggled at his question, and he reached back to capture a long lock of her turquoise-coloured hair, pulling it over his shoulder to study it up close.

"Because he was the one that created the original barrier in the first place. I don't think that awful Kurotsuchi monster changed it at all when he took over from Urahara-san. Thankfully Szayel didn't change it much, other than the security codes. Hachi expected that. I'm going to assume Szayel was successful in modifying it the way Hachi instructed."

Renji blinked at that, then let go of the lock of hair and turned over carefully to face her as she continued her explanation.

"He did the best he could on short notice, Renji-kun, and could only create a short-lived portal in for one person. Before I go, I have to tell you what you can and can't do if we're to keep this a secret."

She emphasized this by smoothing her palm down his hip, to rest on his thigh and he had to shake himself in order to focus.

"Like what?" he nearly growled before she silenced him with a light kiss to the corner of his mouth.

"I'm sorry, but you _must_ follow Szayel's direct orders as if his Claim was still active. And you can't hurt him in private either, unless" she amended, "…he decides to try to experiment on you or something horrible like that. Even then, you can't kill him."

Renji grimaced, but the order made sense.

"I can live with that. What else?"

"Do whatever it takes to make Aizen think you belong to Szayel, no matter how much you hate him. Bow to him, take his orders, do what you must to make Aizen believe you aren't a threat. In fact, if you could continue to make Aizen think you are still a mindless drone it would let you move around more freely and others might be more willing to speak in your presence. You can learn a lot of information that way."

"But after all he's done…"

Renji suddenly felt the silken glove that was Nel's reiatsu constrict before he could really get worked up, forcing him to look at her. Her expression hadn't changed. If anything, she looked even more serious.

"Szayel's life is intertwined with Karin-chan's. If anything happens to Ichigo-kun's little sister, there's no telling what Ichigo will do, or what he'll risk doing. You know what he's like when he makes up his mind. It was hard enough convincing him to leave her be to live the life she chose here, with Grimmjow."

Renji closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. Her reiatsu backed off a little as a result. Even he could see that a pissed-off Ichigo could be considered a very bad thing, especially a pissed- off Ichigo that felt he had little to lose in seeking revenge.

"Right now, Szayel is technically the property of Grimmjow, but considered a 'pet' that belongs to Karin-chan. That makes you a pet of a pet of Karin. As much as you need to obey Szayel in public, you need to do whatever Karin-chan tells you to do, with no exceptions."

"Yeah, about Karin…" he began, but another tightening of her reiatsu around him cut him off, thought it wasn't nearly as strong as before.

Renji suspected that she was giving him a preview of what he could expect if he disobeyed her orders. He also suspected that she was being very, very lenient with him. While it didn't hurt, it was uncomfortable, almost smothering.

"If she chooses to tell you anything, pay attention, as if your life depended on it. Because it might, considering how much Karin and Szayel have to hide from Aizen," she warned, and ran her hands up and down his side, as if to emphasize her point. "If she gives you an order, carry it out, even if it means disobeying Szayel in private. She knows what she's doing. If you need to give Szayel a report, give a copy to Karin as well, so she'll know what's going on. Then…" she said softly "You'll give that report to us."

Renji felt his jaw drop a little.

"It sounds like you plan on having me spy for you…" he said, a little resentfully, then gasped as Nel's hand moved to the small of his back, drawing him forward so that he could actually feel her body heat, though not close enough to touch.

"We haven't stopped trying to oust Aizen. But there aren't enough of us to do so right now and the Swarm is a bigger problem. We'll take any information we can get. And if not for Yoruichi's 'spying', we wouldn't have found out that we already had the key to dealing with this barrier and you and I wouldn't be talking right now."

At that, he hesitantly brought his own hand up to skim lightly over her collarbone, down to cup one of her breasts, thumbing a nipple. It was her turn to gasp then, and he noticed that she hadn't prevented him from touching her via the Claim. He carefully moved his fingers up to cup her face, then kissed her. She allowed that as well, her tongue lazily moving against his own as he deepened it.

"Those orders won't be so hard to manage," he admitted, breaking it off and she giggled at that.

"There's one more thing," she warned, gently tugging on his hair when he moved to kiss her again. "Most Claims last anywhere from six months to a year before they must be renewed, unless it's a Mating Claim…" she explained, trailing off with a small amount of what almost seemed like melancholy. "Mine should last about ten months. You'll also be on this side of the Dangai and I'll be on the other. I don't know what I'll be able to feel from you once I leave. You might have to protect yourself if I can't get here in time."

She sat up and her long hair hid her face as she turned away from him, drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her calves. When she spoke again, her voice was more subdued.

"I'll need to come back every ten months to renew your Claim if we're to keep you safe. You can give me your reports then. I'll get them to Yoruichi and Hachi."

Renji managed to drag his spent body into an upright position, the sheets twisted around his hips and legs as he propped himself up with his arms and considered what she'd just said. Ten months? Ten whole months until he could have this again? The idea that he'd actually have to wait that long for something that his body was all for doing again in the next five minutes if possible almost made him whimper. It also replayed a few choice images of his recent activity in his brain, enough so that his cock actually twitched with enthusiasm. It didn't seem to matter that the bedclothes hid his reaction; it was as if he'd stood up and struck a gong with it. She turned to look at him, a little bewildered at first, and then, to his shock, she actually blushed. The red staining her cheeks almost obscured the markings across her nose.

"How much time do we have left before you have to go?" he found himself asking, almost hoping that there was enough time for a second round. He thought he'd been drained completely, but his body, apparently, had other ideas.

"I… about five minutes," Nel said with some regret, and then stood up and began to hunt around for her dress before he could drag her back onto the bed. When she bent over, the hair that cascaded down her back fell forward and Renji finally got an eyeful of the "3" mark in the middle of her back.

"You're the Third Espada!?" he gasped, clutching at the bedding as his eyes grew wide.

No wonder his reiatsu had given way before hers. Szayel had had to put up a fight to Claim him initially, even if he'd been at less than one hundred percent due to his injuries, and Szayel ranked, what, as the Eighth? That Nel was the Third meant that he'd probably only dealt with a fraction of her full power today.

She looked over her shoulder at him, her expression unreadable, before she pulled the dress over her head and began to search for her sandals. Slipping them on, she shook out her hair retrieved her sword and belt from the foot of the bed.

"No. I was, before Nnoitra broke my mask. Someone else holds that title now. The current Third is loyal to Aizen."

Her tone was enough to dampen any residual lust the newly-established Claim had instilled in him. Hastily, he scrambled off the bed after her, dragging sheets and blanket with him, nearly tripping over Zabimaru as his Zanpakuto was pulled along in the folds of cloth. He caught it, trying to juggle the sword and wrap the bedclothes around his hips in a failed attempt at modesty.

"Wait... I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

"Titles like that never meant much to me. Nor did I ever care about who was stronger than who, unlike many of my kind." She said this a little wistfully, and moved to stand in front of him, reaching up to touch his cheek in a conciliatory gesture. "Don't worry, it isn't really important anymore."

Her gray eyes softened. Impulsively, Renji reached for her, pulling her into his arms and burying his nose her hair. She didn't resist and he felt her throw her arms around his bare shoulders. He breathed deeply, trying to commit the scent of her perfume to memory.

For a split second, she seemed skittish and he thought she might bolt. Then she relaxed, fitting against him long enough for his body to again get the wrong idea. He heard her laugh, low and throaty, into his chest.

"Please, stay safe Renji-kun. Until we get the chance to meet again," she requested softly.

"I don't know what time of day or night it is," he protested softly. "How will I know when to be here?"

"It was two in the afternoon when Hachi-kun sent me through," she offered. "Nemu has the instructions to open the gate and expand this chamber. Keep it hidden and safe from Aizen," she ordered.

He nodded, but before she could move away, he drew her close and kissed her soundly, his hands running through the ocean-coloured waves of her hair. She returned the kiss, and then broke it off as the walls of the cube's interior turned a bright red.

"I have to go."

"Wait! What's with this thing?" he asked, looking around in alarm.

"That's the minute mark. After that, the cube will begin to shrink to its original size. Hachi built it into the design, just in case…"

Nel moved to the wall farthest from the bed and pressed her hand against one spot. A shimmering circle appeared around her hand and Renji saw that a small section of the cube slid away, making a grating noise. Beyond it was nothing but the darkness of the Dangai.

"In case what?"

She turned and smiled then and at that moment, all he wanted to do was drag her away from the exit, to keep her from leaving at all.

"In case I lost myself in what I was doing and forgot about the time."

She placed one sandaled foot through the door, stopped, and then turned back again.

"I'll tell Rukia and Ichigo you said hello, and that you're well. I know she'll be happy to hear you're better now and that you're safe," Nel declared, leaving him stunned.

Before he could protest, she turned and left. As she slid into the blackness he heard her say "Please, be safe and careful, Renji-kun."

Then the panel slid closed and a few seconds later the red hue vanished, leaving him staring at a blank wall. Then the air pressure in the cube's interior changed again. Thankfully, he had the presence of mind to tear his gaze away from the spot where she'd disappeared and grab as much of his clothing as possible. He'd managed to get the majority of his wrinkled uniform on and at least tied together when the walls surrounding him began to constrict. The cube shrank and he braced himself, knowing the energy in it would have to pass through him. It still made him grind his teeth together when it did, but at least he was prepared for it.

Once out of the Kido barrier, Renji took a deep breath, trying to catch just a little more of Nel's scent before it dissipated into the larger chamber.

"Well, I hoped that worked."

Szayel's voice, unwelcome and irritating, cut through his good mood like a hot knife through butter. Grabbing the headboard of the metal bed frame, he squared his jaw and turned around.

Incredibly, the pink-haired menace wasn't even looking his way. The freak was busy with some monitoring equipment. For one horrible second he thought that the Espada had been spying on what had gone on between he and Nel, until the scientist made a 'humph' sound and peered a little closer at the screen.

"There seems to be no change to the room's barrier, no signs of a breach of any kind, no indication that anything got through it at any level and now that it's returned to its original size, no fluctuations at all. How extraordinary!" he pronounced and turned to call over his shoulder, "Are you sure anyone actually came through?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm sure," someone said in a low voice to his left. "And then some…"

Renji turned to see Karin sitting in one of the chairs staring at him, her gaze a little unfocused, while Nemu stood behind her with a notepad. She seemed to come back to herself a few moments later and gave an involuntary shiver. When she did, it only took seconds for her to turn a bright shade of red as she took in the dishevelled state of his clothing, his unbound hair and the rumpled bedding.

"Are you quite alright, Renji-kun?" Nemu inquired, hand holding a pen over the notepad.

"I… yeah, I'm alright."

"Did you sustain any injuries?"

Renji frowned, raising an eyebrow as he tied the last tie on his hakama's waist wrap together.

"Should I have?" he questioned, confused.

Even the two times he recalled Szayel forcing his Claim upon him, he had never been injured, at least physically. As much as he'd hated the act itself, it had been pleasurable and that had been part of the problem. Renji's pride had taken a beating but his body had responded to the rape, had enjoyed what had been done to him while his mind and soul had screamed in protest. He'd never been able to reconcile the dichotomy between those two states and that had been traumatic enough. The idea that physical harm could accompany it as well shouldn't have shocked him.

"Not every Claiming is bloodless," Karin answered instead, looking down at her hands. "She's… very powerful, from what I can tell. There's no way that anyone could say you were unClaimed now."

"Good. When can I get the hell out of this room?" Renji demanded, turning to fetch Zabimaru.

He could feel his Zanpakuto's resentment that he'd succumbed to Nel's Claim without putting up at least a token fight. He told his blade, politely, to stuff it and deal with it for now.

"You can leave once we get a few things straight. I talked with Orihime and she'll swear that the only thing she 'rejected' was the destruction of your Zanpakuto, returning your soul to it full form. This is, by the way, the truth. None of us intended for your original Claim to shatter like that. We didn't actually consider it could happen."

When Renji scowled at that, Karin scowled right back. Renji was oddly reminded of the time he'd gone head to head with Ichigo in an argument and had butted heads with him, literally and figuratively. He'd had the welt on his forehead for a week. Like sister, like brother, he thought.

"You must do everything that…"

Renji made a slashing gesture meant to cut her off in mid-sentence and managed to finish what she was going to say.

"Yeah, I know. I'm supposed to 'obey' the bastard over there in public, which I take to mean anyone who doesn't know what just went on in this room."

Karin blinked, and then nodded. Her blush also deepened a little, to his amusement.

"I'm glad you understand that. Second, you'll need to play the part of …"

"A pet of a pet of a pet, and a mindless one at that? I've already been told about that as well. I'm to obey your mate and yourself, and your word takes precedence over that bastard's word. I'm going to trust you as far as that goes."

Again, Karin nodded, and then gave him a shrewd look.

"And you're to play the submissive with Aizen. Give him no reason to make him think that Szayel doesn't control your Claim, or you. I think it best that you leave your Zanpakuto here as well, in this room. If you start carrying it around, people will start asking questions that I and Szayel don't have an answer for yet. It will remain safely here until then. You'll have access to him whenever you want."

Now, Renji really wanted to argue with her, and it didn't help that Zabimaru began voicing his opposition about being separated from him for any length of time using some colourful language. The order, unfortunately, was in line with Nel's commands, especially with regard to remaining beneath the enemy's notice. He'd have to let it slide. At least, he knew, this room would be a better place to keep his Zanpakuto a secret.

"For now."

"For the foreseeable future," Karin warned. Renji shrugged, crossed his arms and met her gaze squarely.

"I'll do what you say as those were the instructions I was given. I'm going to assume Nel will enforce them if I try to break the rules she set."

She obviously hadn't expected him to answer so forthrightly, or with such certainty in his voice. Had she expected something different? Had her Claiming been that bad, he wondered. Then he decided he didn't really want to know. He couldn't really see a vicious creature such as Grimmjow making it very pleasant for her. It couldn't have possibly been as good as what he'd just experienced. In addition, Nemu had told him that most of the existing Claims upon the Shinigami populace weren't voluntary. At least Nel had asked him to let her 'save him'. His thoughts turned to his former Taichou and he inwardly winced.

"Nel?! You mean, the Arrancar that just Claimed you is Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck!?"

Renji looked up to see Szayel spin on his heel and stare at him, an expression of absolute terror and outrage on his face. He then turned to Karin and pointed at her with a shaking finger, as if she'd just ruined an experiment he'd planned for months.

"You just said that you'd found _an_ Arrancar willing to do this in my stead! Not that you'd chosen _her_!"

"Why should it matter? I know you don't like her. That was apparent on the battlefield the day Ichigo cracked your mask," Karin snapped, rounding on him. "She's the only Arrancar with those in the Living World and she already knew him…"

"I… I mean, she…" the scientist sputtered, seeming incredibly rattled by Karin's revelation. The freak looked as if he was about to explode in the mother of all hissy fits.

Renji, after a check to see just how much reiatsu he felt he could spare, decided it was time to make a couple of things very clear to his former 'owner'. Before Karin or Nemu could stop him, Renji used his Shunpo to move directly in front of Szayel. Funny, he thought as he looked down at the very startled Espada, he was actually taller than Szayel, and far more imposing now that Szayel looked as if he'd lost a good ten years of maturity. Szayel squeaked in surprise as Renji's fist twisted in his collar and gasped as the redhead lifted him off the ground, meeting him eyeball-to-eyeball.

"Nel told me all about you and what you and Nnoitra did to her," Renji snarled. "She told me how she got that crack in her mask. She also told me something very interesting about what happens to an Arrancar with a damaged mask. You," he gave Szayel a little shake, "are very lucky that Karin gives a rat's ass about you and that Nemu-chan over there is willing to follow you with or without a Claim."

"RENJI! Put him down, now! NOW!" Karin barked at him, her voice rich with fury.

He felt a sharp almost painful pull on his Claim and although he would have loved to shake Szayel until his teeth rattled in his skull, the redhead reluctantly released his grip on the Espada. Renji did manage to let go of the scientist abruptly and the Eighth yelped as he landed unceremoniously on his rear end. Renji smirked as he stood over him, arms folded across his chest, looking down. He simply couldn't resist making the son of a bitch squirm, if only a little.

"She also told me that the order not to hurt you was waived if you tried to hurt me or experiment on me. My only restriction is that I can't kill you. I can, however, make you suffer. Just so we're clear about that."

The redhead cracked his knuckles, to drive his point home.

Szayel looked as if someone had just told him he'd just drunk an entire beaker of poisoned pigeon droppings and began to sputter in outrage. Renji, in turn, let out a hiss that sounded as if the snake half of his Zanpakuto had decided to weigh in on the subject.

"You have too much to hide to try to prevent Nel from coming here to renew the Claim either, so don't think about trying it. You also have a couple of children on the way. Ya gonna risk everything just to try to take me out, Szayel-_sama_? You play along and I'll play along and we'll keep this little charade going as long as we have to."

Without further ado, he turned on his heel, the look on Szayel's face a balm to his sense of wounded pride.

Renji couldn't help the grin plastered across his face as he walked towards Karin, intent on filling her in on most of the rest. He'd leave out the bit about funnelling information to Nel for now, until he knew where she stood in all of this. In the meantime, he'd keep up the illusion that he was still 'all body and no brain'. As Nemu moved to Szayel's side, helping him up and smoothing out his uniform, the redhead raised his arms above his head for a good long, luxurious stretch.

His imprisonment here was nearly over.

He'd been given a mission, spying, that could help topple that monster, Aizen. All he had to do was sit back and listen and wait for someone to make a mistake around him.

He only had to obey Szayel in public and he was certainly going to remind the bastard of that fact frequently, and that the one who had Claimed him was far, FAR more powerful than the scientist could ever hope to be.

Nnoitra was here, in the Seireitei. While Nel hadn't given him any instructions as far as dealing with that particular Arrancar, he'd keep an eye out, and wait for an opening. The same went for Yammy. If there was any chance to free his former Taichou and Rukia's brother, he had to be ready for it.

He'd just had the most mind-blowing, insanely wonderful sex of his entire life and the soft, chamois-like feel of Nel's reiatsu encasing him in the same manner as her body was a delicious reminder of that. His legs _still_ felt a little weak from what they'd just done. While Renji was still irritated with Karin and Yoruichi about not telling him exactly what was going to happen when he'd stepped into that circle, he didn't think it would be too hard to forgive them in a little while for their deception.

Hell, he'd just had _willing_ sex for the first time in his current existence. Part of him was still marveling over that. It hadn't been with the one he'd wanted and that was the only regret he had about the whole thing.

He consoled himself with the knowledge that Rukia had wanted this, wanted to make sure he could pass for one of the Espadas' pets. He'd keep up the pretence of being Szayel's dog for as long as his childhood friend wanted. Given who was helping him with that pretence, well, _that_ was the frosting, whipped cream, cherries and candles on the cake as far as he was concerned.

Renji also decided that he had a new favourite perfume and vowed to wait to wash his sheets for a little while


	93. Endangered Species

Endangered Species

Szayel continued to stare at the monitor, moving the probe about in all directions to get the best possible image he could of the cocoons. The sensor wouldn't let him penetrate the outer coverings to see what his young looked like on the inside and he was weighing the pros and cons of trying a more intrusive method to see them as his frustration grew.

"_Pros and cons aside, I__'__m limited by that stupid Ethics Code_,_"_ he sneered the words to himself. _"__Karin-sama is forcing me to adhere to it. The damned thing makes any intrusive studies impossible. All that__'__s left is speculation. Or worse, fantasizing,__"_ he finished the thought with a pout.

"How do they look, Szayel-sama?" Nemu asked anxiously.

"They look like a shell, albeit a strong one. I cannot see inside as of yet," he answered truthfully and with more than a little regret.

"I see," she frowned. "That's disappointing. I was hoping to see them as well."

Szayel sighed and gently removed the probe from her stomach. He had been anticipating a much more informative session, but whatever shields his young had created around themselves had proven an effective and admirable defence. He could hardly wait for them to be born. Unfortunately, without the ability to see past the barriers they'd spun around themselves, he couldn't even establish a delivery date.

"Szayel-sama, if we are done here I wish to return to Renji-san's side so that I may assist him in processing the memories and data of the last ten years."

He scowled at that, his mood darkening a little as he thought about the red-headed Shinigami he was forced to continue pretending belonged to him. Being forced to keep anyone beneath his roof with the potential to harm him rubbed him the wrong way.

Granted, perhaps Nel had done him a favour as Renji wasn't exactly his 'type' either and the old frustration at being thwarted by Nemu's 'father' in that regard resurfaced briefly. If he was honest with himself, after everything Aizen had put him through, the thought of having any form of sex with a male made him sick to his stomach. Even the option to be the one on 'top' left him a little queasy, all thanks to that little escapade he had been forced to go through with Gin. And despite Renji's abrasive attitude towards him, he was very protective of Nemu and so far showed nothing but excited interest in the prospect of Nemu's children. Apparently those from Rukongai took family very serious and blood wasn't even a considering factor.

"Do you wish me to remain here, Szayel-sama?" Nemu inquired when he didn't immediately answer, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"No, you might as well return to the idiot," Szayel waved her away and helped her off of the table. She adjusted her clothing and bowed to him.

"As you wish," she said as she left him alone in the monitor room.

Szayel watched her leave before sighing and turning his attention to the equipment, cleaning it up and returning it to its rightful place.

The problem that Renji posed had only been half-solved, as far as Szayel was concerned. Karin had decided that Renji needed to act as if he were still brain dead and for some reason, Renji had agreed with her. That made him suspicious. He hadn't been able to see what had transpired inside that admittedly artful Kido creation, though Karin assured him that she could 'see' the Claim shining brightly. He hadn't been able to hear anything either, but his attention had been focused on monitoring the shield around the room. Now the only thing he needed to worry about was whether Renji could imitate something as mindless as a table or a test tube, at least until Karin deemed it safe for him to 'return to normal' in public.

Szayel, a little unkindly, didn't think Renji would have too hard a time of that. Thankfully, Nemu had suggested outfitting Renji with one of the suppression bracelets, so his reiatsu wouldn't give him away. Now if the dolt could just keep from scowling every time he turned around.

"_Once a half-wit_," he groused inwardly, "_always a half-wit_."

It didn't help that the redhead took any chance he could to toss a nasty remark his way in private. Such a lack of gratitude genuinely angered Szayel. Here he'd given Orihime permission to heal the jackass in the hope that he might earn his keep for a change and this was the thanks he received. Things would have been far, far different if he'd only managed to reach Ishida in time, before Kurotsuchi had killed the young man to spite him. He hadn't known the extent to which the former 12th Division's Taichou had been monitoring the boy. Szayel might have been more careful, had he been privy to that little bit of knowledge and it was at times like this that he deeply regretted his mistake.

He could have had two intelligent assistants that were far more to his liking in form, temperament and outlook, instead of just Nemu. He could have dumped Renji off on Yammy and been spared the fight to Claim and keep the idiot from doing something stupid on a daily basis, like trying to take on Aizen-Kami barehanded. He had half-a-mind to march Renji over to the former Kuchiki Estate to let him see the fate he'd avoided when Szayel had decided to at least see to what Uryuu-chan might have wanted with regards to his companion, but didn't dare at present.

"_This is what I get for being charitable_," he thought irritably.

He supposed he ought to be thankful for the fact that Renji seemed to accept Nemu's friendship without holding their relationship against her. If nothing else, it would make him an effective bodyguard for her, and by extension, their young, Claim or no Claim. What truly had him worried was whether or not the former Third would suddenly decide that he was fair game. He hadn't really known Nel very well and in hindsight, helping Nnoitra rid himself of a rival in order to move up in standing seemed to have backfired on him, badly. Oh, he'd gained quite a lot in the short-term, but sometimes Szayel wondered, staring at the now-empty monitor, if perhaps he'd failed in predicting some of the long-term consequences of his actions. Actions such as leaving Nel alive, for example; they reeked of unfinished business coming back to bite him.

It was, therefore, a little ironic that someone with the power to destroy him over unfinished business chose that moment to intrude upon him.

"Ah, busy at work I see. That is good to see. How is my Defence Net coming along? It should be ready soon despite the latest set of disturbances and setbacks, yes? I did extend the deadline after all at your request."

Szayel felt his entire body stiffen in terror as Aizen's voice cut through his musings, his voice flowing over the Espada like ice water. The Defence Net! He had completely forgotten about the project with everything that had been going on with Nemu's pregnancy and Renji's returned soul, even after having the deadline extended.

He swallowed dryly and turned to face Aizen, already knowing that Aizen was well aware that he hadn't even looked at the grid in days, despite the very painful, very public reminder Karin had been forced to give him. He swore he felt the scars in his back sting as he faced what appeared to be a completely benign Aizen. He was not fooled in the least. From his expression and his stance, Aizen clearly expected him to have a good reason for the delays. Fortunately, he was alone in the lab at the moment. He didn't want Nemu anywhere near here if he could help it. The last thing he wanted was to involve the mother of his children in any punishment that Aizen might choose to dish out.

"Aizen-Kami!" Szayel prostrated himself before him, nearly scraping his forehead on the floor in doing so. "Forgive me, but personal business distracted me from my assigned duties." A thousand lies and excuses had ran through his mind, but he was not so foolish as to even attempt to be untruthful to Kami. Aizen had a tenancy to see through such follies and he most certainly did not want to compound any forthcoming punishment.

Aizen's pleasant smile thinned into a frown as he pressed his lips together in displeasure and his eyes narrowed. His reiatsu rose just enough to bear down on the grovelling Arrancar before him and Szayel barely kept from flinching.

"You, above all others, should know how I feel about chaos in my Empire, Szayel," Aizen stated coldly. "Neither Grimmjow nor Ulquiorra permitted _their_ offspring to distract them from their duties, and given Grimmjow's well known distaste for my command that is saying something. Must I terminate one or both your own to keep you on track?"

His blood ran cold at the thought of losing his young before they even had a chance to be born.

"N...No…please, Aizen-Kami," he stammered. "I am sorry Aizen-Kami! However, Nemu's pregnancy is far different from Karin-sama's or Orihime's. It isn't progressing in the same manner."

A moment of oppressive silence passed, in which Szayel swore he could hear his non-existent heart thudding in his chest.

"How different?" Aizen asked. The hint of curiosity in his voice failed to soften the menace it contained.

"I am not a mammal-based Arrancar like Grimmjow or Ulquiorra, so my offspring are forming differently than Ajuga-chan and Diaemus-kun. Mine seem to be encased in some sort of chrysalis inside of her uterus, the hard shells of which prevent me from seeing what lies within. I've tried every sensor in the laboratory in an attempt to discover how they're developing, in order to determine a delivery date and to see if any complications could occur as a result of their masks. In addition, unlike Ajuga-chan and Diaemus-kun, my children's mother isn't a human. As this is the first successful Shinigami-Arrancar conception, I've been trying to gather enough data to…"

The man before him raised his hand to cut off his explanation and Szayel bit down on his tongue before he could say anything else. Quiet settled over the room once more as Aizen digested his words.

"Intriguing. Summon your pets. I wish to see what you're describing for myself," he commanded.

Szayel nearly fainted from fear and kept himself from sinking belly-first along the tiled floor through sheer willpower. Would Nel's Claim-induced orders keep that numbskull Renji from opening his mouth in front of Aizen? He reminded himself that, unlike Karin, Aizen couldn't sense the presence of a Claim, nor determine who had cast it. He hoped that if Renji's acting skills weren't up to snuff and Aizen did notice the redhead had regained his wits, Szayel could come up with a hurried excuse for his 'pet's' sudden cognizance and ill-temper without stuttering.

"Of course, Aizen-Kami." He forced himself up off of the ground and bowed deeply. Turning quickly to one of the consoles, he flipped a few switches and brought up the lab's P.A. system. Speaking into the microphone, he said:

"Nemu, Aizen-Kami wished to study your pregnancy's progress. Bring the deadbeat and come up here at once."

"Hai, Szayel-sama," Nemu's voice responded, sounding as dutiful as ever.

Szayel tried to stand still and confident, but he was too nervous and found himself wringing his hands behind his back. Hopefully Aizen would chalk his nervousness up to the fear of punishment for failing in keeping up with the grid and not because he was hiding a ridiculous number of secrets from his superior.

Nemu and Renji both arrived a few minutes later and he eyed the redhead warily. So far Renji, sans Zanpakuto, was doing an excellent impression of his former self, keeping his eyes on the ground. Once he'd entered the room, Nemu pointed him in a direction and he shuffled over to a corner where he remained standing in an apparent imitation of a filing cabinet.

Szayel was familiar enough with the pre-experimentation Renji's personality to know the Shinigami kept his eyes down to hide the blazing anger he felt for Aizen and moved stiffly to keep himself from doing something rash and stupid, like trying to strangle Kami in the middle of the lab. Thankfully, he was also wearing the silver bracelet around his wrist, which kept his reiatsu damped down to a constant level. Otherwise, no matter what his expression, Aizen would have at least detected the wild fluctuations of reiatsu radiating from his 'pet' along with his emotions.

Nemu showed no signs of discomfort, disobedience, or shame as she stripped and climbed back onto the examination table. With trembling hands Szayel once more moved the ultrasound over, pulling up the image of the two chrysalises inside of her.

Aizen watched the screen with apparent interest before letting off a slight 'hmm'.

"Enough, I see what you mean. It is intriguing, but hardly what I would call worrisome enough to neglect your duties. You have a dozen assistants that could easily handle a task such as this. I am not…"

"Szay, Szay, Szay, look what I found, look what I found!"

Not even noticing she had interrupted Aizen, Ajuga bolted into the room with a wide smile of pleasure and triumph on her face as she ran up to the stunned Arrancar. Szayel's horrified gaze quickly turned back to Aizen in fear that Kami would not react kindly to Ajuga's rather rude interruption.

"See, I found one! You said to show you at once if I found one and I did!" Ajuga chirped happily as she practically vibrate in place.

"Hey, I spotted it first!" Hana added as the young girl came into the room a moment later. "You just managed to capture it because you're faster," the girl complained, then stopped as she realized that Szayel wasn't the only person in the room. "Oh, good afternoon, Aizen-Kami." Hana said and bowed politely to him the moment she saw him. "Good afternoon, Nemu-chan!" she added

Ajuga finally seemed to notice Aizen as well and mumbled her own 'good afternoon Aizen-Kami' before completely ignoring him once more to show Szayel her prize.

Slowly, Ajuga opened her hands to reveal what appeared to be a simple, greyish brown mouse with spiky fur. Despite her excited and whirlwind-like entrance, the creature appeared to be completely unharmed, which given her interest in hunting and consuming her kills was rather impressive. The mouse, for its part, looked a little glassy-eyed, as if it had gone beyond fear of being eaten and was simply waiting for the killing blow to land. Szayel, given his current situation, could sympathize with it.

Szayel blinked in surprise as Ajuga proudly handed it over. He was in far too much emotional turmoil to do anything more than obediently take the trembling creature from Ajuga.

"It doesn't smell like the other mice I hunt, so it has to be one right? Because Hana-chan says it is and she remembers these things better than I do," Ajuga continued excited.

"Ajuga-chan, it is rude to interrupt adults when they are conversing," Aizen finally spoke up.

"But this is important! It is one, right Szay?" Ajuga pressed him, apparently not wanting her discovery to be diminished in importance in any way.

"I…. yes it is," the scientist noted, studding the innocent-looking creature in his hands. The part of himself that wasn't immediately concerned with Aizen punishing the lot of them right here and now was honestly shocked that the girls had found such a _critically endangered species _in the _CITY_ of all places.

He had no idea that giving them a book full of endangered species and then sending them off to 'go find them' so they would get out from under his feet would actually yield a success.

Ajuga puffed out with pride for a moment before she finally seemed to notice the darker mood in the room. Szayel should have been far more excited about their discovery, but he seemed very worried and very distracted.

"Szay, what's wrong?" Ajuga asked curiously as she took her discovery back from him.

"I am sorry Ajuga-chan, but now is not a good time, and Aizen-Kami is right, it is rude to interrupt others when they are speaking."

"Oh," she looked crestfallen and looked at Aizen for a minute before looking back to him. "Are you in trouble?" she suddenly asked worriedly.

"I…" he really didn't want the children to worry about him but Karin had made certain he couldn't lie to her family.

"Yes, Szayel is in trouble," Aizen spoke up, saving him from trying to find a linguistic 'out' for himself.

"Oh," Ajuga looked really crestfallen and upset now.

"Maybe we should go, Ajuga-chan," Hana suggested warily. The older girl had a much better 'read' on things than Ajuga and reached out to tug on the younger girl's elbow.

"What did he do?" Ajuga asked Aizen directly, shocking Szayel with both her audacity as well as what seemed to be a complete lack of regard for her own safety.

"He lied to me," Aizen explained simply.

"Oh….. Does this mean I should go get Mama so she can punish him again?"

"What do you know of such things?" Aizen asked coolly.

Ajuga didn't seem to notice his change of tone although Hana was slowly adopting a panicked look on her face that matched the feeling in his gut. It would appear that, unlike Ajuga, her Shinigami bred friend was far more in tuned to the danger Aizen represented.

"Oh, well the last time Szay lied to Mama she gave him a spanking, just like what I get when I do bad things," Ajuga replied helpfully, still completely oblivious to the situation.

Szayel felt his entire face turn red, mortified, as Ajuga announced his shame to the entire room, and he swore he heard Renji give off a nearly-inaudible snort in the corner. Surprisingly, the mood in the room suddenly lightened a little as Aizen raised one of his eyebrows at the child's suggestion and the corner of his mouth turned up as well.

"Oh?" Aizen asked in clearly amused at the idea. "Is that so?"

"Uh huh. No one can lie to Mama without her knowing," Ajuga declared.

"Indeed. Very well, Ajuga-chan, I'd like you and Hana-chan to fetch your mother for me. After all, it is bad to lie and lying should be punished, right?" Aizen said with an amused gleam in his eye.

"Yep," Ajuga agreed.

She handed Szayel the extremely rare Muennink Spiny Rat that she had miraculously managed to capture before she and Hana hustled from the room, presumably to find Karin. Szayel stood there stunned, hardly even noticing the creature in his hand as it relaxed, finally out of sight of the feline predator that had so-recently held it.

Was this a better fate than what Aizen had originally planned? It was hard to tell but he supposed receiving a spanking was far better than being violently raped again or Aizen torturing Nemu and making him watch, or worst of all, having his children's lives extinguished. His mind latched onto that last thought and he knew his first act had to be removing them from any potential danger. Thankfully, Ajuga had handed him the perfect excuse.

"Nemu, catalogue and store this creature in an appropriate lab habitat. Make sure it's given the appropriate food and water. Take 'useless' over there with you," he ordered. The last thing he needed was for Renji to witness this humiliation. He didn't trust that the idiot wouldn't double over laughing during the proceedings.

"Of course, Szayel-sama," Nemu got off the table, re-dressed and bowed to both Szayel and Aizen.

She carefully took the rare creature from him and exited the room, Renji silently shuffling after her in the same, listless manner. Aizen hadn't paid any attention to the deadbeat, and Szayel counted himself lucky in that regard.

This left him alone in uncomfortable silence with Aizen, a silence that he was honestly too nervous to break. They didn't have to wait long for Karin to arrive, an irritated frown on her face and sans the kids, for which he was grateful.

"Ah Karin-chan," Aizen smiled at her.

"Aizen-Kami," she returned the greeting. "In what way has Szayel angered you this time? Ajuga mentioned something about lying?" she asked apprehensively, then gave Szayel a 'what excuse did you give him now?' look.

"Indeed. He did promise the Defence Grid would be up by this time, and yet he has clearly been neglecting his duties."

Karin listened and then made a 'hmmm' sound, as if pondering Aizen's accusation.

"As I recall this is a joint venture with all the Divisions. I know my own has been having issues with positioning the poles according to the specific GPS co-ordinates due to the lay of the land. Some of the intended positions have required drilling through rock to get them aligned properly and Toshiro informed me his Division is having problems with the swampy terrain in their sector. They've had to pour concrete and wait for the stuff to dry to keep the poles from falling over in the muck. They've also had to clear trees and vegetation from several of the locations to keep the sightline between poles clear. Is your division not having similar issues?" she questioned curiously.

Aizen actually stared at her in mild astonishment and Szayel was equally surprised that she was so well-appraised of the problematic issues surrounding the grid. Setting something like this up in Hueco Mundo would have been easy, as they only thing he'd ever had to contend with was rock and sand, both easily dealt with. The variation of terrain in the Seireitei, however, was something he hadn't really planned on when he'd come up with the plans for the defence net.

"I suppose that Szayel should have done a better job surveying the grid line and made adjustments with regard to the potential for complications as far as his intended completion date. Maybe a spanking would be a fitting punishment for such a slip-up," she mused aloud, looking thoughtfully at the ceiling as if considering the merits of turning Szayel's hindquarters red. "After all, I am sure you know just how reliable the information coming from your subordinates can be at times, especially from those who have no real experience with surveying work, as opposed to, say, performing konso."

"Indeed," Aizen agreed with a hint of reluctance in his voice.

His expression had gone from coldly appraising to one that indicated Karin was clearly entertaining him. Szayel prayed that she could continue to do so without shedding any of his blood in the process.

Karin turned her attention back to him and he felt his mouth go dry when he realized that yes, he was going to have to lay half-naked over her lap while she swatted his rear in front of Aizen! Calming himself, he told himself that it could be worse, much, much worse. At least it wasn't a public display as his whipping had been. But, he protested inwardly, being whipped was 'manly,' while being spanked by a human girl was the very definition of humiliation!

"Szayel, get your mistress a comfortable stool and a cane of some sort. I wouldn't want her to hurt her hand on your Hierro," Aizen ordered with a smile.

He shivered as he did as ordered, setting the stool down and offering her one of the wooden pointer sticks he used during presentations. She snapped it in half over her shin to make it easier to wield before sitting down.

Szayel bit his lip and gave a pleading stare towards Aizen, but he was offered nothing more than a raised eyebrow that simply said 'well?' With shaking hands he untied the belt to his hakama. The garment pooled at his feet. His underclothes followed a moment later. The Espada hesitated once more before laying himself out across her lap and closed his eyes in a vain attempt to mitigate his embarrassment.

"How many did he earn?" Karin asked. Szayel thought she sounded a little too bored, less emotional than usual, which told him she was trying to remain nonchalant about what she was about to do.

"Two for each failed pole," Aizen answered firmly.

He stiffened in shock. There were several thousand poles in the line. It surrounded the city after all, and there were at least a few hundred left to be set by the various Divisions. He felt Karin stiffened as well at the implication.

"Szayel, exactly how many poles are there to still go up?" the young woman asked apprehensively.

"Two hundred and forty one," he answered, trying to keep his voice steady even as he felt horrified at receiving nearly 500 smacks.

"I don't think my wrist is strong enough to deliver that many," Karin indicated, her voice sounding almost regretful, as if she was sorry her joint might not be up to the job.

"I can always take over if you feel you cannot do it," Aizen offered.

Karin's posture didn't exactly relax, if anything it stiffened in shared horror at the thought of Aizen being the one to bring his godly strength down upon his rear, but then he felt the tip of the pointer tap his shoulder lightly a few times, as if she was contemplating something.

"There's no need to stoop so low, Aizen-Kami. You shouldn't have to dirty your hands. The pillars that are left, those are the ones that need to be placed in the most troublesome spots, am I right?"

Szayel realized where she was going with this and silently prayed she'd be successful.

"Y…Yes, that's right."

"Aizen-Kami, since we can't really determine which poles might be a problem until they're all in the ground and Szayel can perform a test of the grid, would a strike for every one that hasn't been completed yet be an acceptable substitute?"

"I will keep count for you," Aizen smirked at them. "If I feel you aren't putting your strength into it, I won't count the strike. You may begin," Aizen commanded, with a casual wave of his hand.

He couldn't help the surprised yelp that was torn from his throat as the wooden stick, infused with Karin's reiatsu, landed heavily on his rear. She was apparently taking Aizen's threat to heart.

He lost count quickly as the pain started to cloud his mind and his back started to ache from lying over her lap. Aizen let Karin pause ever fifty strikes to rest and massage her hand, which also allowed time for the really painful stinging to die down again so he could fully appreciate the next fifty blows.

By the time all of the smacks had been delivered, the skin and flesh of his lower back and rear were in agony. No doubt his skin was turning interesting shades of black and blue and he couldn't help but wonder, once again, why everyone seemed to have an unholy obsession with his ass? At least, he thought, his skin was intact this time.

"If the defence grid isn't up soon, you will _both_ receive a punishment that will make this look like one of your daughter's games," Aizen informed Karin, ignoring Szayel's still prostrate form.

He felt Karin tense under him.

"Why am I included in this?" she demanded sharply.

"For failing to keep your pet in line, of course," Aizen smirked at her before turning on his heel and leaving. Neither of them moved until long after the door had closed behind him.

He could feel Karin trembling but he had a feeling it was more in rage than in fear.

"Fucker," she muttered before tossing the now splintered wooden shaft aside. "Szayel, can you get off of my lap now? My legs are numb and your back has got to be killing you," she said, sounding both concerned and apologetic.

"Give me a minute," he responded through gritted teeth.

Slowly, he managed to drag himself and his battered hind end off of Karin and collapse onto the floor at her feet, lying on his side to spare his abused rear. He heard the door open and a moment later Nemu was by his side. He could feel how upset and worried she was for him, her distress practically radiating off of her in waves. He might have found it sweet that she cared that much if he wasn't in such pain.

"Wow, he really did get her to spank you!" Renji laughed, and almost instantly regretted it.

"Now is not the time, you ass!" Karin turned and snapped at him, taking Renji by surprise. "Nemu, how fast can we get that fucking grid of his up and running?" she demanded with a snarl. Nemu looked over her shoulder as she helped Szayel into his clothing, not an easy task when the latter was still in a prone position.

"A week if there are no further delays," Nemu answered honestly "…or if we aren't interrupted by another attack."

"Alright, get to work on that ASAP. Aizen's patience as far as this project goes has run out. Next time he won't limit his punishment to Szayel, nor will it just involve a spanking. I shudder to think what would have happened had it not been for Ajuga-chan and Hana-chan's interference."

She was right, of course, and Szayel tried to force himself up only to have Karin place her hand on his shoulder and hold him down.

"Don't move just yet," Karin ordered him sternly, then snapped her fingers and glared at the redhead. "Renji, listen carefully. Nemu needs to go out into the field and get this grid back on track. You need to go with her, since in her current shape she is weakened and anyone else shadowing her would be suspicious."

The look on her face made Renji swallow anything he might have said to refute her and he simply nodded instead. Either that or Nel's Claim-induced order to obey Karin in all things had suddenly kicked in. Szayel didn't care at this point which of Renji's 'controls' were in play, only that the dolt was listening to Karin.

"I'm going to make this incredibly simple for you to understand. I don't care what kind of bullshit went on between you and Szayel. It's in the past now and I can assure you any sins he may have committed against you he has paid for tenfold. You can thank Aizen for that.

"As far as everyone is concerned, Szayel still has you Claimed. This means you _must_ follow his orders without complaint or hesitation. No more pouting, no more bitching, no more muscle-flexing, got it? Last time I checked, you'd passed your second birthday, so stop acting like a child. Am I clear?" Karin demanded sharply, almost snarling at the taller Shinigami.

"Yeah, I got it, I don't like it but I got it," Renji growled in annoyance, but at least he looked somewhat abashed and embarrassed that he had, indeed, been acting like a spoiled child. Karin had used her 'displeased mother tone' that would often leave even her mate scrambling to do her bidding.

"Good. Get to work. The sooner the better. I don't want Aizen to have another reason to go after Szayel, myself or Kami-help-me," she lowered her voice to a very angry-sounding whisper "…have him decide to go after the _children_ to make his point."

Nemu paled at that and Renji's eyes grew a little wider as Karin voiced Szayel's worst fears out loud. His pet turned to him, and for once her normally placid face had an expression of horror on it. He bit his lip, then looked down, nodding his head, silently confirming the threat Aizen had made earlier.

Renji seemed stunned and Szayel spared him an irritated glare before taking Nemu's hand in his own. Was it so incomprehensible to the moron that Aizen would use any means necessary to get what he wanted, no matter how petty that desire might be? Tearing his golden eyes away from the redhead, he refocused on Nemu and he gave another soft nod of his head to indicate she should do as Karin ordered. Nemu gave his hand a squeeze, got to her feet and with a small bow to Karin, left with a disgruntled-yet-stunned Renji trailing after her.

"One of these days, you have got to stop getting into trouble. I swear, you are more work than Ajuga-chan," Karin sighed at him, rubbing her forehead.

"I can't help it if everyone is jealous of my perfection," he responded, a little weaker than he would have liked.

"Right, perfection," Karin rolled her eyes at him and swatted his now-covered rear lightly, getting a sharp yelp of pain from him


	94. Household Changes: Yumichika

Household Changes?

Little had changed over the last ten years for either of them since their defeat and enslavement, at least as far as their 'Master' was concerned in his treatment of them. Yumichika still had a beautiful suite and a wardrobe that changed monthly to keep up with the latest fashions. He wasn't necessarily showered with gifts, as he technically didn't own much of anything in his quarters, but he was never short of outfits and a wide selection of accessories to go with them.

It was almost a dream come true to be presented with so many beautiful objects for his use, but again he didn't own them and how long he actually got to wear them varied only slightly. Even with the war going on he was still frequently summoned to attend to Barragan's needs, as were Soi Fon and Ggio. The former still glared silently at their Master with eyes that smouldered with rage and the promise of bloody revenge. The latter, well… Yumichika didn't know as much about the Arrancar on a truly personal level, but he could tell that the once-shining adoration Ggio had for 'His Majesty' had long since dwindled away to a sort of weary acceptance of his fate as a fraccion.

The little rivalry Ggio and Soi Fon had once had with one another had died off several years ago, leaving them both in a state of détente that bordered on acquiescence, if not downright tolerance. It might also have been hard to keep up such a burning hatred on Soi Fon's part while watching Ggio take the kind of punishing sexual abuse that could have been her lot if Barragan's tastes ran in a different direction. This, Yumichika supposed, was for the best, considering that the former Taichou owed her continued existence to her grudging willingness to part her thighs for Ggio. The Arrancar had to refresh his Claim upon her person every now and then. Any loathing Soi Fon felt now was directed entirely towards Barragan, who continued to force her to act as a living sex toy for his two pets. Her entire purpose was to get them aroused so 'His Majesty' could indulge in the fantasy that his slaves actually desired him, even though everyone, from the lowest servant to Yumichika and Ggio themselves knew it was a farce meant to stroke his own ego.

A hesitant knock on his door broke Yumichika out of his musing and he called out for his unexpected visitor to come in. Whoever it was hesitated for a moment before finally entering the room. Despite himself, Yumichika raised an eye in surprise as his guest paused in the doorway to glance around his quarters with some surprise.

"Your room is better than mine," Ggio muttered with a hint of envy.

"Yes, well, _my_ entire purpose is to look pretty," Yumichika pointed out. "You, at least, get to see the front lines most of the time, and I would shudder to think what fate would await beautiful garments such as these if I were forced to fight in them."

"Fair enough," Ggio admitted, moving closer and letting the sarcasm with which Yumichika spoke go completely over his head.

"What brings you by my quarters? It is rare we have to opportunity to enjoy each other's presence outside of serving his Majesty?" Yumichika asked with honest curiosity.

A visit from the other was highly unusual, signifying to the former 5th seat that Something Significant was up. Since Significant things were rare under Barragan's roof, he thought that whatever had brought the other to his door might just be worth his time.

Ggio sat down and actually looked somewhat nervous, an unusual state for the Arrancar. In fact, his hands even fidgeted a bit and he seemed a bit lost as he tried to fish for the right words.

"_I was right. __This could be interesting,__"_Yumichika noted as he waited patiently for Ggio to start talking, which the Arrancar seemed to be having a hard time doing.

"I…. need your help with something," Ggio finally stated and gave the other a helpless shrug.

Yumichika eyebrow rose elegantly at the admission. There was little he could do to help Ggio in much of anything, unless of course Ggio's problem involved fashion tips. He could definitely assist the Arrancar there. His regular ensemble wasn't that bad, but it could use some tweaks, especially with what he did with his hair.

"_Yes__…__ the hair... that has to be addressed, posthaste__…"_

Yumichika was already making a mental check list when Ggio's next question threw him for a bit of a loop, since it wasn't what the Shinigami expected.

"How do Shinigami court?" the frazzled fraccion blurted out.

Yumichika picked his jaw up out of his lap before blinking and mentally retracing the statement to make sure he'd heard Ggio correctly. His shock only grew when he realized Ggio was actually blushing and looked even more nervous than before.

"As lovely a creature as you could be, with a bit of work, I am just not interested in you Ggio," Yumichika said gently. "In fact, as hard as it may be to believe giving my current situation, I **am** into women."

The look of embarrassment turned to mortification and Yumichika had to hold back a grin of amusement. He knew Ggio hadn't been talking about courting _him_, but he just couldn't help but tease the poor thing. Still, watching him splutter out a denial was definitely worth the ribbing.

"I must say I am surprised you would be interested in such things. Has some pretty little thing caught your eye? Why not simply Claim her?" Yumichika inquired curiously. "Ah wait, I forgot, you are only permitted one pet to Claim since you are not an Espada. Since it is far beneath 'His Majesty' to stoop to rutting with a woman, he forces you to keep Soi Fon in line, using up your allotment. How forgetful of me." Yumichika sighed dramatically before Ggio could answer. "So courting is your only option now that Aizen-Kami has made it clear he will suffer no more attacks on the population until these bugs have all been swatted."

While Ggio choked a little at the Shinigami's assessment of the situation, Yumichika sat back and mused for a moment on how best to tackle the problem the Arrancar tossed into his lap. It was time, he decided, to move on to the interrogation.

"Have the two of you met yet?"

"Yes," Ggio admitted, looking at his feet.

"Is she aware of your interest in her? It is a 'her', yes?"

"I don't think she knows, and it is a 'her'," Ggio agreed nervously. Yumichika nodded at that, and then made a show of inspecting his nails.

"Well, there are the usual courtship gifts… flowers, chocolates, dates…"

"I don't think she is into those sorts of things, and I didn't think dried fruit was a courtship item."

Yumichika blinked.

"Hmm, oh no, not those kind of 'dates', I mean 'going out on a date'. You know, take her out for dinner, or to lunch, or perhaps a walk in one of the parks. If you hardly know her, lunch would be better, more casual, less potentially 'threatening.' Do Hollows not date?"

Ggio looked a little glassy-eyed from trying to follow Yumichika's line of reasoning.

"No. They don't. Females are rare and any male that finds one tends to try to Claim her if he can. If not, than he wasn't worthy of her in the first place. After Claiming comes frequent mating in the slim hope that she'll bear him offspring. It's more… instinctual and both sides know what to expect," Ggio explained a little helplessly.

"Like animals," Yumichika sighed and blew a strand of hair out of his eyes. "Well, first things first. If you want to impress this woman, we need to do something about your appearance. Women on _this _side of existence use the looks of the male as one key indicator when it comes to sizing up a man as 'mate material'."

"What are the other factors?"

"Oh, let me think… well, the size of their wallets occasionally comes into play, as does their work position, their land holdings, their status in society, whether they can hold an intelligent conversation and keep eye contact instead of staring at the woman's chest, their skills between the sheets…"

When Ggio appeared to want to search for a rug to crawl under and hide, Yumichika decided to take pity on him. Reaching out, he patted the Arrancar's hand.

"Never mind all of that for now. Let's start with your hair, because, to be blunt, it screams 'Hi, I just rolled in from Hueco Mundo and I need a good groomer and a flea collar.' We'll work on the rest from there."

Ggio seemed about ready to protest the assessment, but Yumichika cut him off before he could start with a double clap of his hands.

"It's either follow my advice or you're on your own. Trust me, with my help you will have her swooning into your arms in no time," Yumichika assured him.

Ggio hesitated for a moment more before reluctantly nodding his head in agreement.

"Good!" Yumichika almost clapped his hands in glee. This was going to be fun, a much needed distraction from being cooped up like a bird in a cage all day, even if the cage was very exquisite.

"How much time do we have today before we are called away to service his Majesty?"

"They have another meeting tonight, so we probably won't be summoned. He is usually too exhausted after sitting through one to send for us, unless something happens to put him in a really bad mood."

"Excellent! The bathroom is right through there. Go wash your hair, since doing so will make working with it much easier. Shoo now!" Yumichika waved him towards the door.

"Why do I get the feeling I am going to regret this?" Ggio muttered, slouching off to do Yumichika's bidding.

"You won't be saying that when you have this woman curled up in your arms," Yumichika called after him. "And don't hunch your shoulders… good posture conveys confidence and confidence is like catnip to Shinigami women!"

With a large show of reluctance and a grimace at the 'catnip' comment, Ggio retreated to the bathroom while Yumichika paced back and forth across the room, elegantly wearing a path in the rug beneath his feet. Plans, plots and schemes racing through his mind as he contemplated the best approach to getting the wild-looking Arrancar looking sexy and civilized. Or maybe, just more civilized. Or, maybe just housebroken would do. Some chicks dug a man with an artfully 'scruffy' appearance. With a good scrubbing, Ggio might manage the 'wild-yet-cultivated-in-a-Bohemian-sort-of-way' look. Truthfully, he needed to know more about the target to decide which way to go, 'Sophisticated' or 'Barbarous-but-Willing-to-Shave'.

He mentally outlined a plan of attack for both looks. 'Hmming' and going through his own wardrobe, he quickly discarded most of it as unsuitable. First, he was much taller than his soon-to-be-pupil, and second, bright, pastel colours didn't really suit Ggio's complexion. Jewel-tones it was, then. Or maybe a refined, neutral palette with understated blacks and creams…

It didn't take long for Ggio to shower. Half of his head was covered by his mask and only so much of his hair was actually reachable. Ggio had no problem returning to the room with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist and Yumichika, for his part, didn't bat an eyelash as he did. There wasn't a single part of each other's bodies they hadn't seen or touched for Barragan's pleasure over the years. As the old saying went, familiarity, Yumichika noted absently, bred contempt. Or in this case, it bred indifference.

"I need to know more about this girl, so tell me everything you can about her personality. Is she one of those tough girls, coming off of the field covered in gore or one of the softer women, who like birdsongs and strolls through the park?" Yumichika demanded as he directed his patient to a stool and scoped up a comb and scissors.

"The first, sort of, but she wouldn't be covered in gore, that is too flashy. She used to be a member of the 2nd Division," Ggio hesitantly revealed.

"Ah, a shinobi! Perfect, that I can work with. Forget the fancy dinners then and let's stick to a casual lunch for the first date. Let's discard flowers as well. In fact, a weapon would be a much better gift, but not yet. By nature, the members of the Stealth Force don't trust others easily, so I'd stick with lunch for now, until you get to know each other a bit more and you have built up a little faith with one another."

"I think we should keep your look on the 'feral' side, yes. And the wardrobe definitely needs to change. Your clothing is too… hmm…. bulky. It hides your physique. A chick like that will appreciate a toned body but right now, you look like an oversized doll in that outfit."

"You are doing my confidence a world of good," Ggio grumbled sullenly.

"Sometimes you need to destroy something and rebuild it in order to improve upon it. Now hold still while I work here. Perfection isn't mastered in minutes you know."

"I know," Ggio sighed, but held still as Yumichika began to work on his masterpiece.

Restyling the Arrancar's hair took less than thirty minutes, since half of his hair was, thanks to the mask, inaccessible. What took longer was deciding on the style itself. Yumichika tried various things before shaking his head and sighing in exasperation.

"We need to go shopping," Yumichika finally declared.

"For clothing?"

"Among other things. Get dressed and grab your wallet while I make myself presentable for public viewing."

Ggio just shook his head and retreated to gather his clothes from the bathroom before coming back out. Surprisingly, Yumichika was ready to go by the time he emerged and the former Shinigami definitely had a spring to his step as they left the Estate and made for the marketplace.

Yumichika dragged him from shop to shop, forcing him into dozens and dozens of various outfits. It was one of the few moment of joy he had truly felt since his enslavement. Ggio looked like a cat desperately hanging onto a stick of wood that was being tossed about in a raging river.

They returned several hours later with a large number of packages and Ggio cringing at how much of his monthly credit Yumichika had forced him to spend. Did he honestly need half of this stuff? At least Yumichika knew how to drive a hard bargain and wasn't the least bit ashamed to use the general population's continued fear of Arrancar to their advantage, although there was a lot less fear nowadays and more of a sense of resignation, depending on which Arrancar the civilian in question dealt with.

"A pity we don't have time tonight to dress you up and send you out, but providing nothing comes up tomorrow, do you think you can get this girl alone and out for lunch?"

"Yeah, it shouldn't be a problem, providing a battle doesn't come up or our services are not called for."

"Good, good… meet me in my quarters as soon as the sun comes up. That should give us enough time to…"

"There you are! Where have you two been?!"

The near-shriek stopped Yumichika in his tracks. It came from one of the servants as she scurried up to them, terror plastered across her face. "Forgive me, but his Majesty summoned you both to attend to him fifteen minutes ago!"

"Oh no…the meeting must have ended really early," Ggio frowned, panic creeping across his features.

"Take these packages to my quarters, we shall attend him at once," Yumichika swiftly ordered the young woman, handing his packages over to the terrified servant.

A look of relief crossed her face as she gathered the packages in her arms and fled, spared from having to report back to the 'throne room.' Both men shared a grimace as they made their way there, Barragan's displeased reiatsu radiating from the place in waves.

"Forgive us, your Majesty," Yumichika and Ggio both intoned and bowed deeply as they entered.

"We were not expecting your return for some time and took the opportunity to enjoy what little is left of these fine days before the frigid winter settles in." Yumichika added.

The platitude did little to ease Barragan's anger at having to wait for them. Worse, Soi Fon's absence this evening did not bode well for either of them since she was the one called up on to prepare them.

"Entertain me," Barragan ordered gruffly, resting his head on one of his fists.

Ah, so they were to use each other instead of being used by him. It was rare, but occasionally the Espada only wanted to watch the action, rather than participate in it. That at least meant it would be an easier night on the two of them. As displeasing as it was to have sex with each other, it was far less painful than letting Barragan fuck them, and their release was not forcibly held back for hours.

At this point in their servitude neither one of them needed to communicate with each other any more than Barragan needed to give them further orders. Unfortunately, Yumichika found his hope for an easy evening vanished a moment later. Both were fully naked by the time Yumichika suddenly felt the sharp, unwanted pull on his Claim. His eyes widened in shock as his body moved in a manner he hadn't expected. He also hadn't felt that pull in some time and had honestly almost forgotten that the Claimer could force the one Claimed to obey without the use of words.

The Claim didn't prevent the stunned look from crossing his face, one that was mirrored on his partner's countenance as he roughly took over and forced his companion beneath him. Normally, he would have been the one penetrated, not Ggio and to find himself in this position meant that Barragan's ire was with the one he had pinned.

"_What on earth have you done to anger him, I wonder?__"_Yumichika couldn't help but to ask silently as a soft cry of pain escaped Ggio's lips. The former Shinigami's body suddenly and violently began to dominate the smaller one beneath him.

He spent the rest of the wretched evening tormenting his partner until Barragan finally seemed appeased and permitted them to leave. Both of them bowed and walked out, or in Ggio's case, limped. He left a small trail of blood and semen behind him until they managed to exit the throne room. Only then did the Arrancar dare to show how much pain he was in, leaning against the wall and panting in agony. Tears threatened to spill from the corners of Ggio's eyes as he legs began to wobble.

Yumichika himself was filthy, his lower half covered in his unwilling partner's blood and their combined sweat. Reaching out, he snagged Ggio's arm before the other could lose it completely.

"Come, let's get cleaned up. I know where there is a wonderful hot spring in one of the outlying gardens. Besides, you have a girl to impress tomorrow," he reminded the other gently, trying to get Ggio to move, to think about something other than what they'd just been forced into doing, no matter how frivolous it might be. He didn't want to risk being recalled to their 'Master's' chamber and the sooner they made themselves scarce, the better.

A nod of the head was the only answer he got as Ggio forced himself to stand up straight. By the morning, the shorter Arrancar's innate healing ability would have mended the physical damage, something Yumichika honestly envied. He needed a bath himself, and not just for the physical dirt. His very soul felt sullied with Barragan's corrupting touch.

He never asked how Ggio could have incurred enough of the Second Espada's wrath to warrant a punishment like this. Yumichika suspected that Soi Fon's absence hadn't been a spur of the moment decision on Barragan's part. Of course, he'd learned long ago that what went on between Ggio and his Master wasn't really his business and there wasn't anything either of them could have done to prevent what had just happened. Hell, it could have simply been that Barragan blamed his retainer for their tardiness today. Maybe the tardiness wasn't even the issue, since Barragan's moods were hard to predict. Tomorrow it might even be _his_ turn to writhe in pain beneath Ggio for making Barragan wait for them this evening.

Yumichika didn't bother to dwell on it. He had long since learned that there was no predicting Barragan's actions and that wasting time fretting would just ruin his complexion


	95. Household Changes: Rangiku and Nnoitra

Household Changes: Rangiku and Nnoitra

Rangiku hummed with pleasure as she walked, almost a skip, down the street with Tatsuki by her side and Tesra trailing after them. Ah Tesra…what a good boy he'd turned out to be. She had been surprised, and very pleased, to see him finally find a good woman. Knowing that he was doing his best to be a good mate to the one who had chosen him only increased her opinion of him. Rangiku couldn't help but to sigh happily as she recalled all the conversations she'd forced him to join, although she took guilty pleasure in watching him blush mortified as she explained all the ways he could 'please' his new mate/wife.

She had tried to convince the two to have a wedding, and while she probably could have strong-armed Tesra into it, Tatsuki was not that interested in going to all of the trouble of one, no matter how much Rangiku and Orihime whined and begged. In addition, neither one could convince the two to stop using protection and start planning a family.

Ah, children… that was why there were out and about today, after all. She was finally going to get to see Orihime's baby boy, and from what she had heard he was the definition of 'adorable.' Apparently he was already flying and giving his mother heart attacks. It would be nice to see how Jushiro was doing as well. She'd gotten wind of Aizen's attack on the kind-hearted Taichou and if she'd had any space left in her heart to feel even more hatred for the former Taichou, she would have let herself add that much more to the growing pile stashed there.

She also missed the girls' old weekend training get-togethers. With Karin now running a Division and Orihime caring for her baby and helping out at the 4th, neither woman had any time to themselves, let alone time for training.

"_At least Tatsuki-chan still comes by,__"_she thought gratefully.

Yes, Tesra Claiming Tatsuki was by far the best thing to have ever happened in the last few years, for both the loyal fraccion and the constantly imprisoned former Shinigami. True, she now had Nnoitra's permission to participate in battles, but other than that she was still under house arrest, anklet chain and all. It had taken some wheedling, and a fair amount of bribery sex to get him to agree to at least let her take it off when she and Tatsuki trained together.

Thinking of the bribery sex she'd used to earn this afternoon escape, Rangiku began to contemplate something that had been nagging at her for a while. Nnoitra had been rather amorous lately and exceptionally considerate, almost as if he was trying to keep her happy. The behaviour was odd for him and it honestly left her feeling a bit lost, not knowing how to interpret it. She had questioned Tesra about the changes but he seemed just as confused about Nnoitra's demeanour as she was. She highly doubted that he had suddenly fallen in love with her. That simply wasn't the way he did things. She was property, his property, to please him whenever and however he wanted. Her feelings were not something that, in the past, he gave much though to, and yet now it seemed he suddenly cared about her.

She let her gaze wander over the stones in the walkway ahead and could hear Haineko purring lightly at the back of her mind. The cat absolutely hated the ankle chain and house arrest and complained about it frequently, commenting that they were absolutely NOT dogs! Rangiku gave her head a soft shake and continued on with her ponderings.

Well, maybe it wasn't so much that Nnoitra cared, but at least he wanted her somewhat happy, which was one of the reasons he had agreed to let her go to this get-together when Tatsuki had asked him to allow Rangiku to attend. It was strange how he had relented when Tesra mentioned that the children would be there. He had hardly put up a fight at all after that and actually seemed pleased with the idea.

They reached the Estate and Rangiku abandoned her musings in favour of looking forward to seeing everyone. Tatsuki knocked twice before pushing the heavy gate open and entering. Some might have considered it rude, but they were expected and Karin had told them to just come in when they got there. The young woman would have known who they were the moment they came within the scope of her _sight_ anyway.

They were apparently the last to arrive and Rangiku was honestly surprised to see that Nemu and Renji were also in attendance, more so the second than the first. Then, Renji turned and looked up at her as they entered and offered her a smile that actually touched his eyes and Rangiku's mouth fell open.

His eyes no longer looked like dull glass, unfeeling and unseeing. Now they gazed back at her, filled with recognition and intelligence. The sight shocked her so much that for a second she stopped breathing.

"Hey, long time no see," Renji greeted her with a grin and a wave of his hand.

She stood there, stunned, unable to answer as her eyes drank him in. His cocky grin, Zabimaru once more on his hip, his wild red hair somewhat controlled in a long messy tail that fell over his shoulders. She blinked a few more times, hoping that the person in front of her was real and hesitantly reached out with her own reiatsu to brush against his. It was contained, possibly by some sort of device or via his Claim, but still as strong and as tempestuous as she remembered.

"Renji?" she began, the fingertips of both hands going to her mouth, feeling tears pool at the corner of her eyes and her throat constrict, making it hard to get his name out.

"My name hasn't changed, at least as far as… Oomph!"

He never got to finish as she pulled him into a hug and held onto him tightly, fighting back sobs of relief and failing miserably. The right front of his uniform became damp with salt water as she cried. Rangiku had never, _ever_ dreamed that his soul could be healed, never dared to believe he would be anything but a walking corpse for the rest of his life, and yet here he was, hale and healthy, as if the last nine years had never happened. At least she wasn't the only one; Nanao's lower lip looked as if it had only recently stopped quivering and Jushiro's nose was suspiciously pink, as if he'd either had a cup of strong sake or had blown it, and since Rangiku couldn't actually smell any sake lingering in the air…

"How…?"

"Rangiku-san," Tesra hesitantly spoke up, his voice carrying a warning even as a sympathetic expression crossed his face.

"Right, I am sorry," she forced himself to let him go and took several steps back, still sniffling. It would not be good for anyone if Nnoitra caught the scent of another male on her, especially one as powerful as Renji. But still…

Renji must have seen the thousands of unasked questions in her eyes, because he shook his head and she thought she saw his eyes flicker briefly in Tesra's direction.

"I'll tell you later. More importantly, are _you_ alright?"

His voice held an edge sharp enough to cut to the bone as he asked this and his brown eyes grew hard as he held her at arm's length. The redhead looked her up and down critically, as if searching for any sign she'd been physically harmed. "I've heard some things…" he began worriedly, and Rangiku detected several layers of worry underlying his words.

She'd have to try to find a way to reassure him that at least now, she wasn't sporting any bruises. There was also something dark lurking in his tone as well and she had to wonder about the level of hostility there. She wished she was free to tell him everything that had happened, but now wasn't the time to do so.

Instead, she settled for, "It is good to see you back to normal. I'll fill you in later, alright?"

Renji gave her another look that said he didn't quite believe her, but to her relief, he nodded his head as if to say he'd let it go for now and everyone found a place to sit.

With one shock out of the way, she turned her attention to Jushiro. He looked alright, almost like his normal self, still a bit pale and with a black eye patch covering the eye Aizen had ruined, although no scars were visible on his face. Even his reiatsu was starting to recover nicely, no doubt helped by the level of pampering Hana and Ajuga showered on him. Assured that he was safely on the mend, Rangiku focused on Orihime. Orihime's son was curled up in her lap and eyeing the newcomers suspiciously and perhaps with a hint of fear. He was as cute as Tatsuki had claimed he was, especially with those bright green eyes of his, the color clearly inherited from his father.

"So, Nemu-san, how long does Szayel think your term will be?" Orihime asked Nemu with no small amount of curiosity.

"We currently anticipate a total of nine months," Nemu answered with a light blush.

"Huh, the only one of us to run a normal course, and yet be the most abnormal one doing it," Karin shook her head.

"I recall nothing strange while I carried Hana," Nanao pointed out.

"Hana-chan isn't half-Arrancar," Tatsuki pointed out dryly. "There are bound to be some irregularities with each new pregnancy."

"Nemu-chan, are you saying you are expecting?" Rangiku gasped. It appeared to be a day for revelations, and thankfully, delightful ones at that.

"Hai," Nemu blushed again. "We're very pleased about it!"

"With twins of all things," Karin added with a shake of her head, tossing another surprise in Rangiku's lap. "We were all a bit worried what the fallout would be like, since this is the first Shinigami/Arrancar success, but so far we haven't heard of any negative outbreak. In fact," Karin smiled, as if amused, "we have heard the opposite".

"Really?" Rangiku asked, a little puzzled at the declaration.

Things had been unpleasant there for a bit after word got out that Karin had been knocked up. By the time Orihime-chan had become pregnant the general consensus among the Arrancar was that their human blood had played a large part in the successful conceptions, and that Shinigami/Arrancar children might not be possible after all.

"Szayel informed everyone that conception was more likely if the female was relaxed and stress-free. It also came to light that if there was too much of a power difference between the parents fertilization would be nearly impossible. If someone too powerful Claims someone too weak, the odds of conceiving children are reduced," Nemu added matter-of-factly.

"Oh," Rangiku mused, feeling some of her good mood drain away as her mind worked to process the information.

So maybe that was why Nnoitra was suddenly being so nice to her. He _was_ more powerful than she, but not excessively, like most of the Arrancar were compared to their pets. If Szayel's theory was correct… well, that would explain Nnoitra's sudden interest in keeping her in a good mood. According to Nemu that might actually work. She honestly didn't know how she felt about it, at least not anymore.

Her fingers unconsciously tightened around the cup of tea in her hand and she took a sip, keeping her eyes on the liquid within in an attempt to keep any of the others from reading the conflict in her eyes while she thought this through.

It was considerably less lonely now that Tatsuki had a free pass to visit her, and did so as frequently as she could. Since Tesra was so smitten with his new mate, that meant he spent even more time hanging around than he used to and she absolutely loved teasing the shy Arrancar. But a baby? Before the Winter War she never really considered herself 'mother' material, prone to drinking and partying when she wasn't on duty. Then again, those were two past-times that she'd been denied for a decade now and enforced domesticity had left its own mark on her in the ensuing years. If she still didn't feel as if mothering was her calling, it wasn't for lack of practice.

She also wasn't sure how Nnoitra would be as a father, and yet, a part of her couldn't help but to wonder. Grimmjow, one of the more reputably violent Arrancar in existence, had toned down considerably after the birth of his daughter. However, Rangiku, and a large number of other people, attributed half of his behaviour shift to Karin since the change in his attitude started shortly after the two began sleeping together. Grimmjow's subsequent transformation was no guarantee that _Nnoitra__'__s_ personality would improve upon becoming a parent though.

Did Nnoitra want children? If he did, did _she_ want them? Rangiku had a hard time picturing the Fifth Espada cradling a newborn in his arms with a doting smile on his face, but…

Someone touched her arm and she looked up to see Tatsuki giving her a look that was a little too much like the one Renji had given her earlier. She quickly smiled reassuringly at the younger woman and gave herself an inward shake.

This was a _party_, for Kami's sake, and she'd be damned if she was going to spend her hard-won free time with friends brooding about Nnoitra Gilga.

Gossip was shared, drinks and food were consumed, and Jushiro finally coaxed Diaemus out of his mother's lap so everyone who hadn't had the chance to meet him yet could get a good look at the boy. While everyone else was fussing over the child, Rangiku managed to get Renji to give her the short version of his return to normal. While she didn't doubt his account of Orihime's 'rejection' of the damage to his soul, for the purpose of providing 'babysitting services' to his master's future children as well as providing extra muscle in the war against the Swarm, she knew him well enough to know that there were other things he'd deliberately left out.

He in turn asked her, point blank, whether Nnoitra was treating her well and again, she could hear the same threatening undercurrent in his question as before, something that hadn't been there before Szayel had conducted his little experiment. Something wasn't adding up, in Rangiku's opinion, but as she didn't want Tesra picking up on the mixture of menace and worry in Renji's voice when he'd asked about Nnoitra, she hurriedly told the redhead that things were much, much better than when they'd last seen one another. It was, she realized, the truth and she found herself pondering that long after Renji had returned to Nemu's side to at least try to act like a passable bodyguard.

Eventually, regrettably, the party wound down and everyone said their goodbyes. She waved farewell to Tesra and Tatsuki as their paths diverged before entering the house and glaring at the anklet chain innocently waiting for her on the floor by the door.

"_Back to reality_," she thought sourly.

With a heavy sigh she latched it back onto the golden chain around her ankle and headed into the kitchen to start on supper. It had been a pleasant day and she found herself smiling in pleasure. Renji was thankfully whole again, Nemu was expecting twins of all things, and everyone seemed to be doing well. The worst part of being so isolated was that, aside from Tatsuki's visits and the news she brought, Rangiku could rarely if ever confirm her friends' well-being with her own eyes. Today had put a number of her fears to rest.

She found herself daydreaming and humming softly as she worked on dinner, completely missing the sound of the front door opening. As a result, she nearly jumped out of her skin when a pair of white-clad arms enfolded her and she let out a loud 'eek' of surprise, nearly dropping the spatula in her hand.

"I take it you had a good day," Nnoitra purred amused in her ear.

"It was a very good day. Thank you for permitting me to visit them," she answered honestly and forced her body to relax in his grip. He didn't seem the least bit angry that she hadn't noticed him arriving home. In fact, he almost seemed to be in a playful move, unusual, but it did happen once or twice a year.

"Good," he replied, nuzzling her neck and moving his hands up from her hips to give her breast a generous squeeze. "Mmm, is that the recipe Tesra's bitch showed you?" he asked as he hungrily eyed the meal taking shape on the stove.

"It is," she affirmed. "Granted, I can't seem to make it as well as she can."

"Doesn't matter. I'm starving. I'll be back after a shower."

She nodded her head to indicate that she heard him as he moved away and up the stairs. By the time he was done showering dinner was ready and they ate in silence for some time before she finally found the odd tension in the kitchen just too uncomfortable anymore.

"How was your day?" she asked him hesitantly.

They didn't share many conversations, let alone small talk, and he usually started the ones they did have. He gave her a brief, odd look and then shrugged.

"Boring. Szayel's got his panties in a bunch over that stupid grid of his. Then again, if I was him, I can understand why," he suddenly scowled, moving the rice around his plate rather than eating it.

Rangiku held her breath until she realized that his irritation wasn't with the question itself or the meal, but with Szayel for some reason. Or rather, with something that concerned the scientist. She blinked as he picked up another piece of meat and popped it into his mouth.

Well that was a strange answer. She knew a meeting had been called almost two weeks ago, and the results of that meeting had him in a strange mood for days. Whatever had happened at that meeting had left him very angry, but he hadn't raised a finger against her. He declined, however, to talk about it and Tesra didn't know what had happened either. She knew better than to pry, but her own curiosity got the better of her, especially since they seemed to be, of all things, on the topic Szayel.

"I learned Nemu-chan is expecting twins today," she said slowly, since talking about Szayel brought her mind back to today's earlier conversation. This led to her concerns about his change in attitude towards her.

"Yeah," he grunted, poking at what little food was left on his plate as if it suddenly somehow offended him.

"Do… do you want children?" she asked softly, bracing herself for his answer.

"Fuck that," he spat quickly, something that sounded strangely like resentment colouring his voice. "Brats are noisy, demanding and they take up too much damn time. Why the hell would I want one grabbing at me all day?" he demanded, although it did sound almost a tad defensive.

Then he paused and gave her an apprehensive, and if she didn't know any better, almost fearful look. "Why, do _you_ want kids?" he questioned her suspiciously. Rangiku swore she saw a sweat drop form on his forehead before she shook her head.

"No, not really" she answered after a moment with a faint smile, surprised as just how relieved she was by his answer. "I would be a terrible mother. I really don't have the patience for crying, dirty diapers and midnight feedings."

She looked down at her own, half-finished meal, toying with a bit of broccoli with her chopsticks.

"Besides, I spent a lot of time looking after Toshiro-kun when he was my Taichou, when he was younger and didn't know what to do with all of the power he held. He was such a scared little boy when we discovered him. With all that, I figure I've done my time caring for youngsters."

Rangiku waited for his reaction, for good or ill. He blinked at her, as if truly considering her words, and then he let out a breath of his own before taking another bite of food.

"Huh. So the little punk was like Tesra. Interesting." he mumbled. "Well, guess that's that then."

A great deal of the tension in the room, much of it on her part, evaporated with his words, and Rangiku found that some of the tightness in her chest, engendered that afternoon by Nemu's revelation about the factors surrounding successful Arrancar-Shinigami unions, was gone as well. It also gave her something to ponder.

So he _wasn__'__t_ trying to get her pregnant by being nice to her. That meant that whatever the catalyst was that had seen fit to change his treatment towards her, a sneaky attempt at creating another hybrid wasn't part of it. For some reason, that made her even happier than she'd been this afternoon, in the company of so many of her friends.

They finished the meal in companionable silence before he retreated to lounge on the couch. She set about cleaning up the dishes and pulling out a 'cake' for dessert, another innovation of Tatsuki's for which Nnoitra had developed a fondness, with a much lighter heart than before.

It was odd that he claimed to despise children, and yet had raised Tesra and was always accepting of Ajuga. Granted, she was also fond of other people's children. Perhaps he did have a bit of a soft spot for children, not that she would ever dare to voice such a thought aloud, but it did bring a small smile to her lips. Apparently Grimmjow and Ulquiorra were not the only Espada to have changed over the years thanks to the adjusting of living in a domestic setting


	96. Household Changes: Byakuya

Household Changes: Byakuya

The former head of the Sixth Division stood in the middle of a small, bow-shaped bridge that spanned one of the garden's many koi ponds. Looking over the wooden railing at the splashing water, he idly used his fingers to tear off small chunks of bread from an extra loaf he'd obtained from the kitchens before tossing them down to the brightly coloured fish. They'd grown larger over the last ten years and could no longer easily disappear into the shadows cast by the pond's rocks, the trailing plants that grew around the water's edge and the bridge itself, making it less difficult to see where they might be hiding.

Of course, that could also be a bad thing. One of the servants had come to him that morning to report seeing a large, white crane standing in the middle of one of the ponds, gulping down several of the koi before the servant managed to chase it away with a broom. When the fish were smaller, Byakuya remembered, they would have barely made a decent breakfast. Now they were too big of a target for a hungry crane to resist.

This particular garden, with its sprawling water features and lush trees and plantings, was one of the few peaceful refuges within Byakuya's own Estate he had left. Yammy rarely set foot in it, no doubt due to the Espada's aversion to water and the possibility of an unintended bath if the brute decided to tempt fate and traverse one of the bridges. Even the sound of the water flowing from the small spring-fed _kakei_, and the rhythmic hollow 'tap' of its rocking bamboo length as it delivered one container of water to its stone basin after another were a balm to his care-worn nerves. Losing himself in the serene movements of the koi gliding beneath the water was one of the few pleasures in which he could indulge in this otherwise-grotesque parody of a life he'd somehow been trapped within since the Seireitei's defeat and enslavement. He would take what solace he could get at this point, no matter how small.

The wind shifted and blew strands of his long hair briefly across his face before he reached up to brush it back. He absolutely refused to wear the hair ornaments Yammy had bestowed upon him unless ordered to do so. He would sooner live with the mild discomfort of it getting in his eyes and mouth than wear the bloody clips. Since he wasn't in public, he wore nothing more than a simple kimono held together by the last vestige of his heritage, exactly as Yammy had ordered.

A few more bits of bread found their way to the fish. The breeze picked up again, this time strong enough to cause the sleeves of his light kimono to ride up his arms, revealing the newest bruises from where Yammy had pinned his hands down a little too tightly last night. It also revealed the fading ones beneath them, all of them half-healed reminders of previous evenings.

He did his best to try to ignore the sickly yellow and purple marks, far too used to seeing them to feel much more than resignation that faded into numbness. He felt Senbonzakura touch his mind lightly, a simple reminder that he was no longer suffering at Yammy's hands alone, that he had someone with him to help him bear the burden of protecting his family with his very body and soul. The support from his Zanpakuto helped, support that he didn't and couldn't get from his own flesh and blood.

"_Do not blame them Byakuya. You know, as well as I do, that if any of them showed the slightest hint of affection or concern for your fate, that the monster wouldn__'__t hesitate to use them against you, or maybe just eat them in front of you to add to your suffering,__"_ Senbonzakura reminded him softly.

Byakuya silently and reluctantly agreed with his Zanpakuto. The memory of that fateful day when Yammy had learned of his relationship with Renji slithered up from where he'd tried to bury it. At the same time, a small amount of bile rose in the back of his throat. His 'master' had all but forced Szayel to order his 'pet' to violently rape him, as both a punishment and as a warning to him. Despite himself, he shivered. Byakuya still had occasional nightmares about that horrific event. He was unsure what had been the worst part about it; the actual rape (something he was used to by that point, compliments of Yammy) or the dead, unseeing look in Renji's eyes and the lack of recognition on his face while his former subordinate's body moved of someone else's will. He sensed Senbonzakura's own sorrow, his Zanpakuto upset that he could not have been there by his Master's side to help mitigate some of the pain.

"Bya-san!" a cheerful voice called out happily, breaking him out of his solemn mood.

Byakuya looked up to see Ajuga eagerly racing towards him. Only the slightest twitch of his lips indicated his pleasure at seeing the child. He offered her a small nod of his head in greeting, which was far more than most people ever earned from him. Of course, he admitted, Ajuga was a special case.

She joined him on the bridge, a bright smile on her face as she leaped up to deftly land on the railing, perching there like the cat she half-resembled. There was more than a little longing and hunger in the look she gave the koi swimming beneath her, before she shook her head and grinned.

"Good afternoon, Bya-san," she addressed him, sounding a bit more formal than expected, based on her current stance as she balanced on the narrow railing. He couldn't help but raise one eyebrow at her careful, serious tone.

He set the bread down and reached into his sleeves to pull out the chalkboard and chalk he kept on hand for communication. Ajuga had a very strong grasp of kanji for someone so young. He wrote out a return greeting, as it was only polite to do so. In addition, as Grimmjow's daughter, she technically outranked him in the current social hierarchy. Salutations exchanged, he politely asked the purpose for her visit and inquired after Jushiro and his recovery.

" 'take-ji is doing really good," she replied happily. "Szay says his eye has fully recovered and his reiatsu is climbing steadily. His… tuberculocust...losis," she faltered a little with the long word "…seems to be getting better and Szay says he should be able to return to work soon. He's sleeping right now and Lily-chan is watching over him. Hana-chan is at her lessons, Mama and Nanao-san are at work, Papa is out on a mission, Szay is busy with his project an' I'm not s'posed to bother Starrk-ji... " Ajuga trailed off forlornly, picking up the abandoned piece of bread and taking up feeding the koi where Byakuya had left off. She spoke up again after several minutes of silence and a very melodramatic sigh. "I was hoping you would show me more kanji," she said with more than a little optimism in her voice. "Please, Bya-san?"

She batted her large, blue eyes up at him, as if to emphasize that only he and his calligraphy brush could save her from absolute and utter tedium. His decision to give her a writing lesson, he told himself, had absolutely nothing to do with keeping a bored Ajuga out of potential mischief.

He offered her a soft smile before writing out his agreement. Ajuga gave a small happy squeal as she read it and finished tearing up the last bit of bread before tossing the pieces over her shoulder into the water. Then she jumped nimbly down from the railing to walk beside him as he led her towards his private garden.

Byakuya summoned a servant on their way, and instructed the man to bring both refreshments and his calligraphy set to the porch of his private garden. Ajuga sat down beside him at the low table and her eyes lit up when the servant entered with the tea and goodies and carefully placed the tray before them. The former Taichou looked down at the snacks and reminded himself to thank whomever it was among the kitchen staff that prepared it, for remembering the little girl's carnivorous habits; the majority of the treats on tray involved thin slices of rare beef and more than one kind of sashimi. The two of them enjoyed a cup of hot, strong tea and a few of the savoury treats before Byakuya lifted the engraved lid to his calligraphy set and handed her a sheet of expensive paper, before placing another one on the table before him.

He passed over the ink well, a small cup of water and the stick of ink. Ajuga took them and delicately began prepare the ink. Her movements were precise as she added water to the stone and rubbed the ink stick against it. Byakuya couldn't help but to think about how poor he had been at the craft when he was her age. Then again, he had hated calligraphy as a child. If he'd known all those years ago, what kind of an emotional refuge the skill would be for him as an adult, he might have paid far more attention to learning it.

The ink prepared, Ajuga moved the well between them before looking up at him expectantly, her eyes almost glittering with pent-up enthusiasm. Despite her obvious excitement, however, Ajuga kept herself surprisingly still. Sometimes it was hard to remember that she had Kurosaki blood in her veins. It never ceased to amaze Byakuya that she could remain so quiet and patient while hunting, or learning something she considered interesting.

Dipping his brush into the ink, he set about drawing a very complicated kanji for Ajuga to learn. When he set the implement down, he glanced over at Ajuga. She had her eyes glued to the beautiful artwork on his sheet of paper. She studied the kanji intently for a few minutes before finally picking up her own brush. With deliberate slowness, she started to copy what he'd shown her.

It may not have been as perfect as the one he had written, but it was far better than what most of the other students he might have taught could have done on their first try. When she finished, he used his own brush and the original to point out the differences between her work and his own. Her eyes never left the tip of his brush as it moved over her paper to indicate the areas that needed improvement. Undaunted, Ajuga moved her hand down and started over. She worked away diligently until her page was finally full of multiple copies of the new word she was working on.

Unfortunately, being incapable of speech, he was unable to inform her just what the word was, nor how to pronounce it. One of the others would have to let her know what it was later in the evening. He would tell her to ask Ukitake to teach her how to use it in context.

The two remained in companionable silence for the next few hours as they worked on their kanji. For Byakuya, the serenity was a much-needed balm to his soul. Being able to spend time with someone else who shared his love for beautiful writing was something he cherished. It was a rare thing these days, infinitely precious…

…and all too easily shattered.

"Chicchai-Hime, where the fuck are you?!" Yammy bellowed from somewhere nearby.

o her credit, Ajuga did not drop her brush, though Byakuya could tell from her sudden tenseness that the lout's unexpected shout had startled her.

Byakuya let a brief moment of annoyance cross his face before he quickly stifled both the expression and the emotion. Ajuga was far less composed and a scowl of distaste distorted her small features. He forced his irritation down, well aware that Yammy would feel it if he let it rise too high and he did not want the fool to know he was getting to him.

"Oi, Chicchai Hime, if you don't answer me I'll…" Byakuya reached over and quickly covered Ajuga's ears so she didn't have to hear the rest of Yammy's threat to bend him over a table and fuck him until his legs ran red with blood and semen gushed out of him in a river.

He felt real anger rise within him as he got slowly to his feet, Ajuga following suit, clearly agitated that someone had interrupted their 'fun time'.

"_Imbecile_!" he couldn't help but to think in disgust. The moron was well aware that he was incapable of speech, not to mention the fact that Yammy knew exactly where he was thanks to the Claim.

Byakuya walked as calmly as he could towards the sound of Yammy's voice, Ajuga glued to his side. He requested she leave via the chalkboard, but she simply ignored it and stayed with him. He did notice that her tail lashed to and fro behind her and her fur was ruffled with what he could have sworn was hostility. Even her eyes had narrowed to unhappy blue slits.

"Ah, there you are, pet," Yammy smirked at them as the two of them came around the corner.

If the brute was surprised to see Ajuga with him, the Espada showed no sign of it. In fact, he completely ignored the girl, at least for now. Byakuya stood before his 'master' and waited silently for Yammy to let him know why he'd been summoned. Not, he supposed, that the jackass needed a reason other than to annoy him.

This time, however, it appeared that the unwelcome intrusion had a reason behind it.

"Go get yourself cleaned up and changed into something more appropriate. Aizen-Kami has summoned us. You too brat," Yammy finally turned his attention to Ajuga.

Ajuga blinked in surprise, but her fur never settled, nor did her tail.

"What does he want?"

The little girl asked the question that Byakuya had wanted to ask. That earned her a shrug and an irritated eye roll.

"How the hell should I know? No doubt your _**parents**_," he snorted, putting some emphasis on the word to indicate that if she'd been older, he's have used a less polite term for Karin and Grimmjow, "are looking for you now, so I'd scat if I were you."

Scowling, Ajuga took the time to thank Byakuya for the lesson and refreshments before darting away, disappearing quickly. Before Byakuya could turn to return to his quarters to make himself presentable for public viewing, Yammy's large hand encircled his upper arm tightly enough to leave another set of fresh bruises and yanked him over until they were standing almost face-to-face.

"We got a few minutes and I got a problem. Take care of it before getting all nice and pretty," Yammy sneered at him. "I wouldn't want you getting dirty before we leave."

He held back a scowl of disgust as the Claim forced him to kneel before his Master and obey Yammy's order. The Espada had barely lowered his white hakama before a massive hand tangled with his black hair and his head was pulled painfully forward, the swollen flesh pressed persistently against his lips. As much as he desired to deny any part of Yammy access to his mouth, the Claim made sure his lips parted and his tormentor's warm, pulsing cock invaded his mouth. It slid over his tongue and the tip settled partially down his throat. Only ten years of putting up with this kind of abuse let him take that much flesh that deep so quickly without retching up the contents of his stomach.

He felt Yammy's shaft cut off his airway and Byakuya forced his mind into a meditative state, a calm that Senbonzakura helped reinforce. His lips sealed over the last little bit of free space and he sucked hard, hoping to get this indignity over with quickly so he could breathe again.

Yammy groaned and began to thrust into his mouth, adjusting his grip on Byakuya's head. The Arrancar held it still, cupped between two meaty palms, forcing his mouth to work at the bastard's preferred pace. He took breaths of air whenever he could as Yammy had long since learned just how long he could keep up the pace before suffocation began to effect his performance.

Mercifully, the torment didn't last long before white jets of liquid erupted in his mouth. Byakuya swallowed what he could; the rest ran down either side of his lips as it escaped his mouth, coating his chest in excess semen. Yammy pulled away and the last few spurts splashed across his face, getting his hair and clothing sticky.

"Mmm, you are so good pet," Yammy purred. "Now go get cleaned up. We will finish the rest of this later."

Byakuya rose to his feet and resisted the overwhelming urge to both use his sleeve to wipe off his face, and to rush back to his quarters before anyone could see him so humiliated. While there was no servant on the Kuchiki Estate that hadn't seen him bent over a table and raped by Yammy at least once, Byakuya did have a small semblance of pride left to maintain.

He greatly appreciated the bath and he held still as the servants dried, and carefully dressed him. One slipped the clips Yammy had given him into his hair to hold it back from his face while another wrapped his scarf around his waist where it would remain hidden beneath the fancy ensemble. Yammy had never been rescinded his order for Byakuya to wear it at all times, so wear it somewhere on his person he must. The number of unhappy memories his once-treasured family heirloom carried had only grown larger over the years. Yammy made a habit of using the innocent-looking length of windflower silk to restrain him on far too many occasions to count. The brute would then order Byakuya to resist the rape as he assaulted his 'pet', knowing the kind of injuries that would result.

If he were ever able to free himself from the Claim, the first thing he'd vowed to do was to burn both the clips and scarf in the closest, hottest fire he could find.

Finally presentable, he met up with Yammy at the main gate leading from the Estate. As usual, Yammy was wearing his uniform, crafted from the finest silks, while he was dressed like some sort of female courtesan. It was a mockery of what a proper Lord and Lady ought to look like when making a public appearance.

Faintly, he could hear Senbonzakura saying that the third thing to go on the bonfire would be the kimono he was currently wearing.

Yammy lead him, not to the old Taichou meeting hall as he expected, but to Aizen's Royal Palace. They arrived at the same time as Barragan and his entourage. Byakuya rarely had the chance to see his fellow former Shinigami outside of Claim Meetings and the last time he'd seen Soi Fon and Yumichika had been roughly eight months ago.

Both hadn't changed much, thankfully, but he did notice that Barragan's fraccion was with him and while it had been a very long time since he had seen Ggio, he thought that the Second's faithful Arrancar seemed far more subdued than he recalled.

"Any idea what the hell Aizen wants with us?" Yammy asked Barragan as they approached the massive, ornamental gates.

"No," Barragan answered with a touch of surliness, his voice as grizzled as his appearance.

Byakuya got the impression that the other Espada hadn't planned on spending his evening in a meeting. That led to thoughts about what his original plans might have entailed and he promptly shut the door on any further speculation about the Second. He found that he didn't truly want to know.

"Humph, better not be a useless, long-ass thing, with us listening to Szayel moan about his stupid projects," Yammy said and scowled.

A grunt of agreement was the only response Barragan gave as the two Arrancar guards let them pass without challenge. A servant met them in the courtyard and politely requested they follow. He led them to one of the palace's many gardens where someone had set up a buffet table. There were also plenty of pillows and cushions strewn about for their comfort. They were hardly the first to arrive, but at least they weren't the last, Byakuya realized.

Aizen himself wasn't present yet, but Unohana and Gin were both already in attendance. The first sat elegantly on the largest pillow available, next to a throne-like chair. It was also the only chair in the room and Byakuya could hazard a scathing guess as to whom it belonged. The second knelt in submission behind her: hands clasped in his lap and head bowed. As usual, Gin wore nothing more than a simple white yukata. Byakuya could see scars on any patch of skin that wasn't covered, and not all of them were old.

He might have felt a little more sympathy had they decorated anyone other than Gin and had his own bruises ached a little less from last night's session with Yammy.

Halibel and her fraccion had also arrived before them. The blonde, tanned woman gazed out over the garden with her sea-glass eyes, silent and as inscrutable as ever. She lounged on a large, green cushion behind her followers while Toshiro sat before her. The three girls that served the Third were busy cooing at him, pinching his cheeks on occasion and telling him how 'cute' he was, among other more lascivious things. They'd practically draped themselves over the poor young man like bickering, entitled housecats fighting over the lone lap in the room. A light blush stained the boy's cheeks, but the color didn't match the near scowl on his face as he resolutely stared ahead and ignored the women and their unwanted pawing.

Ulquiorra and Orihime were there as well, with little Diaemus curled in his mother's lap, a look of annoyance and resignation as far as the whole situation plastered on the child's face. Diaemus's crankiness stood in contrast to the pleased smile on his mother's lips. Ulquiorra stood protectively over his family, impassive as ever, at least to the casual observer. Someone more attuned to noticing minute details could easily see that the Fourth Espada seemed far less stern than usual. His posture wasn't as rigid as it once had been and he was standing closer to his family than Byakuya ever recalled seeing. Something had changed in the Arrancar, but from the happy look on Orihime's face and her relaxed body language, neither she nor her child seemed to be worried about it.

"What's going on?" Barragan demanded yet again as he eased himself down on one of the larger cushions.

Yumichika settled on one side of his Master with all the grace of a born noble, despite his Rukongai heritage, arranging the folds of his expensive kimono about him expertly for maximum impact. Ggio took his usual place on the other side with far less grace and once more, Byakuya noted the fraccion seemed rather cowed and very ill-at-ease. If he didn't have as much personal experience with trying to function normally while in great pain, Byakuya might have missed the lines of strain around Ggio's eyes and failed to notice the stiffness in his movements. Soi Fon knelt behind the three men, her body tense and the usual expression of burning hate on her face, most of it squarely aimed at the elderly Second's broad backside.

Barragan gave no indication that he noticed it at all, which puzzled Byakuya. It was something he'd grown used to seeing over the years, but never really understood. How could the Espada not feel the woman's undisguised rage through the Claim? The Second did not seem to be the sort that would let any challenge to his authority go unchecked for long. Strangely, the old man looked as if he could care less that Soi Fon seemed poised to sink a dagger between his shoulder blades if only she could get her hands on one.

Thankfully, Unohana's voice cut through the questions running through his head and he turned his attention towards her.

"Aizen-Kami summoned everyone, although it seems he has declined to share his reasons for doing so." The woman answered the Second's question demurely, her expression never wavering from her usual polite mask. Sometimes Byakuya deeply envied her ability to hide all feelings behind it. "I am at a loss as well as to why he's chosen to gather us together. He did instruct me to tell everyone that we may partake of the food," she added, gesturing with one perfectly manicured hand towards the table set up with food and beverages, inviting the 'guests' at this odd affair to help themselves.

"Go get me something to drink, Chicchai-Hime," Yammy grunted as he found another of the large pillows and sprawled his girth over it.

He did as ordered, handing the glass over before Yammy patted the small pillow he had set down in front of him. Byakuya turned around and sat down as carefully as Yumichika. He remained almost as still as a statue, in part due to the heavy fabric of the kimono. His outfit practically forced him in the proper, seated position with its weight and stiffness. For the most part, the lout seemed content to run his thick fingers through Byakuya's hair and along the back of his neck, but occasionally he'd add a hard grope. Byakuya ignored the pawing as best he could, and focused most of his attention on his inner world. He couldn't escape entirely into it however, as much as he would have wished. Yammy got possessively aggressive if he felt that Byakuya was ignoring him or not giving him enough attention.

Nnoitra and Rangiku waltzed into the room next, or rather, Nnoitra waltzed while Rangiku followed obediently behind him. Tesra and Tatsuki followed right behind them, side-by-side. The men wore their usual white uniforms while the woman were both dressed up, Rangiku in the kimono she wore for Claim Meetings and Tatsuki in a black kimono with some sort of white, geometric pattern embroidered over it. It was the first time Byakuya had ever seen Tatsuki in anything other than clothing that mimicked Tesra's garb. In addition, her hair had been styled, with an additional touch of properly-applied make-up. He had to admit that the change looked good on the young woman and he wasn't the only one that noticed either. He caught Yumichika sitting up a little straighter, giving the ensemble a critical look and small nod of approval.

Tesra, Byakuya decided, had the appearance of a man trying very hard not to look utterly besotted with the woman next to him, despite his guarded expression. His boss, however, seemed oblivious, and somewhat irked at the summons and the tension hovering in the late afternoon air.

"Yo, what the hell's up with this party?" Nnoitra asked loudly as he strode right over to the drink table, his entourage trailing after him.

Unohana repeated her mantra for their benefit. Nnoitra responded to the invitation to eat by grabbing a plate and filling it before finding a few pillows and pulling his own pet down next to him, setting the plate between them and gesturing for her to eat as well. Tesra had followed his Espada's lead to the table, but whereas Rangiku shared a plate with her master, Tesra and Tatsuki had filled up their own plates obtained drinks before joining the other two at the spot Nnoitra had picked out.

Every party seemed to have the same response to Unohana's words. They hovered uncertainly around the buffet table until the leader of the group finally filled a plate, at which point the rest followed like a pack of wolves finally granted the opportunity to eat by the alpha. Thus, it was no surprise when Yammy sent him over to gather a plate of food and to refill his large beaker of sake. The rest seemed to have reached the same conclusion. Ggio went to the table for Barragan and Yumichika, Orihime rose to fetch food for herself and her son after handing the Diaemus off to his father. Halibel's fraccion bickered and fought amongst each other over the right to fetch a plate of food for their Mistress and Toshiro, who remained where he was with a look of relief at the temporary reprieve from the three fawning girls. There was some initial chatter; it started with Orihime complimenting Tatsuki's kimono between bites of something that looked like red bean paste smeared over sashimi, and once a few people started talking, others followed suit.

The next group to arrive was Starrk and Grimmjow's cabal. It was, by far, the largest household, consisting of everyone living on Jushiro's rambling Estate. To Byakuya's relief, Jushiro numbered among them, and while he looked a little tired and now sported a black eye patch over the eye that Aizen ruined, he appeared to be in good spirits and much stronger than the last time he'd laid eyes on the former Taichou. He couldn't help but feel a little guilty, knowing the older man had been punished for asking Aizen to end the violence towards the vanquished and Claimed. It had been an extraordinarily brave thing to do and insanely foolish at the same time.

Unohana greeted the newcomers as she had the others. Ajuga and Hana had no qualms about attacking the mountain of food, though Karin and Nanao firmly led their respective daughters away from the alcohol. Someone, fortunately, had seen fit to provide fruit juice for the children. While Hana cheerfully accepted a glass of it and Diaemus sipped a little from a small cup his mother held, Ajuga made a face and stuck out her tongue. Apparently, fruit juice wasn't on the little carnivore's preferred list of drinks. Fortunately, someone had been thoughtful enough to provide hot water for tea, which the girls used to mix up Jushiro's medicine and Ajuga used to make a beverage whose taste she could tolerate.

Had they been in the privacy of his own Estate, Byakuya probably would have let a small smile touch his lips as he watched the two girls fuss over their beloved 'take-ji'. They made sure he was comfortable and seated close to where Starrk had commandeered a nest of floor pillows and had promptly fallen asleep, to Lilinette's consternation. Nanao took a seat next to Jushiro, keeping a watchful eye on her daughter. Byakuya couldn't really blame her, given some of the people in the room; any mother would have had a right to be nervous with the likes of Barragan, Nnoitra and his own loathsome 'master' in attendance. Ajuga was quick to make the rounds around the room, visiting all of her friends.

Szayel was the last to arrive with his two pets. The scientist seemed very nervous, almost terrified for some reason, until he realized he'd entered a garden full of people that didn't seem very interested in him. Then there was a flash of greater fear in his eyes, which in turn vanished completely as Ajuga ran up to greet him happily with outstretched arms, Hana by her side and a reluctant Diaemus toddling behind them. It was as if someone had let the air out of an overstretched balloon. Szayel's shoulders slumped in relief at the sight of the child, though Byakuya had no idea why he'd been frightened in the first place. Nemu stood behind him, hands clasped in front of her, the picture of deference. It wasn't until she turned to the side to speak to Hana that Byakuya realized that her butterfly-embroidered kimono failed to conceal a certain thickness around her midsection, her obi tied loosely over her growing belly.

Byakuya allowed himself to feel a certain amount of amazement at the realization that the former Fukutaichou was definitely pregnant hit him, knowing that he'd rather feel surprise than what he knew he'd be subjected to if he looked at Szayel's other 'pet.'

Despite the fact it would only lead to more pain, he couldn't help but to let his eyes slide from Nemu's figure to the redhead standing to Szayel's right. He also couldn't help that his mind flashed back to that hateful, terrible day as he stared at his former Fukutaichou, expecting to see the same hollow, vacant look in the eyes of someone who had once been one of his brightest and most trusted subordinates. He recalled the pain of being pinned to the wall and violently entered before the mindless, merciless thrusting began as Renji's unknowing, unfeeling shell raped him.

Senbonzakura's presence flooded into him, thankfully cutting through the unwanted images and bringing him out of it. He sent a small touch of thanks back to his Zanpakuto before his vision cleared. When his eyes refocused on Renji, he realized he was staring into surprised brown eyes… brown eyes that seemed equally astonished to see him. His entire body went cold with shock as he realized what he was seeing wasn't his mind playing tricks on him.

If he was still capable of speech he would have lost it at the sight of a very puzzled-looking Renji gazing back at him with an expression that hovered somewhere between 'what the hell?' and 'you've got to be kidding me'. The redhead gave his former Taichou a good once-over, obviously taking in the outfit Yammy had forced him to wear. His eyes were no longer lifeless, his healthy body obviously moving under its own power and powered by nothing more than redhead's own free will.

It was as if the last nine years had never happened and the Renji he'd once known, the promising, brazen, mouthy young man who had gone up against him in a bid to save Rukia from execution, had never been taken away. He felt suddenly disoriented, reeling inwardly a little at something he thought he'd never get to see again. Senbonzakura again came to his aid, catching his inner self and helping steady him as he took in the sight of a fully-restored Abarai Renji.

He didn't know whether he should feel ecstatic joy, or abject terror. Unfortunately, he forgot that whatever he felt, Yammy could feel as well. Byakuya had a few seconds to realize his mistake, before sharp pain in his scalp brought him sharply back to reality. Yammy's fingers gripped him painfully by the hair, almost dislodging the clips and suddenly angry Espada yanked his head back at an angle so that Byakuya had to look his 'master' in the eye.

"You aren't paying attention to Szayel's trash again, are you, Chicchai-Hime?" Yammy whispered harshly into his ear. "Because a repeat of the last time you showed such interest in him is _always_ an option," he warned, his voice pitched low and his tone bordering on malicious.

Abject terror won out at those words, though Byakuya clamped down hard on as much of it as he could lest Yammy discover just how much power that threat had over him. To his shame, he could feel himself freeze up at the thought, mouth going dry as he tried to calm himself with whatever inner mantras he could remember. He gave a small nod of his head, to let Yammy know that he understood. When the Espada released his hair, he sat back up, straightened his spine and worked to bring both his pulse back under control and start breathing steadily again.

So, he considered, Renji had somehow regained his soul by some as-of-yet unnamed miracle. That was one story he was definitely interested in hearing, but for now he didn't dare continue to pay his former Fukutaichou even the smallest amount of attention, other than to note that Renji's hand, raised a little in what might have been a greeting, had fallen limply to his side as the redhead witnessed Yammy's treatment of his person.

Renji's complexion had lost a bit of color as well. He prayed that Renji had gotten the message not to engage him in conversation, though he might have been helped in that regard by the cruel smirk that Yammy sent Renji's way. It was best that his former Fukutaichou not try to do _anything_ that might tempt the bastard that held Byakuya's Claim, even unknowingly. Yammy rarely made idle threats and Byakuya didn't want to risk this being one of the rare times he did.

Not now, not when two people would suffer for it rather than just one.

Satisfied that he'd made his point, Yammy settled back down and resumed stuffing his face, while Byakuya slumped forward a little, his eyes half lidded and head slightly bowed as if he was meditating. It wasn't far from the truth and Senbonzakura once more offered him silent assistance. His brief, needed retreat to his inner world was cut short, unfortunately, by a far less welcome arrival.

"Good evening!"

Aizen greeted his assembled guests with a beatific smile as he flowed into the room and took his seat on the throne like chair. "I am pleased you could all join me. For those who have yet to find a spot, please take a seat."

"What is this about?" Barragan asked gruffly, as those not already seated quickly found a place, any place, to occupy.

"Do I need a reason to enjoy an evening with my loyal subjects and their pets?" Aizen questioned benignly.

No one had an answer to that, or at least not one that anyone dared voice and Barragan appeared wise enough to let it go at that, though he did 'harrumph' a little. Byakuya wondered if the Second was possibly suicidal, or had started down the path to senility.

"If you have not helped yourself to refreshments as of yet, please feel free to do so now."

Aizen, like Unohana before him, swept one hand towards the buffet table, and no one was foolish enough to believe that the words weren't a direct command to 'Eat and Make Merry, Or Else'. Then 'Kami' leaned back and rested his chin on his hand, as if to take a count of how many dishes there were in play throughout the room.

As of yet, Byakuya had yet to partake of anything. It was just as well; his stomach might have betrayed him, with Yammy's nasty promise still hanging over his head. He found he didn't have much of an appetite and watching the oaf behind him shovel food into his mouth with an appalling lack of manners would have killed it anyway.

Yammy again dropped his empty plate in Byakuya's lap, despite the fact it had been loaded with enough food to feed four people.

"Get a bigger plate this time," the Espada ordered and then followed the instruction with a loud belch, rubbing his stomach for emphasis. "And bring me more sake!"

This time he waited until the others had gathered plates before picking up one of the half-empty platters and filling it. Instead of topping off Yammy's cup, he simply picked up two large bottles of the rice wine and added them to the platter of food.

It was slow at first, but the chatter eventually resumed between various parties, thanks in no small part to the presence of the children. The women in the room save for Halibel and her fraccion and Soi Fon, who glowered like a neglected guard dog behind Barragan, followed suit. He attributed the former to Ajuga's natural fearlessness in the face of danger, or perhaps to the fact that she simply didn't understand how dangerous some of the people in the room could be. The women, especially the human women, just seemed to have this urgent _need_ to talk amongst themselves, to show off their respective children or soon-to-be children, their clothing, how each fared in their makeshift households. All of them, human and Shinigami alike, including Yumichika once he was able to steal away for a short amount of time from Barragan's side while Ggio refilled the old man's glass, made Tatsuki blush a deep magenta with flattering comments about her 'makeover'.

It was, apparently, the result of an afternoon spent raiding Rangiku's closet and cosmetics stash. The Espada, as a whole, seemed to keep to their own households, letting their fraccion and 'pets' do most of the socializing, with the exception being Starrk and Grimmjow's motley crew. In light of the fact that Starrk was actively snoring, and had only briefly woken up with Aizen's arrival, Grimmjow appeared to have stepped into the resulting void and assumed a guarded stance over the rest of the household. Byakuya hadn't needed to follow Szayel, Nemu and Renji with his eyes to know that the three had sat as close to Karin and Grimmjow as propriety would allow, with Szayel looking as if all he wanted to do was toss Nemu over his shoulder and flee back to the relative safety of the Science Division. Something had the scientist spooked, badly.

He didn't allow himself any further contemplation along those lines and crushed his curiosity under his mental boot, concentrating only on the brute behind him and the task of keeping the platter and the bottles in Yammy's hands filled.

Byakuya did his best to let the conversations flow around him, returning to a Zen-like state or at least as close to one as he could get with Yammy's food-ridden spittle landing in his hair and on his shoulders. It was a good thing he didn't have a plate himself because there was a good chance any food on it would have been contaminated with slobber from the goon behind him. As it stood, he was going to need yet _another_ bath when he got home. He lost track of the number of times he went back and forth from the buffet table to reload Yammy's platter and bring him another bottle. Instead, he let himself ponder things that wouldn't necessarily trigger another threat from the glutton sitting behind him.

One of the first things that occurred to him was that Yammy was even more disgusting when he ate and drank than Omaeda had ever been, and the 2nd Division's fat Fukutaichou had been a true professional when it came to stretching his stomach to new and mind-boggling limits.

The second observation was that, other than the Claim Meetings, Aizen simply wasn't the sort of leader to throw a party. He had never done so as the Taichou of the 5th Division and that fact hadn't changed in the decade since the Seireitei's defeat. Aizen held meetings, not parties. So what had changed? He didn't buy Aizen's claim of unconditional munificence for a second.

On his umpteenth trip back to the buffet, Byakuya stole a small glance at the man reclining in the chair, looking through his lowered lashes so as not to be caught staring. The traitor seemed to be busy observing the festivities, taking sips from his cup. He did not engage in any of the conversations and seemed content to remain where he was. He would gesture from time to time, a small movement of one finger and Gin would refill the cup, placing it on a small table to the side of the throne, but otherwise Aizen said nothing. Occasionally, Gin would refill Unohana's teacup, but ate nothing himself. Apparently, his role was not that of 'guest' in this business, but as a servant. Unohana, for her part, would occasionally rise, ask if she could leave Aizen's side for a moment and wait for his answer. Aizen would then give her permission to join whatever group or household in conversation. She seemed to be doing her assigned duty as a 'hostess' in lieu of Aizen, leaving her husband free to sit back and watch the show in the same way Byakuya's grandfather, Ginrei, would have studied the map of a potential battlefield. It was this last thought that made him take a second, veiled look around the garden as he returned to his seat, Yammy grabbing yet another laden platter from him.

"_Ah, I see. Very clever,"_ Byakuya thought silently.

The tactician in him almost applauded, but then he'd had years of exposure to the subtle ways the nobles operated, both socially and politically. His grandfather had once told him that where the Noble Houses were concerned, the only differences between a battleground and a dinner party were the attire of the participants and the quality of the rations. He was surprised that it had actually taken him this long to discern the motives behind Aizen's little scheme. This entire meeting was so that their self-styled overlord could observe his minions and determine allegiances within his own ranks.

This, of course, led to other questions: why would Aizen be concerned about any allegiances and what possible danger could those allegiances pose to the dictator? If Aizen were truly as confident of his rule as he sounded, why go to all this trouble? Did he fear dissention in the ranks? Did he suspect that someone in the room might be plotting against him?

In another life, attempting to guess at the host's underlying motives for a party would have been an intriguing game for him. It was a sport his grandfather and family trained him to play as a child, one that he rarely had the opportunity to participate in these days. However, it was a game that Byakuya was reluctant to spare much energy for right now, with Yammy hovering over his shoulder just itching for an excuse to torment him. Even glancing up from his lap could be dangerous right now, given Yammy's current frame of mind. He could only catch small snippets of the talk going on around him and he steadfastly refused to even look in the direction of Szayel's small household.

Still, the fact that Aizen gathered these individuals here at all told Byakuya that the usurper wasn't sitting as easily on the King's Throne as he might want everyone to believe.

Byakuya chose to drift through the evening in a sort of semi-meditative state, moving only to fetch another bottle or load up Yammy's platter when the glutton emptied it. It wasn't as if there was much conversation to be had in their vicinity anyway, with his own lack of speech and Yammy's perpetually full mouth. Ajuga scampered by and tried to engage him in conversation, but he didn't have his chalkboard, or any other means to communicate with her on him. He briefly showed her his empty hands and then folded them in his lap. She seemed a little disappointed, but took the gentle shake of his head at face value.

Oddly enough, and something that only occurred to him after she'd moved on pester Rangiku and Tatsuki, he noticed that Yammy didn't seem to mind the little girl's presence, exhibiting a kind of cranky patience towards her rather than the kind of hostility that looking at Renji had caused. In fact, the more the thought about it, the more he realized that Yammy had never raised his hand or voice to any of the children, not even the few who had been living on the Kuchiki Estate before they were hustled away to a safer location. Some sort of invisible line existed that involved the young ones somehow, a line that even the most witless of the Espada wouldn't cross.

The evening eventually ended, about an hour after Gin and a few nervous-looking servants in Royal uniforms refilled the buffet table with various sweets and fruits. The alcohol offered shifted from things served with supper to the cloyingly sweet stuff that usually accompanied a dessert course. Yammy simply traded the savoury courses for sweet and ploughed through cake and cognac with abandon.

At length, Aizen must have decided that he'd obtained enough information and rose to his feet. He dismissed them all and with Unohana following a few steps behind, retreated for the night, leaving Gin to see to the cleanup. It was late, so late that Diaemus and Hana had fallen asleep; Hana snuggled between the gently-snoring Starrk and the drowsy 'takeji' and little could be seen of Diaemus other than a small form with his wings folded over him as he slept in his mother's arms. Even Ajuga seemed to be fighting slumber tooth and nail, nodding off only to shake herself awake. It was as if she was afraid she was going to miss something.

For his part, Byakuya resolutely kept his eyes on the grass and his hands in his lap, ignoring each of the Espada's households as they left the garden, murmuring their goodnights to one another as they went. Again, the Espada's 'pets' and minions seemed to say the farewells for their Masters; the Arrancar themselves were content to give each other the necessary space according to their given rank and level of territorial instincts.

Again, the exception to the rule seemed to be Starrk and Grimmjow, who had to have come up with some kind of workable arrangement as to who ran things. To Byakuya, it seemed that Starrk, though ranked higher, was willing to let Grimmjow do most of the heavy lifting in that regard, content to relax, snooze and let the younger Espada have his way as long as it benefited the group as a whole. The blue-haired Sixth settled the matter with his daughter by picking her up and perching her, piggyback style, on his shoulders.

She promptly lost the war against fatigue and the last thing he saw of her that night was her small back and tail as Starrk's misfit collective left the garden. No one bothered to utter anything to either he or Yammy, but Byakuya hadn't expected anything.

Their own departure was less-than-graceful, but at least they were the last to leave and Byakuya was thus spared the indignity of witnesses to his 'master's' behaviour. Yammy had chosen to partake so heavily of the free food and drink that the overstuffed lout was thoroughly inebriated, stumbling on his feet when he tried to get up. Under normal circumstances, the intoxicated Tenth might have gone to sleep stretched out and drooling messily on the pillows but for Gin, who politely asked Byakuya in as subservient a tone as possible, if they needed help getting home. The hint wasn't subtle at all. Yammy had belligerently swung at Gin in response, lost his footing and would have gone down but for a Claim-induced order for Byakuya to prevent the fall. He'd done so, managing to get hold of Yammy's massive arm quickly enough to stop the Espada from landing on the grass face-first.

Unfortunately, Yammy's other hand made a panicked grab in a bid to hang on to something, anything, and found Byakuya's heavy kimono sleeve. This resulted in not only the kimono sleeve but also the sleeve of the plain silk yukata beneath the luxurious fabric being torn away completely at the seams. Yammy stared drunkenly, _stupidly_ at the expensive fabric in his hand as Byakuya tried his best to shift the Espada into a standing position with little success and gaining a few more bruises for his trouble. Yammy then decided to drape his carcass across Byakuya, praising his 'little Chicchai-Hime' for being such a good pet', slurring the words.

Of course, Byakuya failed to realize that his arm was now exposed, until he remembered that Gin was still standing to one side, having easily dodged the poorly-placed blow. The former 3rd Division Taichou was doing his best to look away from the mottled bruises on Byakuya's biceps and forearms. Instead, he repeated his query as to whether or not they needed any help.

With his 'master's' foul, sake-saturated breath hot in his face, and the drunken cretin's weight an unwelcome burden on his shoulders, Byakuya's patience with the evening had reached its limit. He decided that a retreat that involved as few people as possible was probably the sanest option. He shook his head and slowly, he turned the two of them towards the garden gate, Yammy muttering vaguely obscene things and occasionally pawing at him with his free arm as they walked. He did not let go of the sleeve, dragging it on the ground behind him as Byakuya began the long slog back to his own Estate. He tried to use Shunpo, until the rapid movement caused Yammy to turn a sickly shade of green and made a gagging noise. Not wanting to wear any more of the bastard's meal that he'd already had to, Byakuya abandoned any hope for a quick trip home and settled for a less stomach-churning pace.

Surprisingly, the cool night air hadn't done a thing for Yammy's condition. He remained as smashed at the end of the journey home as he had been when they'd left the Palace. Byakuya, once he'd waved off the shocked-looking servant at the Kuchiki Estate gates, tried to recall exactly how many cups of wine and bottles of sake he'd handed off to the idiot and failed to come up with a number less than twenty. Or, was it thirty? He'd been trying so hard to regain his equilibrium and keep Yammy from following through on his threat regarding Renji that he'd lost count. He'd assumed that whatever alcohol he'd served his 'master' would be absorbed and balanced by the sheer amount of food the fool had eaten. Of course, the only other person he'd ever encountered that could put back that kind of booze and still function normally had been Shihoin Yoruichi, back when she'd run the 2nd Division like her own personal fiefdom and given poor Soi Fon fits about the Division's liquor bills.

Yammy managed to get to the wing that housed his private chambers before nature, the laws of physics and his abused stomach finally turned on him. Byakuya barely managed to step away from the great oaf before Yammy rudely shoved him aside. The plastered oaf braced his bulk against the lip of the same fountain he'd once chosen as a spot to violate Byakuya's body. The Espada proceeded to empty his guts into that fountain, heaving long after there was nothing left to vomit into the water basin He remained retching over the thing, shoulders shaking for a while. Then, to Byakuya's utter disgust, he used the sleeve of the kimono to sloppily wipe his face and mouth clean, letting it fall to the floor in a smelly, stained heap.

'D'oan feel so good…" Yammy muttered irritably and Byakuya realized that the monster was still completely soused, even after ridding himself of whatever alcohol he might have had left in his digestive tract. He also seemed to have decided what he wanted to do now that he was 'home'.

"Gonna sleep… too fuckin' tir..tired…" he announced and with that, the huge Arrancar turned about and promptly fell face-forward onto the elaborately-woven carpet at his feet.

Several terrifying minutes went by, and only when Byakuya heard an ear-jarring snore erupt from the Espada's mouth did he motion for the group of terrified servants hovering in the shadows to come forward. One of them had been smart enough to fetch his slate and chalk and he quickly gave orders for the strongest of them to drag both the carpet and the lout on it into the lout's suite and let him sleep it off with a large, unbreakable container of water. The head of the Kuchiki House then gave the rest orders to deal with the unpleasant but necessary task of cleaning the fountain. One of them asked about his clothing and he simply wrote out the kanji for 'fire', letting the help take that in whatever manner they wanted. The only thing he wasn't allowed to burn was the scarf. At that moment, the servants could reduce the rest of it to very expensive ashes for all he cared. After warning the lot of them to make themselves scarce in the morning, he turned on his heel and made his way back to his own quarters.

His bath, mercifully, was uninterrupted. Once he'd scrubbed himself pink in an attempt to rid himself of Yammy's detritus and dried saliva, among other things, he sank into the bath and let himself relax a little, exhaustion creeping up on him now that the adrenaline that had been coursing through his system all evening began to drain away.

As grateful as he for Renji's restored soul and presumably his restored Zanpakuto, Byakuya also couldn't ignore the danger his recently awakened former subordinate posed. The rape had been terrible, but as horrifying as that experience had been, it would pale in comparison to what might happen now that Renji was aware of his surroundings and his actions. Byakuya had no doubt that Szayel would force Renji to repeat his attack if Yammy threatened the little pink-haired viper enough. The very last thing he wanted was to put the redhead through such a hellish experience. Something like that would destroy Renji all over again, in the same way that enduring it had nearly destroyed him.

Like his family and the household servants, it would probably be for the best if he considered his former officer just another pawn that Yammy could use to try to inflict pain upon him. Therefore, he would have to avoid Renji at all costs, lest his emotions get the better of him and alert the brute to whom he was currently shackled that there was some kind of sick fun to be had at their expense. Byakuya buried his face in his hands, scrubbing the last vestiges of the makeup from his face and running his trembling fingers through his wet, loose hair. He'd tossed Yammy's hated clips on the dressing table, clawing at the long strands to get it out of the ridiculously feminine style. Here, in the questionable sanctuary of his bath, he was at least free of anything that wasn't 'Byakuya' now.

Staring down into the water, he could see the multi-colored bruises on his arms and a few lurid, fingertip-shaped purple marks on his thighs. An unbidden image of the spotted carp in the pond outside swam up from the depths to haunt him. The sight reminded him too much of the koi. Like him, they were captives unable to hide from the predator that had taken up unwanted residence in _his_ home, in danger of being consumed. He bitterly reached down and rippled the water with one tired hand, distorting the view of his abused flesh. Fists clenched beneath the bathwater, he tried to summon up enough determination to counter the despair that threatened to overwhelm him.

There would probably be hell to pay tomorrow, though Byakuya thought he might get lucky in that regard; the imbecile might not remember much about the end of the party, nor about how he got home and he might not connect waking up on the floor with getting drunk at Aizen's little get-together. In Byakuya's opinion, Yammy might actually be stupid enough not to recall anything at all. He also doubted that the container of water would last long, even if the brute had the presence of mind to drink it. He would probably break it instead by tossing it against a wall, since it was likely he'd have the headache of a lifetime in the morning.

Byakuya had to be in his office early to help Karin with paperwork, so it was likely he'd avoid his hung over 'master' for a while, but eventually his luck would end and he'd have to deal with the aftermath of Yammy's binge.

But at least for tonight, he'd been spared the bastard's attentions and Byakuya was deeply grateful for that. Renji was also back to normal and while that opened up new, unpleasant possibilities, he couldn't help but be glad for that as well. Now it was up to him to keep Renji from suffering as he had. He was a Kuchiki, head of one of the Four Noble Houses and he had an obligation. He'd failed Renji by not defeating Yammy when he had the chance. He couldn't fail Renji again.

Byakuya resolved, as he leaned back in the tub and closed his eyes, letting the steam from the hot water curl around him, that he could not, _would not_ let anyone ever use his family or his subordinates against him or worse, abuse them because of him. That included doing his best to keep Renji from _ever_ finding out what had happened with his soul-less body. Only two others, Yammy and Szayel, knew about the rape and if the fear on Szayel's face tonight was real, he suspected the scientist had far bigger things to deal with than a request from Yammy for another 'session'.

Groaning inwardly, he knew he'd have to keep Yammy content and convince the hulking bastard that he had no interest in Renji's well-being. Preferably, he grimaced inwardly, by keeping his 'master' sated, at least until Yammy lost interest in Renji and found some other painful way to remind his 'Chicchai-Hime' that he qualified as property.

Byakuya sank deeper into the bath, scrubbed his face to remove any and all traces of makeup and wished the water could wash away his fears for both Renji and for himself as easily

* * *

And with this chapter, both versions of the Story are now even with each other. I never realized how much got cut until now. This is the equivalent of Chapter 103 on the full, darker version. Sorry for the 21 spams of Chapter Update for those of you who have this on Alert. Unless of course you were really waiting for it. In that case, ENJOY :)


	97. Household Changes: Unohana and Gin

Household Changes: Unohana and Gin

Sometimes, when he had time for a spare thought, Gin wondered where the water for the bathing pools came from. Did it come from some underground spring? Was the water pumped from somewhere else in the Seireitei? Was there some aqueduct that brought it here and heated it via technology, or perhaps Kido? Where did the water drain to? Did it flow away to the sewers that ran beneath the streets, or was there a set of pipes that redirected the gray water from the Palace to places like the public parks, where the greenery could be kept lush? Who tended to the plants and flowers in the baths? They were always in perfect order. Someone had to have the task of keeping them trimmed and deadheaded because he knew he didn't do it. Was all of this just one of Aizen's illusions? He didn't think so. Otherwise there would be no reason to make sure all of the plants were constantly watered. Perhaps someone was using Kido to keep them healthy. Or maybe the décor of the entire damned bath was one big illusion and assigning Gin the task of watering nothing was just another way for Aizen to make him suffer.

Gin let out a sigh and turned his attention back to the watering can in his hand. He continued to water the numerous planters that lined the bathing chamber. He was almost done with a potted palm when he heard the warning system go off, indicating a battle with the Swarm was underway.

He let out another sigh and set the watering can down. All of the other Shinigami had their Zanpakuto returned, save him. Even Nnoitra let Rangiku fight and that Espada was perhaps the most possessive of them all. Gin was still a prisoner, confined to the Palace unless Aizen or Unohana had a reason to send him out on some errand. The only time he had been permitted to see Shinso since their defeat had been when Aizen had used Gin's own Zanpakuto to shatter his wrist. The meeting had been agonizing for both himself and his blade, and not just from the physical pain of shattering bone.

With yet another sigh, he picked the can back up and climbed up a ladder so he could water the vines hanging from their baskets above the main pool. The last one was a short distance from the top rung and he had to stretch out to reach it. After all, it was faster than climbing down and moving the thing just to get the last few plants.

"Afternoon Gin-san," Ajuga chirped happily as she popped out right in front of him, nestled comfortably in one of the hanging baskets.

Gin, unprepared to see the small, half-Arrancar child materialize inches away from his face, promptly lost his balance and his footing on the ladder as surprise overtook him. The glass watering can shattered when it hit the bricks below the ladder. Arms flailing, Gin followed it down. In his case, he completely missed the bricks and splashed spectacularly into the pool, sending a cascade of water to soak the surrounding bricks and expensive cloth drapes hanging artfully around the chamber.

Ajuga chuckled and easily climbed down to meet him at the edge of the pool as he crawled out, spitting up water and coughing. His hair was now plastered to his face and he was thoroughly soaked.

"Oops. I'm sorry Gin-san," Ajuga sheepishly apologized, realizing the havoc she'd caused.

Gin spat out a little water and grimaced, and the child drew back. She may have been sorry, but she kept her distance from the sodden man. She still appeared to be leery of water. At the moment, Gin wasn't too wild about the stuff either.

"Ajuga-chan, what are you doing here?" he sputtered, trying to wring out his dripping clothing.

"Visiting," the little girl replied, as if he ought to know the reason for her visit by now. "I told you I would," she reminded him. "And the others are busy, as usual." She added this last bit sourly, crossing her arms and pouting.

"I think ya need to find a hobby," he said, his tone being the only dry thing about him.

"Why?"

Ajuga cocked her head to the side curiously as he gave up on trying to get the water out of his yukata and settled for wiping the water out of his eyes. He also gave his hair a shake. It didn't help much other than to spray more water around.

He let out a groan of despair as he climbed to his feet and looked around the room in dismay. It was going to take forever to clean this mess up, and he didn't have forever. Aizen would check up on him soon. Even if Ajuga helped him there was no way the silken sheets would be dried in time without the help of Kido, and he was forbidden from using it. If he even made an attempt, traces of his reiatsu would remain behind and give him away. He was not interested in trying to deceive Aizen over something so small after his last warning.

He knelt down and began to pick up the shards of the ruined watering can that littered the floor. After a moment Ajuga bent down to help.

"I am sorry Gin-san, I didn't mean to startle you," she apologized again, her ears and tail drooping as she did her best to look remorseful.

It was hard for anyone to stay angry at her given that pose. He honestly wasn't so much angry at her as he was at himself for letting her sneak up on him in the first place. The man he used to be would have never let a child get past his defences. Of course, the man he used to be wasn't terrified most of the time, Gin thought with some self-loathing.

" s'alright," he tried to assure her with a half-smile, but it didn't help her crestfallen look any. "Itai!" he hissed as he cut his hands on one of the shards he was picking up, having been looking at Ajuga instead of paying attention to what he was doing.

Blood dripped from the cut onto the floor and he held back a foul oath, mindful of young ears. Today was, apparently, not his day.

"I'll go get a cloth," Ajuga offered helpfully as she darted away.

"Don't let anyone see you," he quickly called after her. She nodded at his warning.

"I won't," she assured him as she disappeared into the smaller bathroom that held the rest of the toiletries.

He continued to pick up the watering can shards, gathering them up and currently thankful that the floor was soaked. The pool of water kept the dripping blood diluted and would be easy to clean up, providing Ajuga hurried up. What was taking the child so long? The bathroom was well organized and the gauzes should have been easy to find, even for a child.

"Would you care to explain why my bathroom is in such a state of disorder?"

Gin froze and slowly turned to face Aizen, his mind whirling as there was no exit from the room Ajuga had just entered save for the one she had just went through. While most of his concern was for the child (and he knew from personal history Aizen had no qualms about harming a youngster) the rest of his fear was for his own wellbeing.

Aizen had a frown on his face as he took in the soaked disorder of the main bathing chamber, as well as the dripping slave standing the middle of the mess. It was rare Aizen ever showed any form of displeasure unless he was truly, honestly displeased.

"I, uh, had an accident, Aizen-Kami," he answered honestly.

"An accident?"

"Hai, I overreached while trying ta water the plants and fell from tha ladder," he explained hesitantly.

Aizen's frown deepened before the former Shinigami walked up to stand before him, not seeming to mind that he was getting his feet wet in the puddle of water. Gin felt his entire body shiver and he huddled in on himself, clenching the shards so hard that they cut into his fingers and dripped more blood onto the floor. Aizen looked down at the red drops falling from Gin's hand onto the stone and then raised an eyebrow.

"You are bleeding on my floor Gin. Have I not made it clear to you how much the servants complain about the difficulty of getting blood cleaned up, not to mention the smell?"

"I'm sorry, Kami-sama, I'll clean it aaAAAH!" he cried out in pain as the Kido whip Aizen had summoned without a word tore into his back.

The sudden pain and resulting shock caused his hands to clench, the shards cutting deeper into his fingers, so deep that when the reiatsu-driven convulsion ended he dropped the now bloody shards from his pain-ridden hands. They made a 'tinkling' sound as they hit the tile and the small odd drops of blood turned into a much more steady drip.

"You are making a very large mess of my floors, Gin."

Gin bit back the sharp retort he wanted to make, that it was Aizen himself who was now responsible for making the mess worse. It would only make things more difficult. Instead he meekly nodded his head, all the while praying that Aizen would finish with him quickly, or at least continue this somewhere else so that Ajuga could both escape without notice and be spared witnessing the atrocities Aizen was capable of committing. Just because he'd had a violent upbringing didn't mean that he wanted or desired others to have the same.

"It has been ten years and yet you still show these little acts of rebellion."

"It was an accident," Gin gasped, trying to defend himself.

Aizen had made it very clear that he was tired of rebellion and disorder. In fact, Aizen's temperament had been on a very short fuse lately thanks to the continued interference from the Swarm and the never-ending delays in getting the Defence Net set up.

There was another crack and another cry of pain was torn from his lips as the whip slammed into his back, this time cutting through the flimsy material of his plain yukata and drawing a line of blood from his back. Aizen was definitely in the mood to hurt something, anything today. The proof of that was his willingness to go directly to torturing Gin without indulging in the usual mind games first. There was a short pause between each lash, just enough so that the stinging pain from the first lash would have a chance to settle before another lash would strike for the full affect. His back and clothing were quickly becoming a shredded mess and the blood was now turning the pool of water beneath him bright red.

"STOP!" Ajuga screamed as she darted towards them, just as Aizen's whip descended.

Gin never felt the blow land. Aizen was so shocked by the child's sudden appearance that surprise briefly showed on his face as the Kido lash landed, albeit with a lot less force than originally intended. The whip caught the child across the face and left a red line just under her left eye. It had to have hurt like hell, but Ajuga didn't do anything more than flinch as she put herself between the two of them, completely ignoring the small beads of blood that began to run down her cheek. Adrenaline, Gin thought absently, was an interesting drug.

"It was my fault, I didn't mean for it to happen, please stop," she pleaded. "Please!" she cried again with tears gathering at the corner of her eyes, but not yet falling.

"What are you doing here?" Aizen asked her coldly, though the stunned look on the man's face told Gin that his 'Master' still couldn't believe that the child was actually here.

"I was bored and was hoping to play in the gardens. They are really pretty," she answered honestly, looking up at Aizen hopefully.

Gin could tell that Ajuga's answer wasn't the one he expected.

"The gardens?"

"Uh huh. They are better than all the other gardens," she praised. "Even better than Bya-san's gardens," she elaborated. "I don't get to play in them very often and I know every petal and leaf in 'taki-ji's gardens….." she trailed off nervously.

Aizen's eyes shifted from her to the bleeding form of his former subordinate.

"How many times has this child been here without my knowing?" Aizen demanded. While he didn't raise his voice, Gin could hear the anger summering beneath the words.

Oh how Gin wanted to lie, but he didn't dare take the chance that Ajuga wouldn't contradict him, nor that Aizen wouldn't discover he was lying. He quickly tallied up her visits in his mind before answering with a pain-filled whisper.

"About twenty or so, Kami-sama."

"Twenty four," Ajuga corrected Gin. "I help too, honest!" she added, clearly trying to make herself look good.

Gin could have groaned. Now he was really going to get it if the look Aizen tossed his way was any indication. No one was supposed to help him, and he knew it. He prayed feverously that Ajuga would not suffer the same fate as those few who had once tried a decade ago. Surely Aizen wouldn't go that far with a child, especially one who was the offspring of one of his own warriors.

"Really?" Aizen asked, his voice dripping with what Gin thought was a little too much interest. "Exactly how do you 'help' Gin when you're here?"

"I hunt any mice and other pests," she assured him quickly. "Although, I don't usually find many," she admitted. "Mostly just insects."

If Aizen seemed disappointed that Ajuga wasn't helping with the watering, he made no sign.

"I see. Who sent you here?"

"Huh?"

Ajuga seemed truly confused by Aizen's demand.

"Who told you to come here?" Aizen clarified, a little more curtly.

"No one. The gardens were just so pretty the first time Gin-san showed them to me that I just wanted to see them again. No one said I couldn't," she pointed out defensively.

Aizen chuckled, amusement lacing his voice and the whip in his hand finally disappeared.

"No, I suppose no one did. Tell me child, how did you manage to penetrate my Palace without the guards noticing you?"

"No one can find me when I am hunting, not even Papa," she answered, and puffed up with pride. "Well, almost no one," she amended bashfully. "Mama can always find me, but that's because she is Mama," Ajuga admitted.

"Yes, I suppose Karin's ability to physically see reiatsu would make it difficult to hide from her," Aizen noted as he studied the child before him. "Why don't you go hide in the garden, and I will be out in a moment to see how well you were able to conceal yourself. Think of it like a game."

"Okay," Ajuga easily agreed, but she still hesitated before leaving. "Um… is Gin-san still in trouble?" she asked hesitantly.

"Go hide Ajuga," Aizen ordered her again, this time with no humour at all.

Ajuga sent Gin an apologetic look before complying with Aizen's order to go hide in the garden. Apparently she did have a sense of self -preservation after all. She must have gotten it from her mother because it sure as hell didn't come from her father.

"An accident, Gin?"

He whimpered and didn't dare speak.

"That is the third time you have lied to me, though it would seem to be a little white lie bordering strongly on the truth."

He felt his entire body start to shake and tried to get it under control. Aizen had made it quite clear that he would unlikely survive lying to his Master a third time, and that his death would not come quickly and definitely not painlessly.

"Any words to say in your defence?"

He gave his head a little shake in the negative. There was nothing he could say that would make any difference now. Aizen had already made up his mind and anything he might try to say would just dig him a deeper hole.

"Very well. See to it this place is cleaned up. I'll have someone sent up to deal with the fabrics. And clean yourself up as well. I detest blood in my private quarters. My wife should be back in a few hours, despite the battle. Make sure you attend to her properly." Aizen ordered before leaving the bathroom, following Ajuga's trail to the garden.

He couldn't help it. He raced into Unohana's bedroom and peeked out the balcony doors, completely forgetting he was leaving a trail of blood. True to her word, Ajuga was completely undetectable. In fact, he almost suspected she had left the Palace completely, save that after five minutes, Aizen finally called for her to come out and she did so hesitantly from under a rose bush.

The child kept her distance and Gin was too far away to catch the conversation the two shared, but Aizen dismissed the child with a wave and she bolted away. Somehow, Gin suspected he wouldn't see her again, at least not without being summoned. A large part of him felt saddened at the thought. Her company was always enjoyable and he would have sooner put up with the whipping than to have given up the surprise visits.

He turned from the doorway and cringed horribly when he spotted the trail of blood he had left. His back was smarting and his yukata was shredded. He took the bloodstained fabric off and started to mop up the trail he had left. The yukata was ruined anyway. It wasn't as if the only two people who ever entered these chambers hadn't seen him naked on many occasions anyway.

He started where he had been standing, doing his best to ignore the pain from his shredded hands and back, but it was difficult. He was bleeding steadily and it seemed like all he was doing was smearing the blood around. He heard the main door open and bowed his head in defeat. It was far too early for Unohana to be back, which meant that Aizen had come back up after dismissing Ajuga.

"Lying was not enough for you today, you decided to add spying as well Gin?"

"I was just worried 'bout her," he murmured brokenly.

"Worried? I would be more worried about yourself if I were you Gin." Aizen drew his Zanpakuto and walked towards him. "Kneel, cross your hands and lay them flat on the floor," he ordered.

Gin did as ordered and braced himself for the pain he knew was coming. Even mentally prepared a cry of pain still erupted from him as Aizen impaled his hands with Kyoka Suigetsu, pinning him to the floor.

"If you move from that position I will not forgive you." With that warning Aizen left the room. Shortly after Aizen's departure the 'All Clear' bell tolled, indicating that the battle was over.

It didn't take long for the position to get very uncomfortable and every fidget caused the Zanpakuto's blade imbedded in his hands to grate against bone and sinew, sending shocks of pain right up his arms. Four hours later, Unohana returned home to find him still fastened to the floor in her receiving room.

"Gin, what happened?" she whispered in horror as she approached him, but did not dare touch him or the blade that held him in place.

"I made a bit o' a mess and Aizen-kami came by when Ajuga-chan thought it would be an interesting idea to visit," he answered weakly. "I may 'ave failed ta mention she was here until she showed herself," he added.

"Have you bathed yet my dear?" Aizen questioned as he strode into the room behind her, another blade at his belt and a charming smile on his face. The smile warned them both that he was in a playful mood and they were the toys.

"Not yet," Unohana answered as she straightened to face her husband.

"Good, I would hate for you to get dirty after cleaning up. Your pet has been misbehaving and since punishments from me have failed to teach him a lesson, I was hoping one from you would correct his errant behaviour."

"I will see to him.." she began, but was cut off by Aizen.

"His punishment has already been decided." Aizen drew the blade at his hip and handed it over to his wife.

Gin felt his heart stop as Unohana reluctantly accepted Shinso from Aizen. His mouth went dry and his head spun.

"I was thinking of handing the blade over to Szayel for destruction…"

Gin's heart nearly stopped at the sentence and he almost missed the rest of Aizen's statement,

"…but he is tedious enough as is without being as useless as Szayel's pet became after his experiment."

His blood started flowing again, but only sluggishly. With Shinso so near, even though it had been ten years since he had been permitted to wield his blade, he could faintly hear his Zanpakuto's voice screaming, as if far off in the distance. Pain bloomed in his hands as Aizen removed his Zanpakuto and another gush of blood decorated the floor. It was so tempting to curl up in agony, but he forced his body to remain in the painful position. Aizen had not given him permission to move yet.

"You are truly making a mess of these chambers today Gin," Aizen 'tsked.

"_Most o__'__ it__'__s your fault,__"_ he thought sourly, but didn't dare voice it.

"On second thought, perhaps we should do this outside. I think you have contaminated these rooms enough. Follow, Gin. Come along my dear wife," Aizen gave his wife a peck on the cheek as he walked passed her towards the stairs that led down to the private garden.

Gin struggled to his feet, wincing at the pain in his back as the moving muscles pulled at the gashes Aizen's whip had left on his back earlier. He forced himself to look at his bleeding hands and the piercing going through them. Blood ran down his arms and between his fingers.

"Gin…" Unohana said softly.

"Are you wasting my time?" Aizen's voice filtered up from the bottom of the stairs and they looked at one another, knowing that the words were meant for both of them.

Gin shivered and they moved to catch up with their Master. He, in turn, led them to the private garden that had captivated Ajuga so much.

"Yes, here will do. Be a good boy and lay down on your back Gin, and cross your hands above your head, just like before."

Gin couldn't help but to notice he was being ordered to lay down in the exact spot Jushiro had been attacked. It was no coincidence. He sent a pleading look Aizen's way, praying that the intent wasn't going to involve Shinso gouging his own eyes out. The thought made him want to bolt away in terror.

"Now, Gin, before I lose my patience," Aizen ordered sharply.

"Is this truly necessary?" Unohana asked.

Aizen turned his gaze towards his wife and offered her an unfriendly smile. "There is some time yet before I believe my powers will drain enough not to destroy any hope of an heir from you," he commented offhandedly. "From what I can tell, you only need one eye and one hand to function at the 4th Division, and you certainly don't need either of those things to perform your duty as far as providing me with a child."

The threat was the first that Gin had ever heard Aizen direct towards Unohana.

Gin did not want to see any harm come to the only companion he had left, regardless of how much pain he was about to suffer. If he could not save Rangiku, he could at least try and save Unohana. She was one of the few who had always treated him kindly when they were still equals and still treated him kindly now.

He laid down as ordered and bit his lip as Aizen stabbed his hands together again, sinking the blade into the grass. At least the lawn was easier on his back than the hard floor would be and the bright, blue sky was nicer to look at than the ceiling. It was easier to stare at the sky, to lose himself in those blue depths than to contemplate what was going to happen to him shortly. He could hear Aizen giving Unohana instructions, but he wasn't paying attention to the words. It was just a buzz in the background as he concentrated every ounce of his willpower on the azure expanse above him.

The sky was cut from view by Unohana standing over him, her eyes betraying her pain as she placed Shinso against his skin on his breast. Shinso cried in his mind and the sky was instantly forgotten as he was finally able to fully communicate with his Zanpakuto after so long.

He tried to retreat to his inner world, to be able to see Shinso after so long, but sharp pain erupted from his chest, interrupting and denying any form of meditation from taking place. He could hear Shinso roar in a mixture of grief and rage as he was, once again, forced to harm his master. Gin struggled, his hands becoming shredded messes as he tried to escape the blade cutting into his flesh, not because of the physical pan, but because of the spiritual anguish it caused his Zanpakuto. He sobbed brokenly as Shinso continued to suffer alongside him and the woman, a kind healer who did everything to end pain and avoid giving it, being forced to harm him.

He didn't know how long it lasted. His ears, mind and soul reeled from their shared anguish. Eventually the torment ended and Shinso was removed from his flesh. He gasped raggedly, his eyes dry and puffy from the sheer number of tears that had escaped.

"That should do. Perhaps now you will have an easier time obeying." Aizen's voice sounded distant, but Gin could still understand the words. "Hmm, there is still some time before the meeting. Do go clean yourself up dear. Just because the chances are small to succeed in seeding my heir does not mean we should cease trying. Stranger things have occurred after all."

"I would like to tend to his wounds first, Kami-sama. He has lost a lot of blood and his hands need treatment now if they are to ever be functional again," she requested and even with his eyes closed, Gin could hear how close she was to crying.

"Go," Aizen ordered sternly.

There was nothing that could be done and Unohana lowered her eyes and obeyed her husband, practically fleeing the garden before things could get any worse for either of them. Gin barely flinched as Aizen removed his own Zanpakuto from his hands.

"Be a good boy and clean my weapon for me, Gin."

The metallic taste of his own blood flooded his mouth as he forced himself to lick the blade clean. Once Aizen was satisfied, he abandoned Gin to lay in a bloodied heap on the lawn. He couldn't feel anything from his hands but a raging, throbbing hurt that ran right up his arms, up the back of his neck and settled behind his eyes. His chest stung badly, as if he'd been flayed, but the cuts were shallow and the bleeding from them not as significant as what dripped from his hands.

He rolled onto his side and slowly brought his hands towards his face. He would have sobbed some more had he any tears left in him, for his hands were a mangled disaster and he could see the chipped bones and sliced tendons. Aizen Zanpakuto had reduced them to useless meat during his impalement and struggles. Unohana was right. If he didn't get treatment soon he might never be able to use them again. Of course, any injury inflicted by Aizen's decree would receive no treatment unless Aizen decided to allow it. Somehow, Gin guessed that Aizen was not in a very forgiving mood right now.

It was some time before he finally gathered enough strength to get off of the blood-stained grass. He chose to focus his limited energy on getting to the first aid supplies. Unohana, bless her, made sure they were kept stocked in the bathroom so that he could at least attempt to deal with his wounds.

The doors from the sitting room to the bedroom were wide open and Gin deliberately looked away from the scene of Aizen partaking of his wife before he did something foolish. For ten years she would lay on her back while Aizen used her, forced to look her 'husband' in the eyes while the tyrant did what he wanted to her. This time Aizen had decided to take her from behind like an animal, with her head buried in her arms as she lay face-down with her ass in the air. The sound of skin on skin followed him to the bathroom.

He was shocked to discover the bathroom was once more pristine. In fact, now that he thought about it, the sitting room had also been thoroughly cleaned. Not even the hole in the floor from where he had first been impaled remained. He did his best not to think about it. Kido could easily fix things. Or maybe, he'd lost more blood than he thought and he was seeing things.

He avoided looking at the mirrors as he made for the smaller room attached to the bathing chamber, but froze when he passed the large mirror in the adjoining room. Aizen had forced Unohana to carve kanji into his chest, just as Aizen had done to Szayel. In this case, however, he was clearly able to see them. If he'd had anything in his stomach he would have thrown it up.

Obedience, honesty, truth, slave, loyalty, submission, respect, sincerity, subservience, punctual and devotion were carved into his chest, in reverse, so he would be forced to see the words every time he passed a reflective surface, at least until Aizen deigned to give him new clothing.

He turned from the mirror and stared at the medical cabinet in dismay. He had no way to open it with his butchered hands. Even if he could manage to get his fingers to work enough to grasp the handles he would only smear blood all over the cabinet. That thought caused a tremor of terror to race through him as he turned about and noted the trail of blood he had left on his way here.

There was simply no way he could hope to win or outlast this, or come out alive at all. Everything he touched simply gave Aizen another excuse to take out all of his frustrations on his helpless former subordinate.

He collapsed onto his rear, cradling his hands to his chest. What little that remained unbroken inside of him finally shattering into as many pieces as the glass watering can. His shoulders shook in silent sobs, and he would have retreated into his misery had his eyes not fallen upon a pair of scissors sitting on the vanity. They were small, meant to cut strips of bandages, and Gin realized that Ajuga might have taken them out of the cabinet before Aizen walked into the bathing chamber. She'd probably forgotten to put them away before she'd tried to save Gin from his beating.

In the bright light of the bath, their shiny surface gleamed and despite his abused body, he lunged for them.

He could end it, all the pain and suffering. He could escape this nightmare he called existence. Would anyone even miss him? The pain wouldn't last for long. He had already lost a good amount of blood so it shouldn't take long to bleed out if he did it properly. Look, the metal was so shiny that it almost seemed to be calling to him. Oblivion was only a single, plunged stroke away. It would be his answer to this never-ending torment…

A soft hand gently covered his mangled ones, breaking him out of the trance he had lulled himself into and he turned wild, blue eyes up towards whoever had stopped him. He hadn't even realized he'd grabbed the scissors, pinning the instrument between his wrists so that the blades pointed towards his throat, until they were gently taken away.

"Gin… stop…" Unohana said, her voice calm, even if the salt-water falling from her eyes onto his wounds stung.

"Sorry," he muttered and then bowed his head, falling forward as all of the strength left him. He couldn't tell if he was apologising for thinking of killing himself or for the blood he had left. Maybe both, maybe neither.

"It's alright," she shushed him, pulling him against her bare chest and holding him there until he calmed down.

It wasn't until after she finally let him go and stood up to get the medical supplies from the cabinet that he realized she was as naked as he was and that her back and rear were covered in painful-looking red welts.

As far as he knew, this was the first time Aizen had ever raised a hand to his wife.

First, a threat to maim her and then taking her without the customary ministrations Aizen expected her to perform before he used her. Gin was suddenly grateful that Ajuga hadn't been punished as well. If it had come to Aizen hurting Unohana, no one could consider themselves safe.

"Sorry," he murmured again, casting his eyes aside as guilt replaced a little of the hopelessness in his heart. She never would have been hurt if not for him.

"Enough Gin, do not blame yourself for another's actions," she replied to him as she sat down in front of him again, this time with the materials needed to tend to his wounded hands. "I questioned his actions. He decided I'd earned these welts."

Her hands glowed briefly with Kido as she used a simple spell to numb his injured hands. He hadn't realized how much pain he was in until it started to ebb.

"Don't ya got a meeting ta go to?" he asked weakly, concerned that she was going to get into more trouble.

"No," she assured him. "Now hold still while I deal with these," she ordered firmly, her voice a little steadier now.

"Yes, mistress," he replied and gave her a weak, watery grin.

She smiled back, wiped at a tear that had escaped the corner of her left eye away with one hand and set to work doing what she could for his hands. It took just over an hour to see to all of the damage and get him settled into his cubby to rest. He was just about to drift off when a voice called to him urgently in the privacy of his mind. Shocked, his eyes snapped open to see the hilt of a blade being presented to him.

His eyes must have had time to rest, because he was weeping again as he clutched Shinso to his ruined chest, his Zanpakuto sobbing in his mind as well and offering a large string of apologies. This time there were no outside interruptions and he was able to retreat into his inner world.

Shinso was in his arms before he even finished fully materializing, the small, reddish fox-like creature burrowing into his chest and letting out loud noises of distress. Gin just held onto him for hours, until the tiny animal finally stopped shaking. No words were exchanged. None were really needed. Instead they simply basked in each other's presence and Gin let himself finally commune with the part of himself that he had not felt in far, far too long.

(POV)

"Ajuga, what happened to your face?" Karin asked as she settled her daughter into bed.

"Misjudged a jump," the child answered as she curled up into bed. Her mother gave her a look and narrowed her eyes a little as she did so.

"A jump?" Karin pressed, rising an eyebrow. "That's unlike you."

"Uh huh. I let myself get distracted," Ajuga admitted sheepishly. "It doesn't hurt, see?"

She patted the small cut to prove it and after a few seconds, Karin relaxed. Her daughter wasn't lying, according to her reiatsu signature. Perhaps she'd tried to take on a bigger obstacle than normal. It would be right in line with the overconfidence she'd apparently inherited from her father, her mother groused a little inwardly. Holding up one hand, she stopped whatever it was that Ajuga was going to say next.

"Alright, I believe you. Just be more careful next time, okay?"

"I will Mama. 'Night."

"Good night."

Karin gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead and blew out the light before retreating to her own room, where she was instantly pounced upon by her mate and all thoughts of little cuts were evicted from her mind by his skillful manipulation of her body.

Had she been allowed a few moments to herself, Karin might have detected Ajuga as the child stealthily left her room, dragging one of her favourite blankets with her. The hallway was dark, but that didn't stop her from navigating a well-memorized path to the room Hana had staked out as hers in Starrk's section of the Estate. She carefully slid the door to the side and made her way to Hana's futon.

"Hana-chan, you awake?" she whispered, crouching down next to the lump she assumed was Hana, wrapped up in blankets like a caterpillar in a cocoon.

Her tail swished back and forth, and her large blue eyes watched as her Shinigami-born playmate snorted indelicately, yawned hugely and then moved a bit to loosen the covers enough to peek out sleepily from underneath.

"t's wrong Ajuga?" she mumbled, rubbing at her eye with the back of her hand.

"Can I sleep here tonight?"

Hana managed to sit up and, lacking the keen nocturnal vision of an Arrancar, had to fumble around for the lantern she usually kept nearby. Once she'd lit the wick and put the spent match into the little ceramic dish next to the light, the other girl threw back the covers and patted the spot next to her on the futon. Ajuga didn't need a second invitation. She dove for the futon and pulled the covers over her head, with only a little opening so that both girls could breathe and see the light from the lantern.

"What's wrong, 'Juga-chan?"

Ajuga snuggled down and balled her blanket up to serve as a pillow, then turned her attention to the other girl. Hana's dark eyes were even darker, her pupils huge in the dim light beneath the bedding.

"I… I think I messed up. Someone got hurt because I messed up today."

Ever her mother's daughter, Hana kept still until Ajuga finished with her story, sniffling a little when she got to the part about Gin getting into trouble with Aizen and the cut below her eye. When Ajuga stopped, Hana said nothing at first. Then, the little Shinigami girl bit her lip, reached over and gripped the hand that Ajuga didn't have curled around her makeshift pillow. To Ajuga, Hana's hand seemed to clench hers a little too hard and too tightly and when she spoke again, her voice was little more than a fear-filled whisper.

"Don't go back to the Palace. He might hurt _you_ next time. Promise me!"

"But…"

"Promise me, Ajuga! Aizen does what Aizen wants! Remember what he did to 'take-ji?"

Ajuga made a small sound and a look of misery briefly crossed her face.

"Yeah…"

Hana worried her lip a little more, then scooted closer, pulling Ajuga into a hug. Despite having lived almost twice as long as Ajuga, Hana had noticed that lately, her playmate was getting nearly as tall as she was and looked almost as old. However, there were times that Ajuga acted like her real age in years and Hana decided that now was a good time to give her junior some much-needed advice.

"'juga, listen. Gin-san would have gotten punished even if you hadn't messed up. I think..." and here Hana tried to pick out the right words, "…I think that Aizen would have hurt him just because he can. Because he likes hurting Gin-san."

Ajuga's expression of misery shifted to a confused frown.

"But he didn't do anything wrong. I did!" she protested and Hana shook her head sadly at her companion.

"'take-ji didn't do anything wrong either. If Aizen wants to hurt someone, he hurts them. Because no one is strong enough to stop him, not even Starrk-ji and Lily-chan."

Then Hana hugged her friend again, more tightly this time.

"Don't go back there alone. Please, Ajuga, " the little Shinigami girl pleaded, her voice cracking a little. 'It isn't safe."

Ajuga nodded slowly, more to make Hana let go and let her breathe than anything else. The sharp, unexpected smell of fear on Hana receded a little as well, and Ajuga squirmed until she was curled up in her preferred sleeping position. Still, Hana didn't seem like she was going to accept a mere nod as a real promise.

"'k, Hana-chan. I won't go there alone. I promise."

Those words made all the difference. Hana seemed to relax and then a massive yawn overtook her. Squeezing Ajuga's hand, Nanao's daughter nodded and then drifted back to sleep, Ajuga following close behind her. She might get scolded a little by her mother in the morning for being here rather than in her own bed, but it was worth it to at least tell someone the truth about the cut. What she didn't know was why Hana, of all people, seemed so scared of Aizen, or why the mere mention of the Palace made the other little girl tremble. Hana never got into trouble or truly misbehaved. She hadn't seemed all that scared at the party and that was at the Palace. Maybe it was something about going to the Palace alone…

Something told Ajuga that asking just anyone about it might not be a good idea and that someone had already gotten hurt because she made a mistake. And as her Papa had told her once, while giving her a hunting lesson, a good hunter never made the same mistake twice.

"_Maybe Gin-san's right an' I need a hobby…"_ she thought sleepily, tracing the cut under her eye briefly before slumber claimed her.

* * *

Next chapter: Umm, I don't know what's going to be in it, Black Fox is writing it and should have it to me soon. After that chapter though *snivel* *chook* *sob* after that….

THERE ARE ONLY TWO MORE CHAPTERS AFTER THAT.

*SOB*

That's right folks, part one is almost done and will total a whole, whopping 107 chapters. Whoa, what a journey. I can say that, minus the incoming chapter from Black Fox, this story is sitting on exactly 1200 pages!

So this weeks question: Hmmmm…. Which 'crack' pairing that I created do you find yourself shockingly enjoying. And, if you can put it into words, why?

Tesra/Tatsuki

Karin/Grimmjow

Nnoitra/Rangiku

Renji/Nel: I didn't make it but I suppose you could add them to the list, although I consider them less crack as they have actually **met** in cannon.


	98. Household Changes: Toshiro

Household Changes – Toshiro

The young man overlooking the marshy western edge of the largest lake just outside Seireitei took a look at the activity going on about thirty yards away and sighed as he used his power to create a dirty, mud-filled, ice wall of frozen swamp water, placing the ice as closely as he could to the rest of the nasty, muck-brown barrier he'd completed so far. If he closed his eyes he swore he would have seen Hyorinmaru curl a lip up in a sneer at the fact that the power of the great ice dragon had been reduced to creating mudcicles.

It was just so… undignified.

The 3rd Division had been at it for roughly ten days, 'it' being the thankless and difficult task of installing the Defence Net's many, many connection rods **exactly** where Szayel had indicated on the chart the scientist had handed to each Division Taichou. Toshiro had the less-than-spectacular luck of getting a chart for the section of the Net that required placing his allotted number of rods in a direct line through a wide, weedy, stretch of mosquito-infested wetland that no one in their right mind would have tried to incorporate into a permanent Kido barrier, especially not a barrier that required the arrangement of so many tall, metallic components that had to be set _just so_ for the thing to work.

The ground proved too treacherous and soft to navigate by foot without sinking in up to one's knees, or one's waist if they were particularly unfortunate. A few places were even deep enough that it was damn fortunate they were outside the city walls and as such, many of them could walk on the air and pull their mired companions out. It was, regrettably, impossible to drill and pour concrete while hovering in the air so by the end of the shift everyone was covered in mud and reeked of swamp water. Not to mention the mosquito bites. If anything the annoying bloodsuckers just brought that much more hatred from his troops towards the swarm, regardless of the fact the little insects were not associated with their enemies. Bugs were bugs.

Constructing metal rods, ones that were several hundred feet tall, into such earth and having it stay upright was nearly impossible and the resulting setbacks in the Net's construction had everyone nervous. Toshiro's squad had done well enough until they reached the area on the map where solid land ended and the bog began. That was when the real problems and delays started and once they'd begun there didn't seem to be an end to them.

After retrieving several of the rods parts from the quagmire in which they'd disappeared, it became clear that each rod would have to be held up with a base of either stone or concrete embedded into the bedrock. The best stone for the job, seki seki stone, had reiatsu-dampening qualities and would have made the entire section of the barrier useless, not to mention how rare the rock was and using it to hold up a pole, even a few hundred foot one, wasn't worth the time and effort it took to mine and quarry the stone.

That left concrete and what a pain _that_ was. They had to drain an area of the swamp, drill down far enough to reach solid rock, build the forms, place the base of the rod, mix and pour the concrete, and pray that it dried with the pole at the right angle. When it didn't they had to chip all the concrete away and start all over again. The mugginess and dampness of the swamp made the concrete take that much longer to dry, slowing them down further and irritating the hell out of everyone.

He spared a glance down at his once-white haori, the brown-stained hem ripped from having lost fights with a bramble bush and the calf-deep mud he was currently standing in, respectively. After the first day and a ruined pair of sandals, he'd had the presence of mind to find footwear that could provide some kind of protection to his feet and his legs below the knee. The leeches had been the deciding factor on that choice.

While his Division, along with a few knowledgeable craftsmen they'd found among the civilian population, gamely did their best to get the painstakingly slow and filthy process to work, the task of holding back the water from an area long enough to pump the water out and get the base pole up fell to Toshiro. Once the base pole was up the rest of the pillar went up without too much of a fight and it didn't matter if the water returned.

His Shikai was adequate for freezing water, but creating a wall of thick ice from it to hold back the rest of the marsh while installing the concrete forms and keeping it frozen long enough for the job to get done was a chore. The cold from the ice surrounding the form made it harder for the concrete to harden properly and the supports he'd created from ice to keep the pole upright and in place didn't help matters either as they dripped frigid water down upon those who were working as they slowly melted and added water to the concrete they were trying to get settled. Then there was just the basic chill factor of working beside a moving glacier. His division was the only one geared up in winter gear and alternated between sweating like a dog and freezing like a popsicle.

Upon seeing the initial layout, Toshiro and his second-in-command had sent a message to the Science Division saying there would be issues and would it be too much trouble to re-route the grid around the swamp? The answer was an emphatic 'no', accompanied by an explanation that took an hour and a trip to the Library to decipher. So, for the last several days, he and his Division had been putting in very long, very tiring shifts. It didn't help that Szayel would drop by at least twice a day and force minor re-adjustments to either the plan or the poles based on what had been poured and completed. It didn't matter what obstacles his Division encountered; the scientist had the demeanour of someone who had a sword pressed to his throat and if _he_ was going to suffer, _everyone_ was going to suffer.

There were, however, a few silver linings, one of which was busy holding a pole steady with the help of his Bankai, helping his fourth and eighth seated officers seat the thing while another 3rd Division member made sure it was properly aligned. Szayel's constant micromanagement had become a little more bearable of late, if only for the fact that he'd had a chance to speak with Renji. As abrasive, hot-headed and argumentative as he'd found Renji in the past, Toshiro's heart had actually wanted to burst from his chest the day that Renji had shown up, on his own, and asked to speak to the 'guy in charge' with the old cocky, self assured attitude Toshiro remembered him for.

He'd grabbed Renji by the arms, unable to say anything, staring at the former Fukutaichou in disbelief before Renji actually frowned at him. With one hand on his hip and jerking his other thumb over his shoulder at the swamp, Renji had snapped that if progress on the Grid didn't pick up, a lot of nasty things were going to happen to a lot of people, courtesy of Aizen.

As short-tempered and as mouthy as Toshiro remembered him… the redhead had still squeaked in surprise when Toshiro ignored his less than-pleasant greeting and pulled him into a wordless hug, throwing his arms about the man's shoulders. Eventually, Renji awkwardly returned the embrace, thumping him on the back in an exaggeratedly manly fashion, probably for the benefit of the people that were staring at them, their digging implements frozen in midair as they watched their Taichou glom onto Szayel's pet.

"Ya gonna waltz with me or something, Toshiro-kun…?" he'd said quietly, his voice surprisingly thick for such a snarky remark.

When the shorter Shinigami didn't say anything, he felt Renji sigh and pull him a little closer, resting his chin on Toshiro's head for a few seconds before stepping back and holding him at arm's length.

"Lotta' this going around lately, Toshiro-kun. Least _you_ didn't use my uniform as a hankie, like Rangiku-chan."

There was a moment then with Renji's eyes looking him over, as if to make sure that he was still in one piece, that Toshiro wanted to burst into relieved tears, to ask him what happened and why he was back to normal, to tell him how wonderful it was to see the crimson-haired, tattooed jackass alive and well and… and _Renji _again.

Instead, he felt himself fall back into the old familiar habit of grimacing and drawing what dignity he could muster around him like a cloak, his default reaction in the face of any action that treated him as less than a fully capable adult, or which seemed a little patronizing.

"That's Hitsugaya-Taichou to you, Abarai-san…," he'd growled out, left eye twitching a little and Renji wisely let him go, standing back a bit and giving Toshiro another critical once-over before grinning at him.

"Huh. Yeah, you're right, I guess. Hey, have you gotten taller? I am fairly positive you only went to my waist last time, now you're up to my chin."

Renji, curiously, wasn't terribly detailed when Toshiro asked why he was no longer a walking corpse. He briefly explained that Orihime had been given permission to restore his Zanpakuto and the missing half of his soul, mostly because Szayel needed a reliable babysitter now that Nemu was expecting. That and they needed all the hands they could get to get the Grid up and functioning. It was an entirely-plausible explanation, which was why Toshiro got the feeling that he was getting only a quarter of the story.

Renji then got a look in his eye that told the 3rd Division Taichou that things were much worse than Toshiro suspected with regard to Aizen's dwindling patience with the grid's progress and he decided that what Renji had given him would have to suffice for now. Szayel's chronically nervous demeanour suddenly made much more sense to Toshiro and his own sense of self-preservation kicked it up a notch. He also distinctly recalled the through lashing Karin had been forced to give the Espada in front of them all not too long ago. If Aizen was willing to let them witness one of his highest ranking warriors being punished by a mere human girl, not that he would ever think of Karin that way, than it truly did not bode well for the rest of them.

Everyone involved with this little boondoggle was frustrated and the problem was compounded by the unpredictable Swarm attacks. The alarm would go off and Toshiro would have to grit his teeth and leave his Division and his ice-dam building to go defend the Seireitei with whoever had patrol duty in the area. Aizen kept the Arrancar, Szayel being the stand out as he was busy with the grid, stationed around the Seireitei at various points with the intent of intercepting the bugs before they could reach the outer limits of its districts.

Harribel would inevitably find him by using the Claim to tug him in the direction of the battle or, if he found it first, would follow the Claim to his location. He had to admit that it was an efficient arrangement. Their water and ice combination was particularly effective against the large numbers of locusts they usually encountered and they found that they could dispose of more of the things if he waited until the moment after she summoned her waves to freeze whatever unfortunate creatures the water touched. Then, after who-knew-how-long, the battle would inevitably end and he would return to his Division, hoping that the Swarm hadn't managed to get past the front to damage what progress they'd made with construction, and get back to work. The worse that had happened so far was one battle had lasted long enough that the ice dam had melted enough to spring some rather large leaks and water had warped the unsettled concrete, forcing them to drill it all up and reset it all over again.

Kami he was tired, in perpetual need of a hot bath and these days he was ready to just fall onto his futon the moment he walked through the door. Unfortunately, Harribel's fraccion usually had other ideas. He was under Claim-induced orders not to kill them. If he hadn't been under those orders the three women would be a permanent fixture underneath the kitchen tiles for the idiotic, humiliating things that they put him through on a regular basis.

Dressing him up with a bow in his hair and under his chin and making him sit on one of the floor pillows like some loyal spaniel while they cooed at him and patted him on the head while they gossiped had been worth at least a layer of enamel on his teeth as he'd ground them together.

Toshiro broke away from his thoughts as he added some more ice to the wall, since the water it was holding back had a nasty habit of melting it within the hour if he didn't keep refreezing it. Thankfully, one of Karin's officers, her eighth seat, had a Zanpakuto that could create a breeze of varying strengths, up to a hurricane-force gale if necessary. It helped offset the cold created by the ice barriers and the frozen swamp water supports as far as helping the concrete dry. It also, unfortunately, helped erode both via melting. So it was a continual back and forth between the two Zanpakuto, one to keep the water at bay and the other to help dry the concrete. It was long, exhausting work and he'd been at this for well over twelve hours now.

And from what he'd picked up from Renji, if his Division didn't get more of the blasted poles up faster they might have far more to worry about than fatigue. He, most certainly, didn't fancy a public whipping.

The sun was low in the sky when the second shift from the 3rd showed up and Toshiro gave the order for those relieving them that the focus would be on making sure the drying the concrete they'd already poured remained uncompromised. He doubled the thickness of each of the ice walls. With any luck, they'd last throughout the night and the concrete would be dry by morning. At least, he hoped so. There was a member on this shift that could control the earth enough to create a small dyke, giving them a bit of leakage leeway.

He hadn't really thought to eat anything during the day and as he trudged back to the estate that Harribel had taken for herself and her fraccion, he decided to take a detour through the market. The produce merchants tended to close up shop at sundown so if he wanted to actually eat something that didn't come from a fork held by his 'mistress's' fraccion, he had better pick it up now. If he was lucky he might be able to eat in peace for a change.

Thankfully, the vendor he usually favoured hadn't packed away his wares yet. A few minutes and a few coins later he had a few kabobs to munch on on the way home. It wasn't much but it would hold him. Before he left the market he spotted a fruit stand and manoeuvred his way over. He could use some comfort food right about now, and the kabobs were not that filling. A few minutes later he was on his way home with a small watermelon tucked under his arm. It was still early in the year for them, and they were best eaten after they were chilled in cold water, but Toshiro was tired and still hungry enough to eat one warm at this point. The fruit reminded him of the days when it was just himself, his granny and Hinamori living in Junrinan, the 1st District in Western Rukongai.

The construction site wasn't all that far away from the old, ramshackle house where they'd all lived together long ago and in much better times, with its small, spring-fed pond and large shady trees. There were times he sorely missed it, especially during the summer when the days grew long and the air grew hot, as it was now.

Between hunger, the long hours spent in the heat of the day and the mosquitoes, Toshiro was surprised that he wasn't in a grouchier mood. Still, he thought a little irritably as he came out of the Shunpo he'd used to get 'home', there were at least a few hundred yards to go before he could retreat to the minimal sanctuary of his room. He was in no mood to be accosted right now by anyone. If he could just avoid them…

When there was no one ready at the gate to drag him into the house, he frowned and looked around, expecting an ambush.

The only thing he could detect was the sound of an early cricket or two somewhere in the grass of the small garden. He stood there for a moment, blinking at the absence of the usual annoying, female attention, then decided that something was definitely amiss.

Toshiro decided to cut around and enter through the door to the kitchen. The tiles on the floor and walls made it the coolest room in the house when the ovens weren't on, and his room was only a few doors down. He concentrated on chilling the fruit with one hand and pushing aside the sliding door with the other and again, he was surprised at the lack of a 'welcome' from one of the fraccion. It was nearly the dinner hour and the few servants that Harribel used to keep the place clean and food on the table were absent as well. His frown deepened and he waited for a tug on the Claim, indicating that Harribel was home and wanted him to attend her.

The tug never came.

Now he grew concerned. Something was wrong. He carefully set his prize on the kitchen table, cautiously searching for the three reiatsu patterns that would let him know his usual feminine tormenters were home.

Harribel, apparently, wasn't home yet, but he hadn't expected her to be since her shift on patrol usually ended in a meeting with the other Espada and the bastard that had brought the lot of them to the Seireitei. But her fraccion were home and he discovered their combined reiatsu just down the hall.

"_Please, please let them not be fornicating on my bed," _he prayed to whatever deity might be listening.

It was tempting to just sit down at the table, try to eat his much-needed snack in peace and leave them to their sport, and he nearly did it when something on the floor caught his eye. It turned out to be a sheet of white paper. Reaching down, he picked it up and turned it over to examine it.

His eyes grew wide in shock when he recognized the drawing that had apparently been ripped from its place in a sketchbook. Someone had crudely drawn over the portrait of the old woman on the page, giving the image a pair of horns and a goatee. At the same time, he heard Mila Rose give out a hearty laugh, followed by a snarl from Apache, the sounds definitely coming from his room.

"_Oh, Kami… they found the box under the floorboards…"_

The watermelon was utterly forgotten as his appetite fled. Instead, he stalked out of the kitchen and down the hallway, following the trail of ripped and defaced pages that someone had tossed around. A few of them were smeared with something sticky and which smelled sweet. There had been a jar of plum jam in one of the cupboards and the tiny part of himself that wasn't reeling from the sudden onset of rage thought the smell was getting a little stronger the closer he got to his bedroom.

The scene that greeted him once he slid the door open stole the air from his lungs. The door slammed against the far side of the frame with a loud 'BANG!', and revealed what they'd been up to.

He had managed, with a great deal of trouble on his part, to salvage a few things that had once belonged to Momo during the chaotic months that had followed Aizen's takeover of the Seireitei. Once he'd recovered, still in a daze after Harribel had Claimed him, he'd stumbled to the 5th Division to find that most of her treasures, like the prized books she'd borrowed from her former Taichou, had been taken. Toshiro assumed that Aizen had reclaimed his 'gifts' to her and put them back in his own library. But some small things were either overlooked or had been considered to invaluable to take. Toshiro had spirited them away before anyone could toss them into the rubbish heap.

He'd retrieved her beloved sketchbooks, her small but high-quality calligraphy set with its brushes and ink sticks, and what he'd presumed was a simple, sleeping yukata made of sea-green silk. Then he'd squirreled them away in a locked wooden box hidden beneath the floorboards. They'd stayed there for years, as Toshiro didn't dare take them out for fear of having them confiscated.

He'd kept those things as a way of creating a makeshift memorial to the one person he'd tried and failed to protect. If he couldn't have saved his most cherished friend then he could at least try to preserve a few of the things that proved to the universe that Hinamori Momo had once existed. He felt he owed her spirit that much, at the very least.

Now it would seem that he'd failed her yet again.

Three pairs of very startled eyes met his rage-filled ones and all motion and gaiety in the room abruptly ceased. Sun Sun had her hand poised in mid-air, in between adding a curling moustache to an ink drawing of the late Yamamato-Soutaichou. The black liquid stained both the paper and the wooden floor where the stupid bitch had dribbled it. There were fresh ink marks over the walls as well in what he might charitably describe as infantile scribbling. But what really set his blood boiling was the sight of Momo's silk yukata stretched dangerously over Mila Rose's much larger frame. The garment was far too small for the tall, muscular, Arrancar female and he could see the garment's seams nearly bursting and the fabric wrinkling as it tried to cover shoulders much broader than the ones for which the garment had originally been cut.

The dark-skinned, leonine woman had it tied loosely around her waist and had been in the middle of fending off one of Apache's hands, which clutched the yukata's back collar, as if trying to rip it off Rose's body. The shorter woman had been standing on tip-toe before Toshiro had interrupted their festivities and, to the Shinigami's absolute horror, took a step back and promptly slipped as her foot came down on one of the discarded sketchbook pages. The hand not grasping the silk collar tangled in Mila Rose's long hair and both women went sprawling, to the accompaniment of the sound of the silk ripping from the collar on down to the middle of Mila Rose's back. The tie at her waist gave up the fight as it fell to the floor in two tattered halves, barely missing a small puddle of ink that Sun Sun had managed to spill.

"Hey! Toshiro-chan, what the…!?"

Apache never had the chance to finish her sentence.

All he could feel was a savage, wrenching sickness in his bowels as he watched Momo's things desecrated by three… Kami, he hesitated to even think of them as women… they were absolute cows, little better than animals that did nothing but ruin everything they touched. Worthless, thoughtless, selfish, entitled bitches…

The sheer pain that erupted within him made him gasp for a lungful of air. It was followed by a mixture of hate and fury so strong that all he could see was white as the humidity in the air crystallized in the room. He couldn't kill them, but Toshiro hadn't yet received an order from any of them that he had to follow and he wasn't going to give them a chance to give him one. Hyorinmaru was out and brandished before any of Harribel's fraccion had a chance to scramble to their feet and the room erupted into a maelstrom of screams and ice.

(POV)

Someone, she thought, had just done something incredibly stupid, or possibly suicidal. Maybe even both.

"Is there an issue, Harrible?"

Aizen's silky, measured voice cut through the haze of agony, both physical and mental, that hit her in the gut in the same way that Yammy's fist might punch through five feet of brick wall. Through sheer force of will and years of practice, she remained standing, her spine straight as ever and her shoulders back. Harribel felt her pet's emotions run the gamut from horrified shock to a sort of frenzied wrath powered by grief so deep one could call it abyssal. What made it worse was that the feelings were only a quarter of what she suspected they really were. It had been nearly nine months since she'd bothered to refresh Toshiro's Claim. Perhaps she ought to be grateful that the Claim had begun to weaken. She didn't want Kami-sama and the rest of the male Espada to see her writhing on the meeting hall's floor. Especially not that trumped up, self-proclaimed royal wannabe Barragan.

She had a reputation to maintain, after all.

Harribel took as deep a breath as she dared in a room full of powerful males; showing any sign of weakness, especially if it was connected to a mere pet, would be unthinkable. Then she turned her eyes up to where Aizen sat. He stared down at her, giving her a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing that I cannot solve, Kami-sama," she answered in what she hoped was her usual voice. She prided herself on keeping an even, bored tone to it that betrayed nothing of her thoughts or feelings.

"A problem with your pet, perhaps? How unusual!"

The blonde Espada cocked her head to the side, making a show of considering the question before answering even as she steeled herself against the waves of pain and despair that continued to lap at her. Of course Aizen had probably felt the young man release his Shikai and recognized that it came from the place she'd chosen to den up. Still, one could never be too careful when it came to answering such an inquiry.

"Not with him, per say. However, I believe I need to have a discussion with my fraccion, Kami-sama."

Would it be too much to ask, she prayed, for Aizen to simply take her at her word and let her escape this idiotic meeting? The sooner she dealt with this, the better. The last thing she and those she considered 'hers' needed was to attract Aizen's scrutiny or give him any reason to think she didn't have complete control over her subordinates.

"Your pack of sorry harpies acting up again?" Nnoitra snapped out with a sneer, flipping a strand of his dark hair away from his eye.

She ignored him out of long habit. Letting someone like the Fifth get the better of her by giving his jabs any attention was pointless. Instead, she bowed in Aizen's direction, remaining as calm and reflective as a vast ocean on a calm day under his gaze.

"Kami-sama, I've given my report for today. May I please see to this? It shouldn't take long."

She held her breath as she cast her eyes to the floor, projecting the image of the loyal, subservient warrior awaiting orders. Long seconds ticked by before Aizen gave a wave of his hand, indicating she had permission to leave. His voice, however, held an undercurrent of irritation.

"End it quickly. I do not need any more disruptions that might delay things."

"As you wish, Aizen-Kami."

Even with Toshiro's emotions searing her nerve endings, she managed to bow a little deeper and make a graceful exit, leaving with both a purposeful stride and squared shoulders. As she made her way to the large double doors, Harribel slid her eyes towards the spot where Starrk stood, or rather slumped lazily against the wall. He looked as if he was half-asleep, but she wasn't fooled. The taller half of the First met her gaze and in those grey depths she saw something that almost made her stop in her tracks.

She could have sworn it was worry.

If the First was worried about their ruler's foul and ,of late, unpredictable temper, things had to be deteriorating more swiftly than she'd thought. As bad as dealing with Barragan as a ruler had been he had at least been consistent with following the rules he'd made and upholding the unwritten ones.

Up until a few months ago she would have given the same consideration to Aizen-Kami. Now… well, now she knew better. His public humiliation of Szayel, and the other things she had learned their leader had done to the scientist, things that broke even the very few laws Hollows upheld, was a warning to them all to watch their step around their currently volatile leader. What was the old saying, 'Out of the frying pan, into the fire?"

"_Not a comfortable position for any fish,"_ she told herself as she hurried past the gates.

She didn't stop moving until she was far enough away from the Taichou Meeting hall to be certain none of the other Espada could see her, and that she didn't have an audience of onlookers to worry about. Using Sonido, she located the nearest park with a source of water, in this case a small fountain that bubbled at the crossroads of two manicured gravel paths. Then she found the nearest tree and leaned weakly against it, letting it support her frame.

What in the name of Las Noches had her girls done to him? This was nothing like the day in, day out, cold gruffness and irritation she'd come to expect from the youth she'd Claimed ten years ago. His endurance, his ability to keep himself under control… both had snapped in such a violent, sudden fashion. She had gone ten years with very little emotional back lash from him, despite the unfortunate circumstance he found himself in. As such she was woefully ill prepared for such a turbulence coming from him.

He'd been working overtime for a while now, as well as fighting the Swarm when an attack came, with little rest. She had little doubt that those things had factored into this, but this wasn't like him. Whatever had happened hadn't been planned on his part. Rather, Harribel suspected, what she'd felt was a reaction, one in response to someone, or several someone's, grossly overstepping her bounds. Running tanned fingers through her hair she let herself tremble a little as one fist curled against the bark of the tree. She took another deep breath, then another and another until she felt a bit of her equilibrium return. The sound of the water splashing helped as well, and she focused on that as a means of shielding herself.

The Claim, even if much of it had worn away, told her Toshiro had left her small estate in a hurry. He was headed, oddly enough, back towards the Western Rukongai district, though not back to the construction site and while the initial, overwhelming rush of hurt and ferocious anger had waned a little, he was still in turmoil. Then she turned her attention to the reiatsu signatures of her beloved girls.

They were alive, but hurting, and very, very angry. Her Claim-induced order for Toshiro not to kill them, no matter what they'd done, had held, but only just. Her bond with Toshiro had, at one point, lasted a full year. A decade later he'd managed to nearly circumvent a direct order after only nine months.

That, she thought with both trepidation and anticipation, could only mean one thing. Her Instinct had been right. He was growing stronger, truly beginning to come into the ocean of power that she could feel moving under all of that ice and cold. The full might of the dragon within him, the overwhelming potency of what he'd be able to wield, would be his to command.

And he would be hers.

A small thrill made its way up her spine, along with a shiver, though it was tempered a bit at the thought that things would now have to change if she wanted the sort of outcome she'd envisioned the first time she'd crossed swords with him. So much potential in such a young package and none of her fellow Espada had the wit to see it at the time. She was especially glad she hadn't had to fight Barragan for him, but the Toshiro of a decade ago looked deceptively young and Barragan had, to the best of her knowledge, used up his allotment of Claims and thankfully preferred older, if still very pretty, men. There was the little rumour of his interest in the Sixth's half-human, half-Arrancar daughter, but Aizen's rules regarding the children as a whole prevented the old goat from trying anything….yet.

She could, however, appreciate the Second's ability to think ahead. After all, she'd done something similar to what he'd attempted with Grimmjow's child. The only difference was that Toshiro had been much older, making a traditional Claim possible, rather than one that involved drinking her essence.

Almost ten years of patient waiting on her part would soon, hopefully, pay off. The only obstacles in the way were the dangerous conditions created by Aizen-Kami's diminishing forbearance regarding the Defence Net and possibly Toshiro himself.

First things first though, she told herself as she moved in the direction of her home. She'd let her pet calm down and try to handle her fraccion first. The only question now was who she would assign to clean up the mess she was sure she would find.

(POV)

He knew he was tethered, as surely as a dog on a chain knew that it could only go so far before the collar around its throat tightened. There was no real escape for him now. She'd track him down and punish him as surely as the sun rose in the East. Still, he'd looked at what he'd done, at the ice-filled disaster that was what was left of his room, the wrecked futon, walls pierced with ice spires and the three forms he'd encased in a solid glacial wall. He'd looked at it, and on impulse, grabbed the one half of the torn yukata he could reach, clutching it to his chest while he'd stood like an idiot surveying the damage.

Then he and Hyorinmaru fled, blindly using Shunpo to get the hell away from the scene of the crime. Toshiro really hadn't thought about where he was running to, of course, but anywhere other than Harribel's estate seemed like a good idea. It wasn't as if he could hide.

So he turned himself westward, facing the sunset and let his feet carry him to the one spot that held some meaning for him. Toshiro found himself in Junrinan, seeking out his granny's house. The old woman was long gone, of course. Her soul had probably been reborn into the Living World, moving from this realm into the next as a matter of balancing the number of spirits on each side. He was fiercely glad that she had been spared living under Aizen's tyrannical rule.

It wasn't a large place, a little on the rustic side but someone had at least cut the grass recently and raked the paths. Last year's leaves still floated on the surface of the pond, but the water was still as icy and clear as he remembered it. Souls moved in and out of the dwellings of each district that surrounded the Seireitei on a regular basis. No house remained empty for long. Breathing heavily, he came to a stop outside of the front door and then raised his hand to knock on it. While it wasn't exactly dilapidated, any signs of habitation were limited to the outside of the property. The garden seemed overgrown too. His granny would never have let this many weeds, flowering or not, run amok in the bellflower and peony beds.

To Toshiro, hungry, exhausted and radiating soul-deep pain from every pore, it seemed like the perfect spot to wait for Harribel to arrive and deliver whatever grisly punishment she had in mind for attacking her precious minions. There was nothing he could do but sit back and take whatever she chose to do to him, including killing or maiming him for unleashing his Zanpakuto on those three bitches. Wrapping the piece of Momo's yukata around his neck and burying his face in his hands, he was oddly grateful that if he was going to die, he'd at least gotten in a few really good blows and what he hoped was a vicious case of frostbite.

He felt the tug on his Claim nearly an hour later, but it didn't compel him to leave his spot on the threshold. That meant she would simply follow the Claim to him, he guessed. Then he shrugged resignedly. The crickets had begun their usual evening symphony, and this close to the woodlands he could hear the murmur of cicadas in the trees as well. The worst of the day's summer heat had receded and the only trace of sunlight left in the sky was an orange glow along the horizon softly fading to purple and black overhead. Here and there he could see tiny fireflies hovering about the garden, flickering stars darting in and out of the foliage.

If tonight was his last night on this side of the Seireitei, or if Harribel decided to devour him whole like the shark she was, then his last moments would be spent in a beautiful place. That, and he wouldn't have to finish that thrice-cursed grid of Szayel's, though his Division would have to find someone who could act as Taichou in his place.

The sound of someone making their way through the grass, and then booted feet on one of the gravel paths leading to the house, alerted him to Harribel's approach. Sighing, he wrapped his arms around himself and lifted his chin, willing himself to at least look his demised in the eye. His mistress, in her released form, made her way towards him. She moved gracefully, her white-clad figure swaying as she walked. The blonde Espada seemed in no hurry to get at him either, carefully opening and closing the gate he'd forgotten to lock by pushing it open and closing it with Tiburón's tip. In her released state he could see her face, but couldn't really read her neutral expression. He was used to her poker face though, with or without her mask present.

What he didn't understand was why she carried a watermelon under her arm, the same one he was positive he had left in the kitchen of the house.

She stopped about five feet away, balancing the round fruit on her hip in a pose reminiscent of a housewife carrying part of dinner home from the market, and narrowed her eyes as she took the whole of him in; miserable, tired, hungry, borderline starving, and huddled on the doorstep. Looking around, she spied the pond in the yard and sauntered over to it, the bone fragments of her skirt clattering as she knelt down to slide the watermelon into the cold water. Looking irritably at wet fingers and then shaking the icy drops from their tips, she walked back over to the porch. At some point Toshiro's mouth popped open, flabbergasted as he was that she hadn't obliterated him where he sat. Instead, she gently set her sword on the boards, within easy reach, and took a seat next to him.

She let out a long breath, then leaned back on her arms and looked up at the darkening sky, where the sound of leaves and the occasional creaking branch rustled over their heads.

"This childhood friend of yours, this Hinamori Momo… those were her things?"

Her eyes went to the ruined yukata and he involuntarily clenched his fist, afraid that she would take it from him for some reason, until he realized he had bigger things to fear right now. He wasn't sure what shocked him more, that she knew Momo's name or that she hadn't beaten him to a bloody pulp with Tiburón yet. Another nudge on the Claim between them told him she expected some kind of answer.

"Yes. How did you…" he began and she made a gesture with one finger that cut him off.

"After extracting the rest of my household from your ice, I noticed what they'd been up to in your room. I asked each of them why they were in a part of the house in which I told them not to set foot. Then I reminded them that all things pertaining to you… your body, your possessions, your person, all of those things are mine. Not theirs. Mine."

He found himself unable to look away from her. It was the most she'd said to him, at least verbally, in a very, very long time. As irritating as her declaration of ownership was it was still less painful than, say, having her carve him into small pieces. The look she gave him also sent a shiver down his spine. It was as possessive as anything he'd ever seen on Grimmjow's mug when Karin was present, or on those rare occasions when he saw Ulquiorra hovering over Orihime and her child, as he'd done at Aizen's pointless little party a week ago. Then she sighed and looked back out into the darkening garden before continuing in her usual taciturn manner.

"None of them understood why you would be so… angry about the fact they'd found something to amuse themselves with. So while I tasked them with cleaning up the mess, reassembling the calligraphy set and what was left of the book with the drawings, I decided to talk to someone who could enlighten me as to your state of mind."

For a second, Toshiro drew a blank and then found he was suddenly grateful that the looming darkness and the shadows cast by the porch overhang hid the deep blush that slowly spread from his cheeks to his chest and towards his hairline.

"The Fifth was less than pleased at finding me on his doorstep. However, he did allow me to converse with his pet for a short while. She was in a bit of a state until I assured her I had not yet decided if you warranted any punishment for your actions against my fraccion. I showed her this," she stated, and reached for the empty scabbard strapped across her back. Her slender fingers retrieved a folded piece of paper from its interior, and she proceeded to give it to Toshiro. He reached for it numbly, and then unfolded the thing. It was the same drawing he'd found in the kitchen, now creased.

"Your former Fukutaichou didn't know the subject of the picture, but she did recognize the artist. She told me that this Hinamori Momo used to illustrate some publication for the Divisions, and that you two had a 'history' together. How close were the two of you?"

He stared at the portrait of his granny for the second time that day, rendered beautifully in the subtle ink washes, ruined now that Sun Sun had gotten her claws on Momo's sketchbook and inkwell. When he found his voice, he was surprised at just how tired and broken he sounded, as if he was at the bottom of a well listening to an echo bouncing off the walls.

"We grew up here, with our grandmother," he answered, waving the paper to let his mistress know the significance of the drawing and of the property. "Momo left first, for the Academy. She was older than I was by a few years. Then, Granny began to get sick. She got thinner and thinner and it wasn't until Matsumoto told me that I was unwittingly draining her of energy that I found out about my power. Matsumoto got me into the Academy quickly. Momo had already made it into the Gotei 13. She ended up as that… as Aizen-kami's Fukutaichou." He caught himself before he could say what he was really thinking, though he was certain she could guess what he'd meant to say, by the way her eyes narrowed a little. Still, she did nothing but wait for him to continue.

"I… I always said I would protect her. I failed at that. She died in the Winter War. These," he indicated, holding up the silk in one hand and the paper in the other "…and her calligraphy set were all I could save in the end. Now even those are gone."

True darkness had fallen now, the only light coming from the growing number of fireflies in the yard. They sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity, until Harribel sat up, stretched and brought one knee up, wrapping her arms around it and resting her chin on her kneecap.

"Have you eaten yet?"

Again, Toshiro gave her an exhausted, bewildered look. With almost no light to give her features any color, her darkly tanned body faded against the chalky white of her skirt, her boots and her transformed mask. Even her hair had lost its golden tone in the shadows of the moonless night. Only her eyes, the color of the sea on a hot, bright day, retained their true hue, luminous. He didn't know if she could see in the darkness or not, but he supposed it didn't matter.

He shook his head. She then rose, and moved towards the pond. A wave of her hand brought a tentacle of water upwards from the surface, propelling the watermelon she'd placed in it earlier, presumable to cool, into her arms.

"I believe this is yours. Of all my girls, only Sun Sun enjoys fruit, but this," she said, holding up the melon, "isn't something she would care for."

The Third brought it back to the porch and he had to squint to see it, the dark green of the rind looking almost like a Hollow Hole against her chest in the gloom.

"You are capable of creating a light with Kido, are you not?"

Toshiro opened his mouth, then closed it and nodded, holding out his hand and gently creating a ball of blue-white light. It was one of the first things a first-year student at the Academy learned. Most had already figured it out before they enrolled. That he'd forgotten he was capable of it simply told him that his brain was starting to shut down from lack of food and fatigue.

He managed to create three small globes of blue-white light, sending them upward to hover in the rafters of the overhang. They would eventually fade away, but for now he could at least see what might be his last meal.

To his surprised, Harribel made another gesture and a blob of water from the pond floated into her hand. The fluid warped and wavered as it tried to escape the force that kept it together. Then three, thin jets of it shot out almost too fast to see and neatly sliced the melon into six wedges. She let the rest of the water trickle away over the grass and took up a slice, staring at the pink juice that ran down her fingers with a slight frown.

"How curious…. I did not know the Seireitei grew fruit that could bleed."

It was almost too much for Toshiro to watch, as she moved the fruit from one hand to another and then licked the trickle of it that tried to run down her wrist. She seemed surprised at the taste, and then turned her attention back to him.

"Eat, Toshiro."

He didn't need any application of the Claim as encouragement for that order. The first bite, the burst of sugary juice in his mouth and the cold that eased his throat and his hunger-induced headache... before he knew it, he'd devoured two slices and was reaching for a third. Harribel regarded him with an odd look as he took huge bites of the watermelon's flesh, still holding the slice she'd picked up and contemplating it as if she was uncertain whether she liked it or not. When he'd managed to reduce the fifth slice to a discarded, tooth-marked rind, he discovered that she'd moved into his personal space, holding the last piece to his lips.

He would have moved back out of instinct, but her unoccupied hand found the back of his neck, and her fingers toyed with the strands of pale hair that had grown to his shoulders in the last few months. She leaned over and moved her lips close to his ear.

"It is certainly sweet, but I think I would like it better at body temperature."

Toshiro gulped, cheeks flaming as her whiskey-voice conjured up any number of incredibly inappropriate images, mostly built from years and years of coping with the three nymphomaniacs who served her. His mistress pressed the slice against his lips and he bit down on it, trickles of pink running from the side of his mouth as he hastily chewed. He only had a second to swallow before the hand at his neck moved up, cupping the back of his head and pulling it forward.

He only ever kissed her when she refreshed his Claim, so he was unprepared for her to reach out with her tongue and slowly lap up the sweet trail from his jawline to his mouth. She used his startled gasp at her unexpected manoeuvre to run that same tongue along his lips, seeking and attaining entrance. He got a brief flash of the blue mark that ran down her right cheekbone before he found himself kissing her back, tasting the salt that always seemed to cling to her mouth as well as the watermelon juice. She deepened it and his eyes fluttered closed, their tongues fencing back and forth. For once, Toshiro didn't care if there was anyone watching or not. It could have been minutes or it could have been hours before she drew back, leaving him trembling and his wits in disarray. Halibel pushed the last slice into his hand and he ignored it as he tried to pull himself together.

She had never kissed him like that before. He'd seen her do this with each of her fraccion, turning each of them into little puddles of goo before taking their play to the next level, but he'd never been on the receiving end unless his Claim was involved.

"I was right. It's much better served warm."

The Espada drew back while he gave her a dazed look. Then she sighed and with both hands, she lifted the hand gripping the watermelon towards his mouth again, this time indicating he should actually eat it.

"Finish. You need the energy, as you're more depleted than you realize."

He did as she ordered and when he'd placed the last rind on the pile, she leaned in again and lapped at the other side of his mouth. This time Toshiro had no ready answer for his actions. He moved his head to the side and caught her mouth up with his own. Nor could he explain the tightening in his abdominal muscles, nor the feel of something uncoiling at the base of his spine. He did recognize the tension growing in his loins, grateful that his uniform and haori hid all evidence of the effects the kiss had on him.

This wasn't what he had expected to be doing at this point in the evening. In truth, he had expected to be gutted by now, with her sword in his sternum, not having her languidly exploring his mouth with her lips and the tip of her tongue making jolts of electric sensation run up and down his body by running it along the roof of his mouth.

"Why?" he managed to gasp, breaking away and shaking his head.

She paused, and then sat back, her sea-green eyes glittering in the Kido-light.

"Why what?"

"Why aren't you punishing me for attacking your fraccion this afternoon?" he asked breathlessly, the confusion evident in his voice now.

His muddled emotions must have been evident because she moved away and then got to her feet. Looking down at him the blonde Arrancar pursed her lips, as if trying to understand why he would ask such a question in the first place.

"Do you wish to be punished?"

"No!" he nearly shouted, then pressed the heel of his hand against his forehead. "I… I just don't get this. I disobeyed you."

"I beg to differ."

"Huh?"

Harribel closed her eyes and gave a deep sigh, then crossed her arms beneath her ample breasts. It was a familiar gesture, one that always made him think of distracting and unhelpful things. Wrenching his eyes back up to meet hers, Toshiro again blushed crimson, knowing she could probably feel where his attention had wandered and mentally shoved his libido into a deep, dark, cold corner of his mind. He told Hyorinmaru to do him a favour and sit on it to keep it from disrupting his train of thought.

Unfortunately, his Zanpakuto also seemed a little too interested in what was going on. That particular fact both floored him and made him decide to have a private chat with his blade later.

"You were enraged. I would have even called you homicidal. Yet you did not slay my girls when you had the chance, even though both you and I know the Claim has diminished to the point where you might have been capably of overcoming that order and perhaps even shatter what is left of the current Claim had you put your mind to it."

Toshiro blinked.

It was true, he realized, startled that he hadn't really felt it waning of late. Of course, he had also been working until he dropped each night, eating haphazardly and using Hyorinmaru non-stop to try to get his section of the grid up before the members of his Division had to suffer Aizen's wrath over the lack of progress. It didn't surprise him that neither he nor his mistress had noticed it until now. Had he been at full strength there was a good chance that she would be right, that he might have been able to shatter what was left of the current Claim and break free.

"My fraccion, however, have erred greatly. They disobeyed a direct order from me, regarding you. In addition, I believe I've made a mistake in leaving them to their own devices for too long. They need to understand that the protection I give them can also be taken away, as can their privileges."

Harribel said this so resolutely that Toshiro thought he must have misheard her.

"I… don't understand."

"You've never been comfortable with me Claiming you in their presence. I thought it unusual for a Shinigami male, given the harem-based literature that your gender seems to favour," she pointed out dryly.

In turn, he looked like he wanted to burrow through the floorboards of the porch out of embarrassment.

"You seem to be cut from different cloth. I think, based upon what I've seen this evening, to curtail their involvement with your Claim."

He couldn't believe his ears. Was she really going to allow him to skip the whole degrading mess? Would he finally be left in peace for a change? It seemed almost too good to be true and she must have noticed that distrust, because she turned her back on him to gaze out at the firefly-lit grass, the little flickering things reflected on the surface of the pond.

"I will still partake of them, of course. There are things a woman can do for another woman that men simply cannot duplicate, or understand. It would also be unfair to deny them something they have come to enjoy and expect. We have come to distress most males, for good reason, and I would not expect them to attempt to find a new source of companionship when the options for them are fairly limited."

"_Kami, I did not need that image,__"_ he thought, a few of the more choice ones he'd witnessed over the years between the four women springing to mind anyway. However, what really made his jaw drop were her next words, spoken in a low, throaty voice that was almost too quiet to hear thanks to the crickets.

"Besides, they have served their purpose as far as educating you in that regard. In the future, I expect you to put that knowledge to good use."

He hated it when he heard his own voice crack. It was a reminder of how his colleagues had seen him, as the child prodigy, heavy emphasis on 'child'. Still, Toshiro's tone raised an octave or two in response to that little revelation.

"Educating me…?"

Toshiro was too stunned to do more than sit there, with his pile of watermelon rinds and the wad of fabric that had once been Momo's yukata, and process that little nugget of information. Was that why he'd been forced to… to watch… and, in some cases, participate in those sessions where everyone in the room had ended up in a post-orgasmic heap of some sort?

"From now on, I shall refresh your Claim on a more regular basis. You're growing stronger, Toshiro. As the vast power within you grows, the more frequent the need to Claim you will be. We will be nearly matched, in due time. It will be a good pairing, one that I intend to use to protect and take care of what is ours."

"Ours?" he squeaked.

He felt like a parrot, repeating what she'd said. The woman standing before him stretched her arms overhead, breasts lifting as her spine elongated and the taut muscles in her abdomen lengthened. The two long braids of golden hair hung down her back to her narrow waist, brushing the edges of the bone skirt that circled her hips as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"We will protect my girls, and our eventual children, when you become strong enough to stand against anything that would harm them."

The world suddenly seemed to spin and he scrambled for something to hold on to, to keep himself from pitching forward.

Children?

She was there suddenly, her hands gripping his shoulders, her green eyes and the Claim between them bringing him back to reality. There was that sense of calm again, the one that descended upon him every time he found himself buried to the hilt in her warmth, her reiatsu steadying him even as it robbed him of enough of his own to make him her captive. It helped him overcome the shock of what he thought she'd said.

He knew Aizen had a keen, if what he considered an unnatural interest, in creating Shinigami hybrids. However, he hadn't really thought that the Arrancar that held his Claim wanted that sort of thing. She'd shown no interest in the trappings of motherhood in the entire time he'd known her.

Kami, he was so not ready for this.

"You're... you're pregnant?"

She was sitting now, and pulled him against her, his head pillowed on her bosom while she ran her fingers through his pale, silver-laced hair.

"No. The last time I had you was nine months ago, and I will let no other male, Arrancar or Shinigami, near me. Those that might have the power to Claim me either prefer their own sex, or have used up their allotment. Or they are far too lazy to bother. At any rate it is forbidden for Espada to Claim each other. I will not become pregnant until your power is such that it can stand against mine."

He blinked up at her, suddenly relieved and yet confused as to what she meant by that. Her other hand smoothed its way up and down his shoulders, as if trying to quiet a jumpy, nervous animal.

"There is another thing to consider. As things stand, the Seireitei isn't safe enough to create a child. Not," and her voice dropped to a whisper "with a ruler who breaks the few rules the Espada set in return for our loyalty. He has yet to violate our taboos as far as children, as he has the others, but I do not trust that he will follow those if he can gain from breaking them. Tonight I learned that he chose not to protect his closest follower, from you and your former Fukutaichou. I respect his power, but I no longer trust him to keep his word to us."

"You're questioning him!" Toshiro exclaimed, speaking just as quietly as she for fear that someone might overhear their conversation.

She must have sensed both his astonishment and his fear about eavesdroppers, because she pulled his tired frame upward along with her own. Harribel helped him to the pond, where he gave his hands and face a quick rinse and she helped rinse the mud from his uniform and haori via dousing him in a sluicing wave of water. He also pulled off his mud-encrusted boots, still caked with the stuff after spending the day in the swamp. While he sputtered, one of her arms went around his waist. He found he could rest his head on her shoulder, something he would have been too short to do a year ago. She took the opportunity to lean in, her lips buzzing the shell of his ear, sending shivers up and down his legs and his spine.

"I am observing the situation, waiting to see what he chooses to do, and trying very hard not to draw his attention to us," she corrected him. "I will do what I must to protect those I swore to protect. I will need a strong mate by my side to do so. We are not so different from one another, little dragon, in our desire to protect what is ours. I have no desire to arise his attentions in the way that Szayel somehow managed to do."

Toshiro could understand that. What he had witnessed that day when Aizen had Szayel publicly whipped had shocked and horrified him for he could see the faded Kanji lines carved into the Arrancar's back, as well as what looked like a good number of other scars that appeared to have come from previous, and relatively recent, torture sessions.

It took a second for him to realize what she was talking about and when he did he felt her hands move up to stroke the back of his neck and steady his shoulders. Then she whispered something else and he couldn't help reaching up to clench her forearms when he heard it. His heart hammered in his chest as the fireflies clustered around them, then flittered off to orbit the hovering Kido globes.

Harribel helped Toshiro up onto the porch and then made a gesture with her hand for him to grab the Kido lights from above. She reached down and picked up Tiburón carefully. Then she put her other hand on the front door and pushed it open. He had no idea why she did so until she turned on her heel and motioned him indoors.

Maybe if he hadn't been so worn out and off-balance, maybe if the true extent of her intentions for him hadn't taken him utterly by surprise… the whole idea of a child, of all things, had thrown him off-kilter. Fatherhood was nowhere near the top of his priority list; the first items on that were simple survival for himself and his Division and staying out of the reach of Harribel's fraccion if he could. Still, if she'd been thinking that far ahead, if she'd seen him for his true potential over a decade ago rather than as something helpless that needed salvaging… Toshiro wrenched his mind away from what that implied to concentrate on the here and now. He was still working on the fact that he hadn't been skinned alive for losing his patience and turning his powers on his 'mistress's' underlings.

"I must refresh your Claim tonight and our current den is in… disrepair," she said matter-of-factly as he summoned the orbs of Kido down to rest in the crook of his arm. "This will have to do for now."

Well, Toshiro realized, he couldn't really argue with her about either her need to re-Claim him per Aizen's decree or the wreckage he'd left in his wake. He let himself really consider it and his own pragmatic streak agreed with her, to his surprise. His grandmother's presently-unoccupied house was as private as one could want for her intended purpose. She regarded him with those heavy-lidded, luminous teal eyes and he swallowed as the corner of her mouth quirked up in a rare, half-smile.

"Take our solitude here as a sign of my good faith as far as your changed status with me, and as a reward for your obedience, now and in the future."

As the blond turned and retreated into the darkened house, Toshiro realized that she'd been entirely serious about the final thing she'd murmured to him, half order and half offer, delivered in that same sultry, throaty tone that compelled him to follow her into the warm darkness without a tug on his Claim.

"_Show me what you've learned from your teachers so far, Toshiro. Show me that you are the powerful man I've waited for you to become."_

(POV)

"What do you mean, 'he's not going to be here today… uhm… Ma'am'?"

This came from a very nervous-looking Shinigami who wore the Fukutaichou's armband of the 3rd Division and who acted as if the Espada before him was going to bite his head off at any moment.

It was tempting to do so, but Harribel had a much better use for the man in mind. It involved a mixing trough, a shovel and several hundred bags of dry cement.

The rest of Division, or at least the shift workers on daytime duty, stood around like petrified sheep, unable to perform their assigned duties as far as installing the Defence Net components without her little ice dragon to lead them.

She was going to have to have a talk with him later about his tendency to forgo delegating work. For now, she stared down Toshiro's second-in-command, crossing her arms beneath her breasts and raising one golden eyebrow.

"He will not be on duty today. You lot have been too reliant on him for too long and he finally collapsed last night, due to exertion and overuse of his powers." '_Among other things_,' she thought to herself.

In her normal form, the mask that covered the lower half of her face would have been enough to conceal a smile if she'd been capable of one. To the Shinigami's credit, however, he both stood his ground and showed some real concern for her pet's welfare.

"So, Ma'am, will you be in charge today?" he asked.

She nodded and then placed her hand on the Shinigami's shoulder. He gave it a look that said he expected it to tear him apart.

"One should not expect a tool to remain sharp if it's put to a task for which it's ill-suited," she said and then indicated that he gather the rest of the Division to stand before her to receive their orders for the day.

Behind her, her fraccion shifted and stared at the ground, occasionally stealing a glance at her before lowering their eyes again. The first part of their punishment had been to clean up the mess, repair what they could of her pet's sleeping chamber and bed and carefully put the un-marked drawings and calligraphy set back in the box they'd found. The second part of their punishment was greeted with shocked silence, as she'd informed them that they were no longer allowed to touch, harass or partake of any intimate action with Toshiro. Then the crying and sniffling began. It had taken some well-placed kisses and caresses on her part to reassure her girls that they were still just as cherished as they had been the day before and they'd been a little mollified by that, if not happy about the change in Toshiro's status, at least in the privacy of the household.

The third part of their punishment had the girls positively sulking in mortification. Normally, they would show up just before first light at the First Division to receive their patrol territorys for the day. Today she'd asked Aizen-Kami himself if they could be relieved of patrol duty to take her pet's place in dealing with the issue of setting up the Net's poles in the western marshes.

He'd frowned at her, and then inquired about Toshiro. She'd answered as honestly as she could, telling him that Toshiro had collapsed after using up all of his power, drained after days of using it in an inefficient manner. She left out any mention that what energy the young man had left had been consumed when she'd Claimed him the previous evening.

Instead, she bowed a little lower and offered her own powers as a substitute for his, telling Aizen that Tiburón would be far more helpful than Toshiro's Hyorinmaru when it came to keeping the waters of the swamp at bay long enough to get pole supports in the ground and set properly. Harribel also informed him that with _her_ help, Aizen could expect much more in the way of progress.

The other Espada in the room had looked at one another when she'd finished, and both Nnoitra and Barragan had sneered at her, their derision implying that she was trying to get out from going on patrol. Aizen had looked beyond her, at her girls as they hung back with their heads bowed in Kami's presence and inquired, in that deceptively mild voice of his, as to why she wanted her fraccion to assist with the poles instead of patrolling.

Harribel had signalled towards them with one hand and said "They are with me today because no one is above doing anything they can to help get your Defence Net up and running quickly, no matter how lowly the work. There is no sacrifice too great if it means that the project is complete in a timely manner. My fraccion are going to help with the construction, as it seems they have a great deal of time on their hands these days and need to be taught a lesson."

The room was silent for a moment before Aizen suddenly smiled and spoke in a pleased manner, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"You never fail me, my dear. Truly, you are one of my finest creations. I wish that more of my subjects were so loyal and as willing to serve me as tirelessly as you. You may take your pet's place for now. I trust he will recover soon. It is always a pleasure to watch the two of you defend our empire during battle."

With that, he'd adjourned the morning meeting and she'd earned a few nasty looks from Barragan and Nnoitra since the territory she would have been given to patrol had been divided equally between them and added to their own. The little bit of vengeful triumph she felt at that was diluted with Aizen's warning that the speed of construction had better double as a result of her assistance. Otherwise, he would be very displeased. Harribel had no illusions about what that meant, since he'd been looking at her fraccion when he said it.

"_Toshiro cannot come into his true power fast enough,__"_ she decided.

That was how she found herself standing in the middle of a bog, draining entire stretches of the swamp until they were bone-dry and moving both the water and the creatures within it into other areas. The 3rd Division's day shift sprang into action at the chance to drill and work on solid ground rather than knee-deep mud, some of them casting very grateful looks her way as she expertly wielded Tiburón. Her girls, meanwhile, had been given the dirty job of mixing concrete and drilling holes for the concrete supports. Mila Rose, unsurprisingly, turned out to be a good match as far as helping drill support holes. Her natural strength gave her an advantage, while Apache and Sun Sun ended up mixing heavy troughs of cement. Harribel hoped that the manual labour would leave an impression. The fact that Toshiro had managed to accomplish what he'd done so far astounded her.

Then again, he'd found some inner reserves last night that had served the both of them very, _very_ well. Harribel's body could still feel the delicious after-effects and the muscles in her lower abdomen contracted as she relived a few of the choicer memories. Toshiro's former Fukutaichou, chained and confined to her porch while that jealous nitwit Nnoitra watched over her as Harribel asked her questions, had referred to her former Taichou as a 'prodigy' and a 'genius' when it came to learning new things.

Oh, had _that_ been an understatement! She'd truly chosen well all those years ago and her decision to sacrifice a little of her pride in exchange for elevating his position in the household, was the correct one. He might not be able to return a Claim, but her choices as far as those who could were either unappetizing or perpetually asleep. She could definitely live with her compromise.

Szayel had made an appearance about two hours into the workday with his newly-mended pet. The scientist had said very little to her, hurrying to check the positions of the poles they'd managed to set that morning, while his redheaded flunky had busied himself with helping set the tall, silvery things. Harribel hadn't missed the surreptitious, analytical glances the man sent her way. He could have been staring at her breasts, as many of the other Shinigami males did when they thought she wasn't looking, but instead of thinly disguised lust, she'd detected a shrewd, almost calculating interest in his eyes. There was also something odd about him and had she not spent a portion of the previous evening refreshing her own pet's Claim, she might have overlooked it.

She could detect the Claim that surrounded him. It practically gleamed, bright, shiny and very, very powerful. In fact, it was far more powerful than any Claim that Szayel ought to have been able to cast. Maybe, if he were back to his normal self it might not have seemed so strange, but for a pet of a pet Szayel couldn't possibly have scrounged up or expended that much power.

Then again, she considered as she watched the pink-haired scientist scurry between recently set poles, making tiny adjustments, Szayel had always had a trick or two up his sleeve in the past. It made him a dangerous and tricky opponent. Underestimating someone with that kind of intelligence was never wise. Maybe he'd done something to enhance his bond with his pet. Given his penchant for experimentation, she was somewhat surprised that he hadn't grafted a second set of arms on the redhead by now.

There were also other things to consider that made her reluctantly decide not to enquire further about it. Szayel was the only one with enough experience in dealing with Arrancar-Shinigami hybrid children. As tempting as it was to investigate the discrepancy behind what she saw of his pet's Claim, she'd probably need Szayel fully functional when Toshiro's strength properly manifested. There was no need to score points with Aizen by tipping him off to the oddity of the Claim, and lose a potential helper when it came time to create a cub. Harribel wasn't into Pyrrhic victories.

Looking around at all of the people scrambling to meet the accelerated schedule Aizen had forced on them when he'd accepted her offer, Harribel narrowed her green eyes and extracted as much of the water as she could from a recently poured support. What had taken Toshiro and his Division a day to set and dry took her only a few minutes. The Shinigami holding the ropes keeping the pole in place blinked at one another and then erupted into an enthusiastic cheer. That lasted only a minute or two before they cleaned up and half of them hurried to the next spot to set up another pole while the rest finished construction on this one. At this rate, Harribel thought with some deserved smugness, she was going to be able to show, not a doubling of the rate of progress for this Net section, but a_ tripling_. It would help her standing as far as Aizen was concerned to have this section finished in a matter of a few days rather than weeks, as the reports she'd read had stated.

The sooner this was finished the better. Looking at her fraccion, grumpily helping the 3rd Division members with their tasks as penance, Harribel decided that once this section was done and Toshiro's strength had returned they could continue assisting with the work, until the damned thing was complete.

If they ever forgot this lesson, she had something else that would keep the memory of their recent defeat at his hands fresh in their minds. Harribel had plans to take the remains of his late friend's yukata and seek out a tailor from the Rukongai marketplace this evening. Perhaps they would be able to fashion something for him to wear on his person at all times, like a scarf or perhaps a sash to replace the one he had all but outgrown. It would be a silent reminder to her fraccion of just who owned him. She'd make it up to them tonight with her attentions, as it had been when they had all banded together in Hueco Mundo for mutual protection against their male counterparts' viciousness and endless hunger.

As she gestured to the 3rd Division's Fukutaichou to attend to her and to bring the maps, Harribel checked on Toshiro, using their newly-refreshed Claim. He was still dead to the world, clutching Hyorinmaru in one hand and wrapped in one of her blankets. Nonetheless, she could tell his heartbeat was steady and that he would be well on his way to a full recovery, if he were granted enough time to rest, eat and partake of the privacy of an empty house when he woke.

Privacy…who knew it would be such a turn-on for the little dragon? Then again, she told herself, every iceberg, no matter how large, melted in time. All the ocean had to do was surround it for long enough.

* * *

Once again, another chapter by Black Fox. Two more to go and part 1 is done. I started on part 2 but I fear I am a WOW addict and MOP has my attention right now when the munchkin doesn't. As always, thank you all so much for the reviews.

Spread the Grimmjow/Karin love. Two years later and I am still the only one writing this pairing /sniff. There is so much potential I am surprised we don't see it more often.

This Weeks Question: Does anyone know why so many Fanficts have Grimmjow's hair as teal? I mean come on, teal is a medium green, blue tinted colour. It's no where near the colour of Grimmjow's hair; a very light blue. It's in his bloody bio "…with light blue, spiky hair.." And I see it EVERYWHERE. It is driving me up the wall. How the hell can someone claim to be a Grimmjow fan and then fail so utterly in something so simple as his basic appearance! Did they fail kindergarten where you learn colours? Do they not know what a colour wheel is? Never, in any fandom, have I seen a character's appearance so butchered so frequently that it's in almost 80% of the fan fiction out there. What the hell! Help me out girls and guys, every time you see someone write his hair as teal, correct them. Put a stop to the continued misuse and desecration of our favoured Espada. Don't let the infection continue to spread. Blackstorm did an awesome picture to help those poor people understand how hideous Grimmjow would look if his hair actually was teal. Remember to remover the spaces.

Blackstorm. devaintart art/GRIMMJOW-s-hair-is-NOT-teal-DX-288570662

Next Chapter: The defence grid is completed. Will it work or will Karin and Szayel meet the wrong end of Aizen? Stay tuned to find out


	99. Happy Occurrences

Happy Occurrences

Szayel looked at his fingernails and grimaced. He was really going to have to stop biting them. He'd picked up the unfortunate habit in the last two weeks and it was either chew on his own fingernails or chew on some other body part that he might actually need more than he needed nails.

Today was _the_ day. After a fortnight and extra man power, every pole ought to _finally _be in the _correct_ position. He had personally spent the last seventy-two hours straight walking the entire line of poles that surrpunded the massive city, double checking each set of coordinates and the placement of each pillar. His feet and brain ached from that long trek and from having had so little sleep, as well as from staring at computer monitors for hours. Yet here he was, fully alert and very, very nervous.

He looked over the numbers for what seemed like the fiftieth time, but they didn't change. Nothing changed. This should work. There was no reason it shouldn't unless someone suddenly sabotaged one of the poles, be it a dissenter or the Swarm.

It simply _had_ to work, or Szayel doubted, given the reiatsu he felt approaching, that he'd see another sunset. Hueco Mundo had no sunsets and he found he'd developed a liking for them during the near decade he'd spent in the Seireitei. Not to mention he greatly desired to actually meet and study his offspring. That would prove a little hard to do if his head was stuffed, mounted and hung as a warning at the Royal Palace.

"Are we ready?" Aizen asked, wasting no time in getting to the point as he entered the room.

Only a fool would have taken it as a real question. Szayel knew there was only one answer that Kami wanted to hear and so he gave the one expected of him. He nodded, not trusting his voice to keep from failing him. His rear still ached a little from the caning Karin had been forced to give him two weeks ago. The bruises were just starting to fully fade, leaving ugly, mottled yellow and green patches all over his backside and thighs.

"I would hope so, because if you fail this time, I will personally see to it that you and your Mistress pay dearly for it. I was thinking of dragging you to your own bedroom and making you watch while I took her violently for myself on your own bed while using my Zanpakuto to force your own body to experience the most intense pleasure you have ever felt."

Szayel considered what Aizen had just said. That would have been unpleasant, but it wasn't an outcome that would physically harm _him_ too much. It would hurt emotionally to see the woman who cared so deeply for him suffering, and he had personal experience on just how bad Aizen could make it hurt, but it hardly seemed like the kind of trauma Kami-sama was known to inflict.

" Then, when I finished with her," Aizen continued, " I was toying with the idea of covering you in her blood and leaving you both there for your Master to find," Aizen smirked at him.

Szayel could almost feel his heart stop when he heard the casually-made threat and had to forcibly keep himself from shivering. As it was, a cold spot seemed to form in the pit of his stomach from the horror he felt as he pondered what the ensuing carnage such an act would cause. If Grimmjow truly had held his Claim, he would have quickly assumed that Szayel had forced himself on his mate, simultaneously getting a heady dose of pleasure from him and fear and terror from her.

"I could never harm Karin-sama thanks to my Claim enforced orders, no matter how much I could ever desire to do so," he pointed out weakly.

Even though he knew that, should Aizen make good on that threat, it wouldn't quite play out as Kami intended, the end result would still be just as unpleasant for all involved.

"Perhaps, but do you honestly think someone as volatile as Grimmjow is will pause long enough to consider logic when he sees his beloved mate sobbing brokenly in your bed and you decorated in her blood?" Aizen replied nonchalantly, as if he were asking whether or not he thought it might rain tomorrow.

Szayel swallowed nervously and considered the possibility from _that_ angle. Grimmjow was far smarter than Aizen gave him credit for. The Sexta Espada had calmed down considerably over the years thanks to Karin and Ajuga's presence in his life. He was not the same volatile, easily-enraged Arrancar he had been ten years ago.

But Grimmjow still had a fearsome temper, one that flared up whenever his mate or daughter was involved. Szayel was well aware of the kind of brutality Aizen was capable of. He had no doubt that the amount of terror and anguish Karin would be sending Grimmjow through their Claim would send her mate into a feral rampage. All of that destructive aggression would need an outlet and Karin would be in no condition to defend him from her mate.

Worse, his own pleasure would hit Karin and he could not imagine what kind of emotional damage it would do to be in excruciating pain while being raped and being forced to feel intense pleasure at the same time as well. At least when Aizen had forced himself upon Szayel he had felt nothing but pain as he was raped. To have to feel intense pleasure at the same time…

No, it was better not to think about that possibility. More precisely, he didn't _want_ to think about it.

"Well, hopefully I won't be required to take such measures, now will I?" Aizen said, with that same false, genial smile that always managed to set Szayel's nerves on edge. "Now, my Espada, activate the Net."

He gave a bow before turning back to the main console, feverishly hoping that this would work, sending out prayer after prayer to whatever true gods might exist that everything was in order. With a finger that shook violently, he hit the last button that would, initiate the grid's activation sequence.

"_Please, if anyone is listening, please, please, please let everything work__…__ for all our sakes.__"__  
_

All around the city, the silver poles rose several hundred feet into the air, just as he'd hoped they would. So far so good. With one last, desperate, silent plea, he typed in the last command. At first nothing happened and he felt a second of utter terror spike through him. Then the glowing, azure lines of energy between each pole shimmered into being, one by one, until the entire city appeared to be surrounded by a very large, electric blue, Kido version of a chain-link fence.

It worked.

_Oh, Kami, it really works__…_

"Very good," Aizen said, then nodded in approval a few minutes later before closing the distance between them and resting a hand on Szayel's shoulder. "I knew you just needed the correct… _motivation_."

With that Aizen turned and strolled out of the laboratory, leaving Szayel weak in the knees and leaning heavily on the console for a moment or two. The fear retreated, with his gut in shambles and his breath uneven as a result. In its place was a sense of giddy awe that made him sink to the floor in both relief and a sort of half-hysterical joy.

It worked. After all of the time and trouble and blood and sacrifices he'd made for the thing, it finally, blessedly, perfectly _worked_.

From his spot on the floor, Szayel Aporro Grantz stared at the grid on the screen with a growing sense of satisfaction and glee.

It worked, and it was beautiful, so very, very beautiful.

Then numbers began scrolling across several screens on the console and he got to his feet in a flash. It didn't take long for him to quickly lose himself in the incoming data. He grew so lost, in fact, that he nearly jumped out of his uniform when Karin spoke up behind him. He'd never even heard her come in.

"What was up earlier? I almost left my post to come see what had you in such a tizzy."

The concern in her voice was real enough. Szayel ran his hand with its chewed nails through his hair, now _finally_ regrown and let out a long breath.

"Aizen-Kami was just here to make sure the grid went up without a hitch," he answered, trying to keep his voice steady and his emotions steadier. He really did not want to mentally revisit Aizen's intentions had the grid not worked.

But it did, he reassured himself. It did and for the moment, he and Nemu and their twins and the whole lot of them would be spared Aizen's wrath.

"_Thank you, thank you, thank you for listening, whoever you are, thank you__…"_

"And his visit warranted _that_ much terror?" Karin asked him suspiciously.

He gave an inward cringe and forced himself to completely calm down. Karin was far more perceptive than her mate and not afraid to ask probing questions that would force him to reveal more than he cared to.

"He may have added a few threats about what failure would bring this time," Szayel answered reluctantly, silently cursing her for preventing him from outright lying to her.

Her Claim did not, however, keep him from being deliberately vague about the nature of those threats. He thought it best to keep the worst from her, to let her think the threats had been meant entirely for him. Aizen was correct about one thing. He truly did not need a concerned Grimmjow on his doorstep at present, drawn to the Science and Research Division by a mate upset at Aizen's, thankfully, unfulfilled plans for her.

"I suppose that would do it," she agreed, her eyes on the screen and thankfully not on him. "Honestly, I was expecting to walk in here and find you in a pool of blood on the floor, or something," she admitted. There was an undercurrent of concern for his well-being and relief that she wasn't going to have to patch him together again in her tone.

"_That, Karin-sama, would have been a light punishment compared to what he had in mind for us,__"_he thought, and then inwardly shook himself. "Not today, thankfully. If you will excuse me, Karin-sama, I have a great deal of data to look over, just in case…"

The grid had only been up a short time and while everything seemed to be functioning perfectly, he didn't want to take any chances. She seemed to notice his lack of enthusiasm for any further elaboration, then shrugged and sighed.

"Of course. Make sure you get some rest though," she chided, and he even felt a twinge on his Claim, meaning it was a direct order and she was going to make damned sure he followed it. "You have been up for some time. Nemu can look over most of this stuff for you, Szayel. Sitting down and interpreting data isn't going to have an effect on the chrysalises," Karin said firmly.

"Of course," he agreed and then squinted as the numbers on the screen blurred unexpectedly. He realized, too late, that he'd forgotten about the adrenaline surge caused by Aizen's unwelcome visit, and that as it worked its way out of his system, it would leave fatigue in its wake.

Szayel felt himself sway a little on his feet as he suddenly became light-headed. Then a pair of hands braced him from behind, keeping him temporarily upright. He heard Karin shout out for one of his underlings and after a few very annoying minutes, those same hands forced him to sit down in a chair.

"Szayel…"

Karin was aggravatingly right, as usual. He was nearly dead on his feet and the more reasonable part of him knew that he was going to be useless until he got some real sleep. Sleep, thankfully, would now come a bit easier, now that he was free… free from the fear of Aizen attacking either him or his family because the Net had failed. It had held and for the moment, they were all out of danger.

"Perhaps, Karin-sama, you're correct. I think a nap is in order," he grudgingly admitted, annoyed at how exhausted he sounded.

She made a face at him and rolled her eyes, but nodded anyway. He heard her instruct the Division member who had brought the chair to find Nemu. Unable to resist, Szayel leaned his head against the chair's back and closed his eyes.

It worked. The grid worked, it was up, the Kido connections were intact and functioning… it was perfect in almost every way. The only unknown was whether or not the net would fully repel the Swarm, but for now, he could relax.

Karin was correct. Nemu could look through most of this and the data wasn't going anywhere. It was his last thought before weariness claimed him and Nemu arrived to find him unconscious in his chair.

(POV)

Karin returned home feeling as if a train had hit her. It had been a long, emotional day; doubly so for her. Not only did she have Aizen's threat hanging over her head to punish her should her 'pet' fail again, but the emotional baggage of a terrified Szayel running down the Claim towards her compounded the issue. It took a lot of concentration to keep that dual burden from being transmitted to her Mate and making things even worse.

Watching the grid go up and spring to life had sent a surge of relief through her, and not just because it meant they had avoided an unpleasant time with Aizen. If this thing performed the way that Szayel said it would, it meant that her family, friends, and subordinates would be safe. If the Swarm was interested in her, then there was a good chance they would also be interested in her daughter should the damn bugs ever learn of her.

Assuming the Defence Net was successful at repelling the Swarm, she wouldn't need to fret and worry about a lone bug getting past the lines and bringing harm to those she had come to care for. There would be no need to bury the dead from her Division, nor a need to comfort the horribly maimed and wounded (arguably a worse fate).

"Mama!" Ajuga greeted her happily, bounding up to her and throwing her arms around Karin's legs.

"Hey there, Ajuga-chan," she said, looking down at her child, all dark thoughts instantly banished. They could wait until tomorrow. For now, she was home.

Karin noticed right away that there were a few flecks of dried leaves and a small twig or two tangled in her daughter's hair. Her fur was smudged in dirt, indicating she had been rolling about in the thicker foliage of one of the gardens. It would seem that she was going to have to corner Grimmjow into giving their daughter a bath tonight.

"Have you been good for Orihime-chan today?" she inquired with mock sternness.

"Yep!" her child replied, in a surprisingly good mood.

Karin picked her daughter up and finished walking to the garden where Orihime was busy picking and brushing out dried leaves and small twigs from Diaemus's hair. Clearly the children had been wrestling together and, by the looks of things, Diaemus had come out on the bottom. That might, Karin thought, explain her daughter's upbeat demeanour.

"Good afternoon, Karin-chan," Orihime greeted, her expression brightening. "Did everything go alright today?"

Karin nodded and, from the relieved look on Orihime's face, she knew she wasn't the only one who had her hopes pinned on the Defence Net's successful launch.

"Yes, it appears to be up and holding. We won't know how well it works until the next battle, but so far everything seems to be functioning properly," Karin answered as she set her daughter down, then gestured towards Diaemus. "I see these two were trying to flatten all of the plants in our garden."

Diaemus remained sitting still while his mother talked and continued to clean out his thick mane of hair that so resembled her own, trying to get the tangles out of it.

"Kids do that," Orihime agreed and discarded another leaf she'd pulled from the strands near the base of his neck. "I thought Ulquiorra would have been against it, but he actually thinks it's a good idea for them to wrestle. Something about it being early self-defence training or something."

"Makes sense to me. Most predators' cubs do similar things. I know it's cute when kittens play, but it's all just practice for hunting." Karin agreed with a shrug. "What time do you need to be home?"

"In an hour or so. I have to prepare dinner." Orihime's smile widened and then the young woman tilted her head back, closed her eyes and breathed deeply. "It is so nice to no longer be under house arrest. If the Defence Net holds maybe I won't need the escort all over the place anymore," she chuckled.

"At least you weren't practically imprisoned and forbidden from moving more than three feet when Diaemus was born," Karin chuckled, remembering her own mate's overbearing instinctual need to keep both her and their offspring safeguarded.

"True. Five years of being locked away on principle was enough, however," Orihime shuddered.

"Touché," Karin agreed, pulling a face when she considered those years and what Orihime must have had to deal with..

She recalled the time that she and Yuzu had been sequestered in the small house Grimmjow had claimed right after the war. Her experience of that time had differed from Orihime's in that Grimmjow had thankfully expected nothing of her or her sister except to stay put and act as bait for their brother. While she'd found the role of 'bait' boring, it didn't hold a candle to what Orihime and Tatsuki had to endure.

It had been a long time since Karin had seen either of her siblings. She wondered if they even knew about Ajuga, if Yoruichi or if the two Vizards that she and Ajuga had run into had ever told her siblings about their niece. The next time she spotted the transforming cat she would have to ask. Unfortunately, she had no idea when that would happen. Yoruichi kept to her own schedule, that was certain. The only thing Karin could count on as far as the cat was concerned was that at some point, she would show up.

"Welcome home, Karin-chan," Tatsuki called out as the woman entered the garden with a tray of fresh tea and snacks, dragging Karin's thoughts back to the here and now. "I trust all went well today?"

"So far so good. Was Ajuga on her best behaviour today?" Karin asked the dark-haired woman.

"Yes Mama, I was, I swear!" Ajuga piped up in exasperation, before Tatsuki could say anything.

"No more missed jumps?"

She couldn't help but tease her daughter, indicating the rapidly healing cut on Ajuga's cheek.

"Of course not," Ajuga huffed and rolled her eyes, snatching one of the snacks from the tray and nibbling on it with an offended air.

Orihime finished picking garden debris from her son's hair before reaching for a tea cup of her own. Diaemus was quick to escape his mother's grasp, a poorly-hidden scowl on his face as he found a spot slightly away from her and took a cup of tea for himself. They finished the beverage and snacks, exchanged gossip, and then wished each other 'good day' before Orihime, Diaemus and Tatsuki left to return to their own homes.

"Well, shall we start on dinner?" Karin asked her daughter as they brought the dirty dishes to the main kitchen to be washed.

"Can I hunt us up a deer for dinner, or maybe a boar? Please Mama?" Ajuga begged.

Karin sighed at her daughter's request. She tried to be supportive of her child's need to hunt, and the fact Ajuga had settled for hunting animals rather than the denizens of the Rukongai. Nevertheless, it was simply unsafe for either of them to be outside the city so her daughter could hunt up game. They could just as easily get meat from the market. The look Ajuga gave her was so hopeful that it truly hurt Karin to have to say no.

"Not tonight, Ajuga-chan."

Ajuga's ears, tail and posture drooped in despair. Karin's heart ached to see her daughter looking so dejected. It almost reminded her of watching the big cats in the Karakura Zoo, pacing in their too-small cages when all they wanted to do was prowl the savannah and rain forests they called home.

"I will talk to your father tonight to see if he can't take you hunting tomorrow," she offered in consolation.

Ajuga perked up a little at that.

"I'll even try to curb my overemotional, overprotective mothering instincts and not stalk you two. Okay?" she promised.

"Yes!" Ajuga cheered happily, darting ahead of Karin so she was the first one to the kitchen.

Karin was right behind her daughter. Ajuga was already at the fridge, looking inside and making suggestions for dinner. In the end they settled for fish since Ajuga fully intended on them having fresh, red meat tomorrow.

There had to be a way to let her daughter hunt more, but it simply wasn't safe for Ajuga to go hunting outside the safety of the city when the Swarm could attack at any minute. Orihime was far too soft-hearted to even consider tagging along with Ajuga on a hunting trip. Karin also doubted Ulquiorra would approve of his wife and son being outside the safety zone. Come to think of it, Karin couldn't help wondering how Orihime was going to react when Diaemus's hunting instincts kicked in and he started to bring in dead animals. If anyone would be able to handle it, it would be Tatsuki.

Unfortunately, despite having inherited Starrk's katana and having a large number of the Swarm notched into the blade, Tatsuki wasn't as strong as an Arrancar. When it came down to it Karin feared the Arrancar almost as much as the Swarm when it came to her daughter's safety.

_Wait__…__ Arrancar, Tatsuki__…_

Karin's mind suddenly whirled as she remembered with whom Tatsuki was involved.

Where Tatsuki went, Tesra usually followed, and he was one of the very few Arrancar she trusted completely. The local parks didn't have deer or boar, but they had plenty of rabbits and she had heard rumours of chickens that had escaped their pens in times past. Who knew, maybe there were even some wild pigs in the larger parks who had thrown off domesticity. She knew that a wild pig could be dangerous and hunting them would actually be doing the Districts a favour. Ajuga's Heirro was strong enough that no animal could actually harm her if she made a mistake. She decided to look into the possibility. If Ajuga could get over her fear of water, perhaps Karin could even convince her to do some fishing in the many rivers that ran through the Seireitei.

"What's got you thinking so damn hard you didn't even notice me coming up behind you?" Grimmjow asked as arms suddenly wrapped around her and a mouth descended to latch hungrily onto her neck.

"Mask!" Karin admonished, smacking his forehead with the reiatsu-infused spoon she currently held. There was enough energy in it to at least sting, maybe even leave a mark.

"Sorry," he grunted, switching to the other side of her neck so the bone fragment wouldn't scratch her cheek and resumed mauling her throat.

"Papa! Papa! Papa! Mama said we can go hunting tomorrow for boar and deer if you say yes! Can we? Please, please, please!" Ajuga pleaded, jumping excitedly around them.

"Oh?" Grimmjow pulled away and looked down at Karin in slight surprise.

"I could no more expect her to give up her instinct to hunt than I could expect a jaguar to become a vegetarian. Just promise me you will both be careful and not wander too far from the city so that if the Swarm attacks she will not be in any danger," Karin requested, giving Grimmjow a look that told him she'd brook no arguments about it.

"You know as well as I do that when she doesn't want to be found _no one_ can find her, not even Starrk," he pointed out, hoping that would reassure her. "Even in the event of a Swarm attack, she would be completely safe."

Karin nodded her head, but she couldn't help listening to her own protective instincts. Still, as much as Ajuga was her child, she was also Grimmjow's. In the spirit of sharing the burden of their daughter's care, she ran her idea of letting Ajuga hunt more locally under the watchful gaze of Tesra past her mate.

She felt him briefly stiffen behind her. Grimmjow was fiercely protective of his daughter and _very_ wary of almost every other male Arrancar out there. Starrk, Ulquiorra and Tesra were the exceptions, up to a point, and of those three Tesra seemed the most likely to want to do the kind of errand that Karin suggested. In addition, he was basically already mated as well, so after considering the pros and cons, Grimmjow gave his consent to the idea.

"Soooooo, does this mean we get to go hunting tomorrow?" Ajuga asked hesitantly, eyes brimming with barely-suppressed hope.

"First thing in the morning," Grimmjow assured their daughter.

"YES!" she cheered happily, dancing around them in excitement and jumping up and down for good measure.

"We need to get dinner going, so either grab a knife and fillet that fish or get out of the kitchen before I Kido blast that 'sword' digging into my back," Karin ordered her mate firmly.

"Only if you promise to sheath it for me later," he purred into her ear.

"Insatiable tomcat!" she groused.

Despite her complaining, she did rub her rear against him in silent promise of more to come later, and to torment him a little. She felt him stiffen even further and he let out a groan, rubbed against her while kissing and nipping at her neck in barely suppressed, feral hunger.

"I think you need a bath Papa, you smell funny," Ajuga complained, working on cutting the vegetables up.

Karin and Grimmjow both froze. Grimmjow was the first to move, groaning in complaint before finally letting her go and retreating to their suite with the announcement that he was going to take a shower.

"Don't worry too much dear, I am sure Lefty-san can keep you company," Karin taunted as he retreated.

The heated look he sent over a shoulder her way had her stomach doing flip flops and her core heating up. She smirked back the best she could but it was hard to match Grimmjow at these little games when the latter had years, and multiple women, to perfect his hunting prowess.

"Mama?" Ajuga asked once her father was out of sight.

"Yes Ajuga-chan?"

"Who is Left-san?" Ajuga asked, brows drawn down into a puzzled frown.

Karin couldn't help but to laugh at her daughter's innocent question.

"I'll tell you when you're older," she answered for Ajuga's benefit before turning her attention to the first of the fish she planned to cook tonight. There were a lot of hungry mouths to feed on the Estate, and once again she couldn't help but to think of Yuzu, and how her sister had been more than pleased to feed them all for the short time she had spent here before returning to the Living Realm. Her twin would have been in her element, stuffing them all silly three times a day and asking if anyone needed seconds.

"_I wouldn__'__t need to worry about Grimmjow and Ajuga hunting. They__'__d both be too fat to hide in the brush,__"_she told herself.

The picture her mind conjured up tipped her over the edge. The image of Grimmjow, the size and circumference of a beached sea lion, trying to hide himself behind a tree struck her as exceedingly hilarious. Karin couldn't help it; she lost it, leaning against the counter and clutching her sides as she guffawed.

Ajuga could only look at her mother, perplexed at the crazy behaviour of adults before she shrugged and put a pot of water on to cook the rice.

(POV)

Diaemus did his best impression of a drowned rat as he sullenly sat in the tub with his mother scrubbing away at the dirt and grit still stuck in his hair. The soap threatened to run in his eyes, much to his displeasure. Orihime hummed happily to herself as she continued to vigorously work her son's scalp with her fingertips.

"Did you have fun playing with Ajuga-chan, Diaemus-kun?" she asked him cheerfully.

"We were _not_ playing," Diaemus answered sulkily.

Orihime smiled at his answer, not letting his tone fool her. Diaemus was a rather quiet lad, so very much like his father. It had taken just a small amount of work on his vocal chords and the muscles in his neck by Unohana to give him the power to speak properly. It was still a struggle to get him talking, but he had picked up the skill very quickly.

"Of course not," she said a little more gently, humouring her son. "Close your eyes."

He did as she ordered, tipped his head back a little and she picked up the pitcher of warm water that sat beside her.

Her son held still as she rinsed the soap from his hair, so similar to her own. It was the only thing Diaemus had inherited from her. Every other physical trait and personality aspect came directly from his father.

Once Orihime rinsed out the last of the suds she handed him a cloth and the soap while she set about working some conditioner into his thick mane. Diaemus was at a point where he'd begun to protest when Orihime bathed him, her child feeling that he was old enough to do it himself. She let him take over most of the scrubbing duties, only washing the more difficult to reach areas, such as the section of his back between his wings.

His feet had strong, sharp talons and those required a file to keep them in shape. It had disturbed her at first, but she was used to doing it now and it was another task that was easier for her to do than it was for him. It was hard to file them down properly while hunched over, at least while he was this young.

Once he was clean, she picked up the pitcher and rinsed the conditioner out of his hair before helping him stand up. His wings were leathery, and as such didn't get too water-logged, but they did have the same trailing feathers as his father's wings and black fur covered his body from the waist down. At the moment, that fur was waterlogged.

She pulled the plug and handed him the first towel so he could start drying his skin and hair. She grabbed another tower and worked on his wings before grabbing a bottle of oil and a clean cloth. By the time she worked the oil into both sides of each wing, the tub had finished draining and they both did what they could to wring the water out of his sodden fur using the last dry towel.

Her son was about as dry as he was likely to get. While Orihime wished the Seireitei had some of the simple things that she had once taken for granted in the Living World, such hair dryers, she'd gotten used to working around the lack of conveniences long ago. She handed him a robe made from the same terry-cloth as the towels before leading him to sit on one of the chairs in the kitchen. She grabbed a brush and began to run the bristles thought his hair, before tying it up in a ponytail. Otherwise it got in his face when he was flying. She had tried to convince him to cut it a little shorter, but he adamantly refused to let her near it with a pair of scissors.

Now that she'd successfully groomed her boy, she shooed him to the living room to give her the time she needed to cook dinner. She had forced herself to curb her creativity in the kitchen over the years. The only Claim-enforced order still active between she and Ulquiorra was the one to 'cook a proper meal,' much to her annoyance. She could do whatever she wanted for her own consumption, but the food for shared family meals was to remain basic. Ulquiorra and Diaemus preferred their food plain, even a little bland. Neither one of them had any sense of adventure, she thought irritably.

Her mate returned home a few minutes before dinner was ready. She could hear his voice from the living room and she found herself smiling as she listened to father and son talk. While she couldn't make out any words, the simple fact that Ulquiorra was paying attention to his son pleased her. He was so withdrawn around others, save for their private time together. Orihime often feared that their son would feel unloved by his father.

"Dinner is almost ready," she called.

Both males entered the kitchen, looking at the stove a little warily until they saw that their own fare didn't include anchovies and ketchup over rice. Ulquiorra sat down while Diaemus set the table.

"How was your day?" she asked her mate.

"Satisfactory," Ulquiorra answered simply.

The silence that followed dragged out for several minutes as she looked at him expectantly. He stared blankly up at her before he seemed to catch on to what she wanted from him.

"How was your day?" he finally asked a little awkwardly.

"Good," she said cheerily and the verbal floodgates opened. "Ajuga-chan and Diaemus-kun played together for most of the day and they were very well-behaved while Tatsuki-chan and I did a bit of our own training and caught up with each other."

Orihime continued to expound on her day as she served dinner. She caught Diaemus rolling his eyes a few time and her son positively cringed and looked very ashamed when she explained that Ajuga-chan had won 8 out of 10 games of 'predator and prey'. Her child looked like he wanted to slide under the table as his mother attributed his two victories to the little girl taking pity on her playmate and letting him win.

"Ajuga has the ability to cloak her presence in such a way that not even I have been able to perceive her when she wants to remain hidden. It is no shame to be taken off-guard by her at this stage, as she has had several years to perfect her skills. She is also older than you. I have confidence that you will catch up to her quickly enough, provided that you study how she goes about hiding and use the information you gain to find a way of countering her ability."

Orihime stared at her mate in surprise. She hadn't expected him to reassure their son about his losses today. She'd expected Ulquiorra to give him a look of disappointment or a lecture on how to achieve better prowess perhaps, extracting a promise from his son to try harder next time and train more. However, his willingness to reassure his son took her by pleasant surprise. It was also more of a turn-on than she wanted to admit. There was something very sexy about a father making time for his child. She'd read about it in one of the women's magazines that Rangiku had loaned her while she was pregnant and confined to the house and the gardens. The article, 'Are Involved Fathers Just Sexier Than Child-free Guys?' hadn't made much sense to her at the time, but now she could definitely see where the author of the story had been coming from.

Diaemus looked up at his sire, clearly feeling a little better and the family ate the rest of their respective meals in silence. She cleaned up dinner while Ulquiorra and Diaemus left for a flying lesson. She was far more comfortable with Diaemus's ability to fly now that her son was considerably steadier in the air and could land without stumbling most of the time.

By the time she was done cleaning up dinner and finishing a bit of housework her mate and son had returned. It was Diaemus's bedtime, and she was pleased with Ulquiorra's parenting skills this evening. Diaemus had been quick to claim a room of his own as soon as he no longer required his mother's milk to survive. He didn't need much blood these days either, and when he did require it he could get it from an animal rather than from a human or a Shinigami. At his age a crow or a small chicken was enough to meet his needs. The animal didn't even need to be alive so as long as it hadn't been dead for more than two hours and the blood within it hadn't yet congealed and clotted. If they couldn't find an animal, Ulquiorra seemed fine with allowing his son to feed from him, nonchalantly letting the boy bite down on his forearm and take what he had to take.

Orihime loved her son, but ingesting blood was the one part of his nature that left her feeling squeamish, despite her best efforts. It was, in some ways, grosser than Ajuga's desire to hunt and eat her meat raw. Then again, she thought wryly, Diaemus fed very much like the blood-sucking creature he was named after and unlike Ajuga's little dietary quirk, there wasn't a mangled corpse left over afterwards.

Goodness, and they gave Orihime such _grief _about _her_ meals!

With the house cleaned, and still feeling rather amorous, she made for the bedroom she shared with her mate. She knew that Ulquiorra would put Diaemus to bed, which gave her a bit of time to get ready. By the time Ulquiorra entered their bedroom Orihime was sprawled out on their bed wearing nothing, her long, thick hair fanned out against the bedding and pillows.

He paused at the door for a moment before closing it the rest of the way and approaching their bed a little cautiously, the way he would approach the kitchen if she was in the middle of preparing a meal for herself. She sat up as he stopped at the edge of the bed, looking down at her with the barest hint of confusion and a growling look of lust. It was rare that she instigated intercourse between them, still a little shy and uncertain.

"Onna?" he questioned.

She didn't respond. The only way she'd found of breaking him of that bad habit was to completely ignore him. He was an intelligent creature and caught on quickly enough.

"Orihime."

She smiled up at him happily, scooting a little closer to the edge of the bed and bringing her hands up to brush aside his jacket so she could slowly untie the belt holding up his hakama. She caught Murciélago before the Zanpakuto could follow the belt and hakama on their trip to the floor. Ulquiorra shrugged his jacket off to join the rest of his clothing. Setting Murciélago down beside her, she wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him forward, taking him into her mouth and holding back a smirk as he gave a soft moan of pleasure.

Her head bobbed as she took him deeper down her throat, pulling more noises out of her partner. His hands tangled in her hair and his nails scraped lightly against her scalp. Her tongue and lips played over his flesh and his moans slowly turned into laboured breathing. The only sounds in the room now were the wet sucking sounds Orihime's mouth made and his gasps for air.

Almost ten minutes later she felt his hands tighten in her hair and his flesh pulse in her mouth, indicating he was close to release. She pulled back and looked up at him, pleased with herself for turning his normally pale flesh a soft, blushing pink.

It took him a few moments to regain his composure and move his hands from her hair to her shoulders. He pushed her onto her back, and crawled over her to pin her beneath him.

They simply gazed into each other's eyes for long moments. She had learned a long time ago that his eyes could betray his emotions. They were currently swirling with unrepentant lust as they took in her naked form. She pulled his head down with her left hand for a deep kiss while her right searched for what she was looking for. Her fingers finally brushed Murcielago's hilt and she smirked into his mouth before pulling the Zanpakuto between them and pressing it to his chest.

He pulled back from the kiss to give her a raised eyebrow. She blushed, embarrassed, but didn't back down from her silent request. Orihime continued to hold the sheathed weapon between them. With a sigh he pulled back a bit to take his Zanpakuto from her hands and release his blade.

The surge of power washed over her, giving her delightful shivers even as the skin against hers changed to silken fur. She absolutely loved the feeling of its texture against her bare skin. Once the transformation was over his hands descended to her hips and flipped her over before pulling her against him. She let out a gasp as he penetrated her, going in deep with a single push.

Orihime let out a groan of pleasure as he held her against him before beginning to thrust at a languid pace. Her entire body shivered and her breathing quickly devolved into little panting moans. She could barely hear Ulquiorra's own quickened breath over the beat of his wings as he unfurled them and used them to steady himself above her. Then she felt him reach around and with a claw that could have easily cut her if he'd applied more pressure, he circled the small bundle of nerves above her core.

She cried out loudly as she suddenly came, her walls clamping down on him hard and juices gushing out around him as every nerve in her body flared in ecstacy. Ulquiorra froze above her, poised with his wing flared out, his head thrown back in gratification. and his claws lightly scratching her hips as her orgasm triggered his own. They held that position until every last spurt had been milked from his deflating flesh by her pulsing sex.

Slowly, almost unwillingly, they detangled themselves and Ulquiorra pulled out of her, drawing her body close to his and mantling his wings about them.

"Love you," she whispered and smiled up happily at him, her grey eyes twinkling.

"I believe I feel the same."

She turned just enough so that she could tug his face down for a kiss before settling more comfortably against him, nestled under the warm protection of his arms and wings. She had never felt so safe and loved in her life. She was more than happy that she had taken the time and given him a second chance to try and learn what it meant to love someone, to have a heart. She was just beginning to drift off when she heard Ulquiorra's low voice murmur something in her ear.

"Perhaps I should encourage my son's competitive efforts more often, if this is my reward for doing so."

Her eyes flew open and she stared up at him, her mouth a little 'o' of surprise. Then, when he stared back down at her, as if waiting for some kind of confirmation, she began to laugh softly. Oh, her mate _was_ an intelligent creature, as well as observant. When she reached up to draw him back down to her in a less-than-verbal answer to his question, she began the first of several plans to get Ajuga interested in more wrestling matches…

* * *

Thanks to those few who reviewed. In other news, only one chapter of part 1 left. Part 2 is off to a slow start, but at least it's been started. I don't think part 2 will be as dark since the setting has now been firmly set. Not saying their won't be dark scenes, but probably not as many, I think. Hard to say, no promises, things tend to change as I go


	100. Epilogue

Epilogue

The first true test of the grid came four days after the Defence Net was finished. The Net went up without a hitch and everyone within the Seireitei watched with both anticipation and a great deal of satisfaction as the Swarm threw itself against the lines of blue energy only to be repelled. Those that made contact with it sizzled like bugs on a giant bug zapper, the energy all but electrocuting them. Those that were close to the ones caught in the grid also perished as the energy arched from one victim to the next like chain lightning. Even the beetles let out a strange noise that had everyone scrambling to cover their ears as they hit the thing and were tossed back, deep lines burnt into their carapaces. It took several meetings with the Net to bring down the beetles, but it still got the job done. The barrier was a true success.

Those who witnessed the barrage described it as 'surreal.' Either there were no Generals around to prevent the Swarm from flying stupidly into the grid, or the lure of the bright blue light made by the grid's crisscrossing energy was too ingrained in the insect's brains for them not to try to approach it on instinct. They pointlessly flew into the barrier by the thousands and died there. By the time the generators started running low on power, and Szayel ordered the grid turned off before a burn-out could occur, almost nothing remained of the creatures. Cleaning up afterwards was almost anti-climactic and so boring that most of the Arrancar didn't even bother to participate, leaving their Shinigami slaves and the task forces from the Rukongai to dispose of the charred husks.

Aizen declared himself extremely pleased and, with the city now protected, the Shinigami were finally able to focus their attention on other pressing issues, such as the stability of the Realms and helping out the large number of woefully abused Plus's. With the Swarm so cut down and incapable of getting past the Defence Grid, the various Districts' militia groups were more than capable of handling most of the mess and the Arrancar, who were unable to perform a Konso and had no interest in Shinigami duties, took care of any bigger threats that those left behind to defend the city could not.

For the first time in years everyone got a bit of a break. They were finally able to enjoy a day off here and there to spend with friends and family. Karin returned to her own Division and truly started to learn how to run it properly. Jushiro continued to have 'little relapses' just so that Aizen would, hopefully, delay recalling the order for Byakuya to assist as an acting Fukutaichou. The large number of backlogged Pluses helped kept the Divisions considerably busy. Unfortunately, the Fukutaichou and Taichou were forbidden from going to the Living Realm by Aizen's direct decree; no doubt to prevent any communications with the small band of rebels still running at large, or attempting to flee. Unfortunately, that meant that some of the Claimed, such as Rangiku and Soi Fon, were once again trapped within their Masters homes as there was no viable excuse for them to leave now that the Swarm was contained and no longer a major threat.

The children grew steadily as the years passed and the Defence Net held.

Hana continued with her studies and eventually attended Shinoreijutsuin, the school all Shinigami attended, like her parents before her. She took a place in Toshiro's 3rd Division upon her graduation. Unlike her mother, Hana passed in the upper middle of her classes, rather than at the top. She was the picture of an ordinary, brown-haired, brown-eyed, average Shinigami, falling into the anonymous pack of Division members rather than testing for a numbered seat. Had her mother not been one of the Division's Taichou, Hana might truly have faded into the proverbial woodwork. She went to great lengths to hide her true potential and to avoid attracting any unwanted attention, either from Aizen or from was left of the Kyoraku family.

Ajuga would often tag along behind Jushiro when he went to work, both to make sure he took his medicine and so she could pester Byakuya into showing her more Kanji, something he seemed very willing to do. There were times Ajuga disappeared completely, usually when everyone was too busy to notice. She was all smiles and very cheerful when she did turn up again, so no one gave it too much thought.

With the swarm mostly contained, Grimmjow also had more time to spend training and hunting with his daughter, making it unnecessary to ask anyone to accompany her during larger game hunts, though Tesra did find himself roped into the occasional training session when the Sixth felt that another opponent on hand would help toughen up his child. The Estate was kept well stocked on boar, deer and even the odd feral ox and horse. Despite Karin's attempts at interesting them, neither father nor daughter ever developed a taste for fishing. By claw the pastime was far too wet, by net too easy and by rod too damn boring.

Diaemus remained a reclusive, introverted child and it took a lot of badgering on Ajuga's and Hana's parts to get the stoic lad to drop his serious demeanour and play with them. It became a little easier to get him to participate when he realized that his ability to get airborne gave him a distinct advantage in a few games and soon he was a willing playmate to both girls.

Slowly, Orihime grew less apprehensive about watching her son fly and found that pride and admiration quickly replaced fear as she watched him take off and soar above her head with confidence. He seldom spoke unless asked a direct question that required an immediate answer, or to make little barbs at Ajuga that frequently went over the girl's head, much to Hana's amusement. He very much sought after his father's approval, striving to better himself at every turn in order to make his sire proud.

Nemu's pregnancy followed Szayel's prediction in that it lasted the nine months he had determined it would. Szayel monitored things to the point where Karin, half-annoyed, began to compare him to her own father in his level of obsessiveness. What no one knew was whether or not the twins would hatch inside of Nemu or not. As her belly grew ever larger and the young showed no signs of coming out of their cocoons, the soon-to-be parents were faced with a worrisome possibility. Despite Nemu's unique physiology, neither she nor Szayel were certain as to whether or not a C-section might be necessary. In the end, their children made the decision for them.

One moment Nemu stood at one of the Defence Grid's monitoring stations, dealing with one of the data feeds. The next, she was doubled over with her arms wrapped around her huge midsection and a large puddle of fluid forming at her feet.

Szayel, a constant presence at her side since the last two weeks of her pregnancy, helped her to one of the tables while he simultaneously bellowed like a frightened rhinoceros for Renji. The redhead skidded into the room seconds before both he and Szayel heard Nemu gasp '…no time' in a strained voice and whimpered before another massive contraction wrenched her frame.

Renji barely had time to grab a stray lab coat that one of Szayel's underlings had left draped over the back of a chair before the pink-haired Arrancar yanked it out of his hands and barked at him to help Nemu. She gave birth a few moments later to two large, smooth, purple and pink shimmering chrysalides in quick succession.

Szayel carefully caught each of them in the lab coat while Renji steadied Nemu's shoulders. It was in this manner that Renji learned how strong Nemu really was and why Szayel had avoided his chosen's hands like they were a venomous viper once her labour began. She grabbed the redhead's arm, seeking something to give her some leverage and unthinkingly broke his wrist on her last push.

Szayel's blind panic at Nemu's unexpected lapse into labour summoned Karin who, knowing that Nemu was due any minute and correctly guessed the reason for Szayel's sudden slide into gibbering distress, had the presence of mind to stop at the 4th to ask Unohana Taichou if she could quickly come to the Science and Research Division. The two of them found Szayel sitting behind Nemu, supporting her while she wearily ran an internal scan to assess any damage that the abrupt delivery might have caused her. A white-faced Renji, meanwhile, braced himself with his unbroken wrist against the door jamb, his traumatized expression alternating between shock and abject pain. Szayel held one of the chrysalides protectively in the crook of his arm, while Nemu cradled the other.

Unohana, after stabilizing Renji's wrist and advising him to pay a visit to Orihime if he could, suggested that Szayel take Nemu and his heretofore un-hatched progeny to the 4th for a more thorough examination. Szayel appeared as if he wanted to reject the proposal out of hand, his paternal Arrancar protectiveness kicking into overdrive now that his young were in his arms, until Karin cleared her throat and offered to form a 'guard' of sorts along with Renji for both Szayel and Nemu if that would make him feel any better about things.

While he clearly did not want to leave the place he considered a 'den', Szayel also did not want to incur the wrath of either Karin or Kami's wife. Especially when Kami's wife used _that_ particular tone of voice in regard to making sure Nemu, and the chrysalides, were alright.

It was an odd procession, with Unohana in the lead, Renji gingerly carrying Nemu while trying not to jar his injured wrist and Szayel carefully bearing the lab coat-wrapped chrysalides in his arms. Karin followed, ready to intercept anything that tried to interfere with them but confident that no one in the Seireitei was stupid or suicidal enough to attempt anything with Unohana-Taichou present.

Unohana declared Nemu well enough to leave after a night of rest that allowed her reiatsu and systems to stabilize, but made a second proposal: that the soon-to-be family hunker down in one of the more isolated patient rooms to wait until the chrysalides opened. Szayel accepted that proposition as Unohana knew just as much about biological functions as he did and he liked the idea of having her present should things go wrong. His own lab, while beautifully equipped for all manner of scans and dissections, was not as _medically_ equipped as the 4th Division was to handle patients.

On the third day after the twins' chrysalides were laid, a small crack appeared in the shell of one chrysalis, while the inhabitant of the second made a tiny 'pip' hole that widened as the day progressed. It took the twins a little while to free themselves, but when they did Karin swore she could hear Szayel's victory exclamation all the way down at the 2nd Division's headquarters.

Abasara, the elder of the two by a few minutes, turned out to be the spitting image of his father, with a full head of pink hair, small purple eye-markings reminiscent of his father's Resurrección and bone fragments across his face that both Unohana and Szayel believed would someday come completely together to form a pair of 'glasses' around his bright, green eyes. He also seemed shockingly human-looking, in comparison to his little sister.

Vindula crawled from the remains of her casing with what looked like a tangle of pink, blue and green cellophane sprouting from between her tiny shoulders. They eventually unfurled into a set of translucent butterfly wings, nearly as long as she was and twice as wide, that looked as if they'd been painted by a watercolorist. Otherwise, the little girl looked very much like her mother, dark-haired and with a sweetly pointed chin. Her golden eyes, however, gave away her parentage, even if she seemed to lack a 'mask' like her brother and father.

Szayel proclaimed them 'perfect' before handing them to Nemu for their first feeding. Renji, upon meeting his future responsibilities, silently agreed for once with the scientist, especially after Karin prodded a protective Szayel enough to allow the redhead to hold them for a few minutes. He was utterly lost after Vindula yawned and cuddled down into the crook of one arm, her wings folded over her body like a thin blanket while Abasara dozed off in his lap, clutching the front of Renji's uniform with a surprisingly strong grip and using his other little thumb as a pacifier.

Aizen paid his customary visit to the new parents two days after the hatching. Thankfully, Karin was there on a break when 'Kami-sama' strode into Nemu's room and remained there as Szayel was forced to hand over the twins to him one by one. Aizen held each child in turn before giving Szayel a significant look that both the scientist and Karin took as a thinly-veiled threat, couched as it was by that damned benevolent smile. They had no doubt that if Szayel made any mistakes, or did anything that Aizen considered a failure, any punishments would fall, not on Szayel himself, but on his children.

Renji, his wrist now mended, had returned from making sure the twins's nursery was ready to receive them, only to find Karin attempting to soothe the Seventh Espada's thoroughly rattled nerves. Meanwhile, a visibly upset Nemu clutched both babies to her, curled up around them as if trying to reassure herself they were both fine. He'd never seen her display that much emotion before and Renji made up his mind, once he had learned what had happened, to keep Aizen's punishing gaze from ever landing on Abasara and Vindula, for any reason. 'Ji-ji', as he eventually became known to his charges, began to plot the first of many possible escape plans, not for himself, but for Nemu and the twins if worse ever came to worse.

It was over the twins that Renji and Szayel finally reconciled their turbulent past. Szayel stopped insulting him once Renji proved that he could be an outstanding guardian that thoroughly adored the twins and Renji stopped acting like an asshole towards Szayel whenever he could get away with it. Their truce almost broke down once Renji found out about some of the things that had gone on during his long, involuntary 'nap', but as the redhead began to learn how the Espada and the Arrancar stacked up against each other as far as power and the privileges that strength afforded the higher Espada, he began to understand why at least one horrific incident couldn't have been prevented. While he doubted that he'd ever really forgive Szayel for it, he had to at least come to terms with the fact that, when confronted about it, the Espada showed real remorse. Renji added the upper tier of the Espada to the list of potential threats when it came to his charges and worked on perfecting his Bankai in the secrecy of the chamber beneath the Science Division building.

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years. The Defence Net held and the Realms stabilized somewhat as souls began to move more properly between them. The Shinigami returned to their normal tasks, even if they were still shorthanded by several Divisions. Unfortunately, the real balance still showed no sign of truly restoring itself; it remained precariously on edge, ready to continue its slide into chaos once more at the slightest provocation.

Yoruichi, in her cat form, would show up in Karin's garden from time to time, always on the darkest of nights, with a report. Those reports continued to confirm what everyone feared but were too frightened to confront Aizen about: the stabilization was only temporary at best and the Living World was suffering a kind of backlash because of it. Tornadoes where none had ever occurred before, massive earthquakes and the resulting tsunamis, torrential rains and floods, as well as devastating droughts… while the humans in the Living World puzzled over the increase in natural disasters, the Shinigami could only hope that nothing else happened that would add to the imbalance.

Nel, like clockwork, continued to refresh Renji's Claim in order to keep up the illusion that Szayel still held his leash. With the twins acting as a very powerful anchor for him to remain in the Seireitei, he found that his meetings with her were even more appreciated. While each meeting was different, as the years progressed they discovered that they had far more in common, for good and for ill, than either suspected.

Despite how much power Aizen drained from himself, Unohana remained stubbornly barren. There was one positive pregnancy test, but the embryo hadn't lasted long under the strain of Aizen's overwhelming reiatsu. He gained back nearly as much energy as he drained so progress on that front was excruciatingly slow. The fact that Unohana had conceived at all at least eased his temper and the one almost-success lead him to believe they were on the right track to successfully producing an heir.

The only two who knew the truth about how enraged Aizen was over the miscarriage were Gin and Unohana. The first took the full brunt of Aizen's displeasure and the second had to tend to the damage her husband did to the first, since 'Kami' didn't want to damage a perfectly good brood mare by physically harming her. The only relief Gin had found was that Aizen had offered him the chance to keep Shinso.

The rules dictated that the Zanpakuto would be permitted to remain latched to the roof of his little cubby and that he never _touch_ his blade _except_ to use the Zanpakuto to refresh the warning Kanji carved into his chest, twice a week, for an entire year. After the year was up he would be permitted to keep his Zanpakuto and touch it at will.

Gin had shared a long conversation with his Zanpakuto over it when Aizen had presented the option before them, having given them two hours to reach a decision. As painful as it was for Shinso to be used to harm his partner, the pain would only last for a finite amount of time and they would at least be close together. Afterwards they would both be together and Shinso could do what he could to help Gin get through the torture Aizen periodically put him through. The anguish of separation had apparently been almost unbearable for the Zanpakuto. As such, they both agreed that the pain of being forced to harm Gin for a year was preferable to the pain that both would endure by being separated for all eternity, with the only meetings between them occurring when Shinso was forced to harm his Master .

The Seireitei seemed to come to a state of uneasy equilibrium. Time passed and the inhabitants fell into settled routines, more or less. After five years of constant battles against the Swarm, everyone seemed to welcome the calm that blanketed the city within the grid. Even the Arrancar seemed grateful for the reprieve. However for some, like Byakuya, having their Masters at home rather than out in the field fighting was an unwelcome hazard of peace, as they quickly got bored with a mundane lifestyle and often turned to their 'pets' as a source of entertainment.

The conquered population clung to the odd serenity with a desperation that only people that had seen a little too much conflict over far too many years could manage. It was easy to let themselves be lulled into a sense that things were finally 'better'.

And things were better most of the time for most of the inhabitants. Only a few continued to suffer horribly at the hands of their Masters while others managed to work out a sort of 'truce' between themselves and the Arrancar that had Claimed them. The pseudo-peace held for five years, a stretch of time long enough for the inhabitants of the Seireitei, Shinigami, Arrancar and humans alike, to think that it might just last.

But nothing ever stays the same and no defence holds forever, no matter how well-designed…

* * *

Nooooooo, this is the last chapter, /sob and man what a journey this has been. It's hard to believe that I have been posting this for over two years, and since I'd written a fair amount of it before posting that means I have been working on it for 3 years. Wow what a long time. Thank you each and every one who reviewed and encouraged me over these years and I hope to see you all in Part 2

As for Part 2, I probably won't begin posting it for some time, I am thinking maybe in the new year so that I can work on it, move things about, edit events, get a store of chapters, etc. Not to mention the busy season is starting up as I help my mother with her catering business, not to mention I got a munchkin to raise and a WOW addiction to scratch.

I hope to see you all in the new year and you can follow me in The Real King. I know that Black Fox is working on a short story of events that happen during the time skip so hopefully she will finish that up and we can post it before I start up Part 2. I don't know what I am going to call part 2 yet.

Interesting Data:

Pages: 1231

Words: 454,436

File Size: 5,695kb

I would love to see a heads up from every brave soul who managed to read through this monster and to know how well I captured the emotions of each scene.


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